Since 2015, we've been making clothing from wood—soft, breathable, affordable. Today, we're expanding our production beyond Portugal. Here, we explain why.
Since 2015, wijld has stood for one clear principle: Sustainable fashion shouldn't be accessible only to a few. It has to be affordable—because only then can it truly make a difference.
At the heart of what we do are wood-based fibers, which are among the most sustainable textile materials in the world. Soft, breathable, biodegradable—and made from a renewable resource that requires little water and no pesticides.
The world has changed since we founded the company. Rising energy prices in Europe are making sustainable production there increasingly expensive. Faced with the choice of either significantly raising prices or compromising our standards, we chose a third way: adding new production partners in Turkey, China, and Bangladesh who share our values and have decades of textile expertise.
We work exclusively with partners who are regularly audited by independent institutes. Our requirements: certifications according to GOTS, OEKO-TEX, and BSCI—for environmental and social standards that are non-negotiable for us.
We took a close look at all of this ourselves. Further down, you'll find the questions we asked ourselves along the way—and our answers.
— Timo
Founder · wijld
Questions we
asked ourselves.
01Is production in Asia really sustainable?
Many factories in Asia have evolved enormously in recent years—with modern wastewater treatment, renewable energy, and high environmental standards. Bangladesh now has more LEED-certified green factories than any other country in the world.
We looked into this ourselves before making the decision. The video above shows what we saw.
02What is really behind this decision?
The honest answer: Rising energy prices in Europe have significantly increased production costs. We faced a choice — raise prices or lower quality. We wanted neither.
Partners in Turkey, China and Bangladesh enable us to maintain our standards and keep prices stable — or perhaps even reduce them in the long term. Higher margins at the expense of our values were never the goal.
We want our favourite pieces to have a major impact — and that is only possible if many people can take part and afford them.
03How independent are your certifications?
GOTS, OEKO-TEX and BSCI are not self-declarations — they are issued by independent institutes and regularly reassessed. No business can simply buy these certificates; it has to demonstrate and uphold compliance with them.
We also visit our partners in person — as we did in Bangladesh, and as we regularly aim to do with our partners.
04What does this mean for the quality of my wijld products?
Nothing changes about our quality requirements. Every delivery is inspected by independent testing institutes before shipment — regardless of whether it comes from Turkey, China or Bangladesh.
Wood remains wood. The fibre comes from the same certified sources, regardless of where the yarn is processed. We continue to rely on sustainable forestry here.
05What does the environmental impact look like despite the longer transport routes?
The greatest leverage for achieving a low CO₂ footprint lies not in transport, but in the material. Lyocell made from wood causes up to 75% fewer CO₂ emissions than conventional cotton — by far the most effective contribution we can make.
The longer transport route from Asia, on the other hand, hardly makes a difference: Container ships emit around eight times less CO₂ per tonne and kilometre than trucks. The difference between Portugal by truck and Asia by sea freight amounts to less than 0.5% of the product’s total footprint — because our Portugal shirts have always had a global supply chain too: Lyocell from Austria, cotton from India.
06What’s happening with your production in Portugal?
Portugal remains an important partner for us — especially for certain products and smaller runs. We’re not scaling back, we’re expanding.
Our goal was never to produce everything in one place, but to work with the best partners for each product.
Three certificates,
that we don't negotiate.
Global Organic Textile Standard
Ecological textile processing from field to finished garment. Independently tested and renewed annually.
Standard 100
Tested for harmful substances. Every batch is inspected before shipping — regardless of the production location.
Business Social Compliance
Social standards throughout the supply chain: fair wages, safe working conditions, freedom of association.
The greatest leverage lies not in transport, but in the material.
CO₂ emissions from wood-based lyocell compared with conventional cotton — across the entire product life cycle.
Source · Lenzing LCA 2022This is how much less CO₂ container ships emit per tonne and kilometer compared with truck transport.
Source · NABU / UBA 2022Share of transport in the total product footprint — Portugal by truck vs. Asia by sea freight.
Source · UBA freight transportCO₂ per tonne-kilometer
Source · UBA 2022 (truck, rail) · NABU / UBA (sea freight) · UBA (air freight)
Material choice outweighs origin
“We want our favorite pieces to have a big impact — and that’s only possible when many people can take part.”
wijld founder · 2026
One more note — Your questions.
Write to us. We reply personally.
Do you have a question we haven't answered here? Or a suggestion we should hear? We read every message — and write back.
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