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Dykkeren is committed

Dykkeren is a small company. Yet Dykkeren acts.
Technical and economic choices, organic cotton, fair trade, traceability and respect of labour conditions.
But not only.

Committed to marine biodiversity

Longtime ambassador for Longitude 181 Nature or partner of Passion des requins, (French association created by Ondine Eliot to protect sharks), Dykkeren also sometimes shares some of its sales.

Sharks and divers are an old story. And Dykkeren loves sharks! As an essential link of underwater life, sharks must be saved from the threat of extinction that hangs over them. Their protection is one of our first concerns. Dykkeren has been involved several times on this issue: during the 2009 European Shark Week or with the Passion des requins association (creation of the Requins Rescue T-shirt, donation of €5 of the price to the association, several hundreds have been sold).
Not to mention the "Divers love sharks! “ Dykkeren model which clearly shows our position on the matter.

At local level / Locally

Dykkeren also got involved locally.
With a highly active involvement in La Place (Fair Trade Platform of Aquitaine – South West of France; a collective that has since disbanded, with each member moving on to their own adventures): events organization in Bordeaux area (France), conferences, work with elected officials and institutions to encourage them to better consume...

Dykkeren is active in other initiatives: partnerships with cave divers for cleaning operations in and around dive sites in Lot (famous French area for cave diving): Souteux respectueux* T-shirt -, social networks animation, organization assistance…), graphic design for the 2023 NSA (Arcachon Underwater Cleanup) T-shirt...

*Respectful cave divers

Cotton

Natural material but...

Cotton has been dressing humanity for 8000 years.
Although it is a natural material, its cultivation presents numerous problems.
Cotton cultivation occupies only 2.5% of arable land.
In 1999, this crop alone accounted for 11% of global pesticide use and 25% of global insecticide use (rising to as much as 50% in developing countries)—involving some of the most dangerous chemicals in the world. By 2009, these figures had shifted to averages of 6.2% and 14.1%, respectively ("Measuring Sustainability in Cotton Farming Systems," Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2015).
This so-called "conventional" cotton is rarely present in Dykkeren products.
The cotton used in Dykkeren garments comes from several sources: primarily India, Türkiye, and Tanzania, with Brazil and Egypt accounting for a few older models.

Becoming organic

No GMO cotton (also called Bt cotton) in our products! GMOs are absent in organic cotton! As well as in fair trade cotton (to prevent producers from being economically dependent).
Turkey and Tanzania have even banned GMOs from their countries.
It takes 3 years to convert fields from conventional to organic cotton. During this period, organic farming specifications are applied to clean up the soils. This organic-in-conversion-cotton is less profitable at first and deserves to be supported. This is what we did through Fair Trade with our first Brazilian cotton products, grown by small producers in Northeast Brazil.
You will also sometimes find the Max Havelaar label on some products of Indian origin, which are organic too.
Because it uses no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or GMOs, uses less water (especially the amount needed by chemical fertilizers and pesticides), organic cotton is the best alternative.
Let's avoid contaminating the soil, poisoning people who live on this crop!
To identify certified organic products, the GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) label is the most common at Dykkeren. It is composed of former labels of the same quality, regrouped in the past few years, while remaining rigorous, even including social criteria for producers (minimum wage ...).

Finally, let us remember as divers that "Everything ends in the sea! » (As our friend Erlendur of the Strýtan Dive Center would say).
Diving cannot be separated from the protection of our playground, including our choices as consumers.

What about other materials?

Recycled polyester is sometimes present in our products but we avoid as much as possible petrochemical materials, especially when there is no technical need for it.
Linen, hemp or merino wool are very interesting materials ... Many things remain to be explored by Dykkeren and by consumers.

Labour conditions

Clothes, yes, but how are they made?

Textile is one of the most inhuman economic sectors in terms of basic labour rights, right down to the very heart of Europe, as geographical proximity is not a wall against social injustice.
No way for Dykkeren to limit itself to ecological materials without worrying about how our products are made!

Respect for humans

From the beginning, Dykkeren chose Fair Trade, offering T-shirts made by Fair Trade Cooperative Univens in Porto Alegre in Brazil. This Brazilian sector has since collapsed.
In fair trade, respect of labour conditions is a founding principle.
Other Dykkeren products come from India, Turkey or Bangladesh, all Fair Wear Foundation certified. FFW is an independent non-profit foundation whose objective is to guarantee labour conditions in textile industry. Through regular inspections, a coaching process for companies in the garment sector towards a code of conduct based on the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in a partnership with NGO, the Fair Wear Foundation intends to enforce some simple principles:
- Employment is freely chosen
- No discrimination in employment
- No exploitation of labour child
- Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
- Payment of a living wage
- Reasonable hours of work
- Safe and healthy working conditions
- Legally binding employment relationship
(from Fair Wear Foundation website).

What about Made in France?

Dykkeren does not manufacture in France, except for clothes personalization (silkscreen, crests ...).
It is a choice.
At Dykkeren, we have always wanted to have the shortest way between cotton fields, manufacturing and final destination.
Finally, as cotton is not grown in France, its transformation far from producing countries or neighbouring countries can be debated. After all, why remove opportunities for added value to these equally legitimate countries? Especially since we are not talking about an exclusive know-how of the French artisan heritage.

Silkscreen printing

A long-lasting and aesthetic technique

Dykkeren most often opts for silkscreen printing.
1000 year old technique invented by the Chinese, silkscreen printing is aesthetic.
It allows chiselled designs or large regular patterns. It lasts in time, cracks sometimes, living with its support giving it a vintage charm, unlike transfers that give a plastic effect that we do not like at Dykkeren.
Silkscreens are made in France (Aquitaine) and, in some cases, in Belgium (close to the textile manufacturers we work with!), in workshops chosen for their expertise and commitments (one is a long-standing Imprim’Vert® member, and another is Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 certified).

Longitude 181 Nature

A guideline for responsible divers

On June 8, 2009, World Oceans Day, Dykkeren was still very young when we became an ambassador for Longitude 181 Natur, a role we would hold for many years.
Association created by François Sarano, oceanographer and former Cousteau teammate, Longitude 181 Nature has developed a guideline for responsible divers. This guideline encourages scuba divers to think about the impact of their activity on the underwater ecosystem and their relations with the populations of the countries they visit.
To date, Dykkeren has sent out dozens of copies of the guideline in its packages!
For the "Dykkeren loves sharks!" operation, we gave Longitude 181 nature 10% of our turnover for 15 days.

A personal code of conduct

But it's not just a statement. As divers, our practices have long been concerned with the environment (underwater or not): alternative kicking techniques to avoid acting like wild boar underwater, trashnet to pick up waste – a long time before creating Dykkeren by the way! - the one we use is made in organic cotton, what about yours ?, and a few other long-standing practices—like banning disposable tableware—that our buddies can attest we’ve been pestering them about for ages! :-D

Eco-friendly

Overall approach

The simple manufacture of a T-shirt shows the complexity of the textile industry and its impact on the planet. Dykkeren wants to be aware of these issues in order to minimize the negative impacts and to promote the positive aspects.

Restrictive choices that embody our values

We have worked with certifications such as the "Respect Code" (which still exists but applies to other products, and which allowed for full traceability of the production chain) and EarthPositive® (an ecological, ethical, and—above all—holistic approach: organic cotton, Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 certification, manufacturing that respects labor standards, and a production process designed holistically to neutralize greenhouse gas emissions—utilizing renewable energy and measures to minimize environmental impact from cotton cultivation through to the transport of finished products).
Dykkeren has always selected its product manufacturers based on rigorous criteria, even when such choices were rare and challenging: fair trade practices (paying a fair price within a long-term business relationship), respect of labour conditions, commitment to environmental causes, and transparency.
Let’s face it: it's economically binding. However, Dykkeren will always prefer investing in ethical, high-quality products over spending on marketing to sell products that do not align with its values.

No risk wearing Dykkeren! The Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 guarantee is there to vouch for the effects of textile components on health. This certification guarantees the materials harmlessness. It is issued for one year by a designated institute which makes tests in a laboratory to detect banned or regulated by law substances but also substances which are concerning for the health according to current but not yet regulated knowledge (extracts from Oeko Tex® website).
All our textile products are Oeko-Tex® Standard 100 except Brazilian fair trade products. Even if it is not always officialised by a certification (the certification has a consequent cost for workshops), ink used in screenprinting is Oeko-Tex ®.

Awards

Apparently Dykkeren is a good student

Dykkeren won the Agenda 21 trophy of the Gironde departmentin November 2010 in the Business category for its "responsible commitment [...] (fair trade and organic textiles) and awareness of customers and partners on the challenges of responsible consumption ".
Initially, Agenda 21 is an action plan for the 21st century adopted by 178 heads of state at the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. The values and recommendations conveyed by Agenda 21 have been applied at various local levels.
Concerning companies, their social responsibility is evaluated. No precise specifications at Dykkeren but a concern for continuous improvement in the proposed products and company functioning, as well as a financial commitment especially for the protection of underwater biodiversity.
That award was a confirmation of the relevance of our choices.

Greenwashing

Dykkeren is not messing with you

Greenwashing (...) is a marketing method using the ecological argument. The companies using greenwashing thus give an eco-responsible image, though far from reality ... The practice of greenwashing is misleading and can be likened to false advertising (translated from Novethic French definition).

In short, sorting office waste, reusing packaging, or offering one or two organic products in your range is all well and good, but it does not constitute a genuine approach, nor is it enough to make a brand an eco-responsible player.
Dykkeren will not cheat you. There is still progress to be made but our actions are numerous, on all subjects, and our commitment is sincere.
We invest in the products—their quality and aesthetics—rather than in communication.

RRR

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Dykkeren tries to favour ecological and ethical solutions for its operations (administrative, logistic ...), as much as possible and according to the state of its knowledge,
Three letters for three principles to remember.
RRR - Reduce Reuse Recycle, is a line of conduct for Dykkeren, for both ecological and economic reasons.
Packaging is often recycled cardboard or reused as needed, adapted to the size of the shipments (how many half empty boxes do you receive in your online purchases?).
Our office supplies are environmentally friendly (even the scale for our parcels is sun-powered!).