&SONS is a British menswear brand that specialises in durable, well-made clothing with a focus on craftsmanship and longevity. Climate has always been part of the brand's ethos, shaping how it makes and ships products. But as Kelly James, Operations & ESG Director, explains, there's a difference between thinking you're doing the right thing and understanding your impact well enough to have a plan.
&SONS was at the final stages of its B Corp application but struggling with one crucial piece: understanding its carbon data. The brand had tried other measurement tools, but they weren't built for fashion. They left gaps around materials impact - and for a clothing brand, that's where most of the carbon footprint sits.
The timing was right for the business to move from talking about sustainability to properly embedding it in governance and operations. Rather than just assuming they were doing the right things, they wanted to know for certain.
What the LCT programme offered
Seedling, the emissions measurement tool, solved &SONS' immediate B Corp challenge. Unlike previous platforms, it was built specifically for the fashion industry and accounted properly for materials impact.
"Seedling helped me fit that last piece of the jigsaw puzzle to put the B Corp application in."
Beyond the measurement tool, having access to expert advice gave Kelly confidence in the decisions being made. No more second-guessing or hoping they'd interpreted things correctly.
"It gives you comfort that when you ask questions, you're getting the right answer rather than just trying to find your own way and hoping it's right."
Measuring emissions revealed something Kelly hadn't expected. As Operations Director, she'd assumed transport and logistics would be the biggest impact. She was wrong.
"Seeing that sourcing of the material is where our biggest carbon impact was, which was a big eye-opener."
This insight clarified where to focus first. Kelly is now working with the garment team on materials changes, ensuring targets are both ambitious and achievable. Rather than imposing targets from above, she asked the team what they felt they could realistically change within a year - getting buy-in by involving people in setting the goals. “I thought it was important that it was led by the team, rather than me implementing targets that the team wouldn’t realistically be able to achieve.”
&SONS’ garment tech and designer teams joined specialist materials calls during the programme and are now implementing changes product-by-product. The focus is on practical shifts, such as moving from standard cotton to Better Cotton Initiative-certified materials. In addition to this, &SONS have also added a range using natural dyes from the earth and food waste. Breaking it down product by product makes the task manageable rather than overwhelming.
The programme also helped &SONS prepare for future regulation. Understanding its current position means the brand can adapt to upcoming legal changes rather than scrambling to backpedal when new rules take effect.
"With potential law changes, going through this programme has made us understand where we currently are. I feel like we're preparing ourselves for these changes that are coming later."
&SONS has started embedding climate commitments more formally across the business. Sustainability and impact aren’t a separate department, &SONS runs an ‘Operating with Purpose’ framework, which runs through everything they do.
The programme also introduced Kelly to the concept of 'green hushing' - when brands do good work on sustainability but don't talk about it for fear of being accused of greenwashing. Kelly learnt more about this by attending a communications workshop organised for LCT participants in January 2026. Moving forward, the brand is focused on authentic communication aligned with its key messages around craftsmanship, men's mental health, self-esteem, and durability.
The focus now is on keeping on track with the plan and keeping the team aligned on ambitions. Kelly acknowledges that carbon reduction work adds extra effort for colleagues producing garments, so securing internal buy-in is crucial.
"I'm going to be beating the drum, trying to get everyone on board."