Simon Tilbury, Farlows Group Head of Marketing, sat down with Jack Gregorie (pictured above), Farlows Product Manager and Head of Sustainability, to talk about the Farlows sustainability mission and how it influences what they do.
Hello Jack, what can you tell me about the Farlows sustainability mission?
"We have a clearly defined sustainability policy. We believe that as a company we are responsible for achieving the highest standards of environmental practice and for operating in a sustainable manner. As a business which is largely dependent on the external natural environment for its continuing commercial success we understand that we have a duty of care for it and for safeguarding its wellbeing for future generations and we are committed to encouraging our suppliers, customers and all business associates and stakeholders to do the same.
We are proud to say that for the year ended 2025, we have reduced our Scope 1 and Scope 2 (location-based*) emissions by 17.9% and have achieved Planet Mark Certified - Business for the fourth year.
We have also measured our full carbon footprint, including all Scope 1, 2 and material Scope 3 emissions (those not produced by the company itself, but by those within the company’s value chain). From this, we have set our net zero baseline, from which we can establish credible and ambitious near-term and long-term net zero targets. This represents a hugely significant milestone in our overall sustainability journey.
To remain Planet Mark Certified - Business, it’s essential that we maintain our commitment to reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by at least 5% each year.”
That’s amazing, how has that been achieved?
"We submit all of our operating and consumption data to Planet Mark who use that to build an accurate assessment of our carbon emissions and calculate our overall emissions. This is the definitive measure that is consistent year on year and which give us a like for like track on progress.
It covers everything from how staff travel and the amount of fuel used, the electricity, gas and water usage from our stores, the type of energy we use, how much paper we print, even the mileage covered by the couriers we use to deliver our customer orders. We work really hard to continually reduce each and every one of these elements."
How does this sustainability mission translate into the products Farlows makes?
"Farlows is a British brand and with the exception of our shirts and ties which are made in Europe, and our loden from Austria, the materials for our Farlows own products and the products themselves are all made in Britain. Of course they could be made cheaper elsewhere, but then we wouldn’t be able to work with the finest materials and best British craftsmen and offer the unrivalled quality that we do, and we’d have a greater negative impact on carbon emissions."
What is Farlows’ most sustainable product?
"It would have to be the Ladies Lunna Fieldcoat, part of our Autumn / Winter collection. The tweed we use for this coat is made from undyed Scottish wool, meaning the colours that form the tweed ground and check are simply made from different shades of the sheep’s fleece. There is a lot of finetuning in the yarn spinning process to create the spun yarn in the correct colour shades but once this is done the colours are always the same ensuring consistent representation between different pieces of cloth.
The sheep used for the Lunna are raised in the Shetland Islands and the fleece is transported to Aberdeenshire by boat where it is spun into the woollen yarns needed to mill tweed. The yarns are then transported to Edinburgh by boat and then inland to Hawick in the Scottish Borders by road where it is produced into tweed for us. We produce all of our Farlows garments to a very high standard ensuring the process from start to finish is truly sustainable. Our coats and gilets are made for us in Northamptonshire, so we ship our tweed from Scotland to our workshop by van via the road network here in the UK, and then when the tweed has been made into our garments we ship from the workshop to our warehouse in Hereford and to our shop in London, again all by van. We don’t use any air freight for our UK products."
"All of our Farlows outerwear (including the Lunna), gilets, trousers/breeks, caps, knitwear and much more are all cut by hand and constructed using hand operated machinery like sewing machines, steam presses etc. We use a fantastic combination of ancient techniques but with modern machinery and working practices to ensure we get only the best and unmatched outcome.
Our Lunna coat is also entirely PFA free. We use a waterproof membrane in some of our coats, the Lunna being one of these. We pride ourselves on making the best clothing possible that is both fit for purpose yet luxurious and stylish. This means that we must ensure our waterproof garments are indeed 100% waterproof and are suitable to keep you warm and dry in all weather. We us a thermoplastic polyurethane membrane which is not a PFA and is very much non-toxic and will be sure to last for years and years, even a lifetime alongside the coat itself.
As with all of our Farlows own range products, we aim for the optimum balance of performance, style and sustainability."
What’s the next step in the Farlows sustainability mission?
"We’ll continue to try to cut our carbon emissions wherever we can and we are now focusing on Scope 3 of Planet Mark certification, which involves working with the suppliers of purchased goods and services to reduce their own carbon emissions. Quite a challenge, but one we must step up to.
Additionally, carbon emissions are directly linked to global warming, which is having an increasing negative effect on the health of our rivers and the aquatic environment, especially our fish. So Farlows will continue to actively support our chosen charities in their various own environmental missions (Wild Trout Trust, Atlantic Salmon Trust, Angling Trust, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, South East Rivers Trust)."
Thank you Jack. Find out more about Planet Mark and how it can help your business!
