A More Responsible Company
At Garçon Français, sustainability is at the heart of our business model.
Since 2012, our commitment to responsible, local, and ethical fashion has only grown stronger. Discover how we combine quality, environmental respect, and support for the European economy.
Garçon Français designs, develops, and manufactures all its products in France using materials sourced within the country. Our entire product range is crafted in the Aube. The fabrics for our clothing come from French manufacturers: knitting and dyeing take place in the Rhône, while elastic weaving is done in the Loire, and so on.
By prioritizing local production, we reduce the need for long-distance transportation of raw materials and finished goods.
Visit the made in France Page
Boost the local job market and economy
Garçon Français is a member of FIMIF (Fédération Indépendante du Made In France), an independent association that has demonstrated the positive impact of French manufacturing through multiple studies. Buying French-made products generates three times more wealth for the national economy than importing goods.
Key figures:
- • If every French consumer bought one in three garments made in France, it would create between 55,000 and 160,000 jobs.
- • The textile industry currently employs 60,000 people in France, compared to ten times that number in the 1970s.
The Benefits of French Production
Local production and consumption inherently reduce a product's carbon footprint. However, quantifying the exact environmental benefit is complex. The "Union des Industries Textiles" conducted a major study on this topic, revealing that every kilogram of textile produced in France cuts carbon emissions by half compared to imported production. This means French manufacturing reduces the textile industry's environmental impact by 50%.
View the full reportThis is especially significant given that, according to a report by ADEME (combining multiple international studies, including McKinsey), the global textile industry accounted for 4% of greenhouse gas emissions in 2018, with emissions growing at an estimated 2.7% per year—equivalent to the annual emissions of three European countries (Germany, France, and the UK).
Download the full ADEME reportAt a time when the consequences of climate change are becoming increasingly concrete, Garçon Français has been taking daily action through its French production since 2012.
A Stronger Commitment to the Environment
More Eco-Responsible Materials
Producing in France is a good start, but producing responsibly and sustainably is even better.
Garçon Français has taken a major step forward by transitioning 100% of its Jersey cotton fabric production to organic or recycled cotton. Since 2022, all our Jersey fabrics are knitted from organic or recycled cotton fibers.
Circular Economy
Garçon Français is a member of RE-FASHION, the eco-organization for the textile, clothing, household linen, and footwear industries. Each member contributes proportionally to the number of items sold. These contributions fund the collection and recycling of used clothing, with nearly 300,000 tons collected annually—or 4.3 kg per capita—across some 60 sorting centers, where 99.6% of collected items are valorized.
Learn more about this initiative
We recycle at every step
Producing more responsibly is just the first step—we also need a proactive policy for waste collection and treatment. At Garçon Français, our boutique and warehouse practice selective waste sorting (paper, cardboard, etc.), placing each type of waste in dedicated recycling bins.
We also encourage our suppliers to intensify their efforts, ensuring that every stage of production accounts for recycling imperatives.
How does this work in practice?
Dye wastewater is pre-treated before being sent to treatment plants—no untreated waste is released into nature. While this may seem obvious in France, it's not always the case in many textile-producing countries.
Our fabric knitter has implemented concrete actions for waste treatment and collection: Used oils are collected and recycled ; Cardboard bobbins and packaging are fully recycled.
Fabric scraps?
Their recyclability depends on their composition (with or without synthetic materials). Our knitter adapts sorting based on current constraints.
More Sustainable Product Design
From the very beginning, Garçon Français founder Vicky Caffet was determined to create long-lasting products.
Our design strategy revolves around two key principles: quality and material efficiency.
Quality as a Philosophy
Unlike the broader textile industry, Garçon Français underwear is built to last. Our fabric choice, with an average weight of 200 g/m², sets us apart from other underwear brands, where the average rarely exceeds 160 g/m². That 25% difference makes all the difference in the longevity of a boxer brief or brief.
Our waistbands are no exception. Our elastics are woven with a density of 100 threads per square centimeter, 20% to 30% denser than our main competitors. Over time, our waistbands won't let you down.
Visit the made in France PageMaterial Optimization
Textile waste is a major environmental issue, and not all of it is recyclable. That's why our product design prioritizes minimizing waste.
Fabric cutting is done by machine, with software-assisted placement to optimize every square centimeter of knit fabric, reducing loss.
We use a single type of Jersey cotton fabric for all our underwear and loungewear collections. This approach offers major advantages. Economies of scale, every meter of fabric is used to create large pieces, pockets, shells, or collars. Reduced waste, no excess material goes unused.
Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Shipments
We package our products in eco-designed packaging made in France and the EU. Our packaging is also designed to minimize volume and weight, reducing resource use during transport.
Optimizing packaging and shipments is another way we're moving toward a more sustainable fashion industry.
Zero Plastic: Mission Accomplished!
Since 2020, Garçon Français has achieved zero plastic in all its packaging. The polypropylene pouches previously used for shipping have been replaced with recycled and recyclable kraft paper pouches.
Why kraft paper?
It's a natural packaging made from wood fibers. Its production requires no chemical treatment, making it 100% biodegradable and recyclable—the exact opposite of plastic.
No Overpackaging
For many years, all our products were packaged in additional paper or cardboard overwrap. We rethought this process to reduce packaging consumption.
In 2020, we conducted an experiment: we gave our customers the choice to receive their orders with or without overpackaging. The option for "no unnecessary overpackaging" quickly gained popularity, with over two-thirds of customers opting for the more eco-friendly choice.
Due to its success, we generalized the practice in 2021. Now, all orders are shipped directly in our kraft paper pouches (or cardboard boxes for larger items), which are sufficient to ensure safe delivery.
This change has allowed us to reduce our packaging use by 60% in just two years.
Foldable Gift Boxes
The foldable cardboard gift boxes available in our stores (and online) weigh half as much as rigid cardboard boxes, reducing energy and material consumption during production.
Additionally, they take up four times less storage space, significantly reducing transport volume.
Every small step counts for the planet.
Warehouse and Logistics
We partner with a logistics provider for receiving, storing, and preparing our merchandise. This provider has a strong CSR policy focused on people (training and career development for teams) and climate (40% reduction in gas consumption over three years).
The company, Axe STPP, is located in the Aube, just a few kilometers from our production workshops. This proximity minimizes transport between the warehouse and our partner workshops, all located in the same region.
For individual customer orders, we use Colissimo, a historic provider with ambitious initiatives for greener deliveries. Between 2013 and 2024, Colissimo reduced CO₂ emissions by 53% per parcel. Learn more about Colissimo's CSR policy
For shipments to our retailers, we work with DPD, a La Poste Group subsidiary also committed to reducing its environmental impact, including an 11.8% reduction in CO₂ emissions between 2020 and 2024.
By choosing these carriers, Garçon Français is contributing to the ecological transition toward a lower-carbon economy.