And just because you have a compostable fabric doesn’t mean you have a biodegradable garment. Freitag had to ensure that all the other components like linings, labels, and selvages were also biodegradable. Rivets were avoided altogether and instead of using cheap, standard polyester thread for stitching, they found a compostable thread. They also developed a button that can be unscrewed and removed from the garment.
After five years of development and several employee test runs, Freitag has now a selection of fabrics that originate from European fibers and are produced within 2,500 kilometres (1,600 miles) of Freitag HQ. And they’ll biodegrade completely in any compost heap.