Sustainable shopping at Brooklyn

• Green energy
  Fifteen months after the fire, Brooklyn proudly shows off a brand-new head office. Going for solar power was a no-brainer for CEO Ubbe. So he decided to cover not just the roof but also the side wall entirely with solar panels. 830 solar panels (to be exact). From early morning until late at night, the panels soak up the sun all day long. As a result, they generate more energy than the head office needs. By sharing the surplus energy across the 7 stores, they can cut their energy use too. The solar panels also power our logistics! During sunny hours, our Autostore (automated storage system) charges up, so our logistics can run energy-neutral.
  
  
• EV charging points
  The head office has charging points where you can charge your electric car with the leftover green energy from the solar panels.

Ubbe called in the professional help of Energy Protect, a company specialised in optimising energy for homes and businesses. Led by CEO David Houthoofd, Energy Protect took care of the technical design and installation of the PV system.

Some of our stores got a complete makeover. The new concept was dreamed up by design studio 5 AM and is based on the urban Brooklyn experience. Sustainability takes centre stage in these brand-new stores too. How do we do it?

• Energy sharing
  Thanks to the monster output of all the solar panels, we generate more energy than the head office needs. By sharing the surplus energy across our 7 stores, the building cuts consumption peaks & the stores' energy use goes down.
  
• LED & natural light
  Besides sharing energy, all energy-guzzling lamps are being replaced with LED lighting & natural light.
• Free cooling
  Our new stores use a 'free cooling' system. Cooler outside air is drawn in to bring the indoor temperature down. On extremely hot days, the system runs at night, when the outside air has cooled. So in the morning you walk into a fresh, clean space.
• Packaging
  We're largely fighting perception. At first glance, a brown paper bag looks much more sustainable than a coloured plastic bag, but what people don't see is that the latter is made from recycled plastic. Our thick reusable bags, in turn, are made from ocean plastics. So be sure to bring yours along on your next visit to our stores.
  Our choice to work with plastic bags was a very conscious one. On a rainy day, a paper carrier bag is far from handy. After a while it's completely soaked and no longer usable. Recycled plastic stays reusable for a long time.

• Reusable packaging
  Shipping all online orders in plastic is also a very deliberate choice. If you pack everything in cardboard boxes, carriers end up transporting a lot of air. Bags pack everything more efficiently, using every centimetre of the packaging. Parcel not quite your thing after all? The packaging has a resealable strip, so you can easily send back your return.
  
  And to close the loop completely, you can bring your plastic bag or e-commerce packaging back to one of our stores.

• in-store pickup or CO2-neutral delivery
  Every day, loads of orders are packed in our recyclable bags. You can always choose to pick up your order at one of our stores. Prefer home delivery? Then your parcel will be delivered in a CO2-neutral way right to your door or B-post point.

With COSH, Niki de Schryver started a fashion revolution! COSH stands for conscious shopping. It's an online platform where you can discover sustainable brands. See where you can find them near you: all seven Brooklyn stores proudly display a COSH sticker on their window. Our brands were rated & classified with an eco-score. Check out all the results on their website & find out how sustainable your favourite brand is.

What can you do yourself?

• Recycle plastic bags
  Bring our reusable bag back with you on your next visit! Still got old recycled bags from us? Drop them off at one of our 7 stores and we'll recycle them again!

• Alterations
  Got a pair of damaged jeans that are still too nice to just throw away?
  Bring them into one of our stores. Together with our team, you can see how your beloved jeans can be altered to give them a second life. Is the dress you love too long? Our profashionals will gladly help you pin up the right length.

• Choose consciously & stay informed
  The best thing you can do to shop more sustainably is to learn what sustainable clothing can be. Read our blog post on eco-friendly materials or find out how our sustainable brands do their bit for sustainable fashion. Once you know all that, it's up to you to choose sustainable clothing (more) consciously. Online & in store, we already make it a little easier by putting an eco sticker on eco-friendly garments.