Wellington Zoo Gets A Little Yellow Bird

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Wellington Zoo Gets A Little Yellow Bird

Two New Zealand companies revolutionising their respective industries have teamed up to create a work uniform like no other.

Wellington Zoo has unveiled new uniforms made by ethical workwear supplier Little Yellow Bird today.

Click here to watch a video of the uniforms being made.

The collaboration is part of a bigger objective for both organisations to do better business, and make serious positive impacts in their respective industries.

Wellington Zoo is the world’s first carboNZero certified zoo and is a global leader in its conservation efforts.

“We care deeply about our planet and its inhabitants and work hard to be one of the world’s most sustainable and ethical zoos,” says Wellington Zoo Chief Executive Karen Fifield.

“When it came time to revamp our uniforms, we wanted a company that shared our vision to make them. Of the companies that submitted a proposal, Little Yellow Bird was the one that resonated with us the most.”

Little Yellow Bird was founded in 2015 by 27-year-old Samantha Jones, following a 6-year stint in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

“In the Air Force I was told what to wear and had no free choice in which brands I could support. The fashion industry has a lot to answer for when it comes to social and environmental responsibility, so when I left the Air Force, I wanted to wear more ethical clothing,” she says.

“The options were virtually non-existent in the corporate workwear space, so we founded Little Yellow Bird to fill the gap.”

Little Yellow Bird products are all made with highly transparent production methods, and a highly traceable supply chain right back to the cotton farming level.

“The majority of our products are made from cotton and we choose to work exclusively with organic. The cotton supply chain is very complicated but we’re passionate about ensuring everyone in ours is treated and paid fairly for the work that they do,” says Jones.

Environmental responsibility is also at the heart of Little Yellow Bird’s business. The team collaborated with fellow Kiwi company Offcut to turn the offcuts from Wellington Zoo’s shirts - which would otherwise be wasted - into caps as part of their uniform.

Jones and co-founder Hannah Duder have recently returned from their latest trip to India. They visited each stage of their supply chain and some of the impact projects they have been supporting.

The company has grown rapidly this year after participating in Lightning Lab XX, New Zealand’s first accelerator program for companies founded by women. Little Yellow Bird has already expanded into Australia and has just landed their first big customer in the United States.

ENDS

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