At Turtle Doves, sustainability is what we do, it’s in our company DNA. Our customers love that we upcycle cashmere jumpers but that’s just one element of how we try our best to be kind and respectful to the planet, to our customers, to our employees and self-employed seamstresses and to our local community.

Most people now know that across the globe we make and buy far too many clothes, wear them for shorter and shorter periods and then dispose of them in unsustainable ways. This is bad for the planet, huge amounts of water used in the growing of cotton for example, and vast quantities of poisonous dyes and CO₂ generated in the manufacture and transportation of clothes is another. It’s also bad for our mental health as we chase the never-ending promise of looking like a supermodel only to wear the latest fashion items a few times before taking them to charity shops and clothes banks, or more often losing them in the wardrobe under the newest purchases.

So we say, ‘Buy less, choose well, make it last.’

Our planet

• In the past 12 months we’ve saved over 150,000 cashmere jumpers from going to landfill or going abroad.
• All our operations, our design, manufacturing, warehousing, you name it, take place here in the UK, which means we don’t generate loads of CO2 transporting products around the world. Manufacturing in the UK also means it’s easier for us to make to meet demand rather than import too many products just to cover the cost of the container ship.
• We use every part of the jumpers, and every item gets sold. We design clothes that minimise waste from each jumper, we recycle waste into yarn or into craft boxes, and we offer customers many products that don’t pass our stringent quality control checks at a discounted price or as make do and mend packs.
• We use only recycled packaging devoid of any plastics.

Our customers

• Turtle Doves Trustpilot scores are top of each retail segment we operate in. Customer scores tell us, and you, how we’ve done as far as product quality, delivery speed and accuracy, and customer service are concerned. We believe our customers should be able to interact with human beings quickly and sympathetically. All customer Trustpilot comments are shown centre-stage on our website. Good customer service increases trust and makes our relationship with our customers more sustainable.
• Our fingerless gloves are great for those with circulation problems like Raynaud’s disease, arthritis, and diabetes.
• Every item we sell is individually checked by our Quality Control department. We only employ the very best seamstresses as we want each garment to last a very long time.
• We offer quibble-free returns.
• Because our products are non-fitted, we ensure an extremely low level of returns.