"We’re here to change the apparel industry for the good of our planet."
Located in Atlanta, Last Bottle Clothing, a public benefit corporation, is a sustainable apparel company founded by Stuart Wood and Justin Koehn. Their products are made entirely from recycled plastic bottles, and just as importantly, are entirely recyclable. Their mission is to tackle plastic pollution and revolutionize the apparel industry. Their clothes help reduce the negative impact of plastic on the environment by recycling bottles into high-quality clothing, while dramatically reducing the waste of the apparel industry, the world’s #2 polluter. They minimize water use (500 times less freshwater than organic cotton), eliminate the need for pesticides and defoliants, use plastic garbage instead of petroleum as the raw material, and minimize their carbon footprint while ensuring workers’ equality in their supply chain.
Stuart Wood
Founder and CEO
Stuart Wood, a long-time supply chain strategist, was frustrated by corporations' lack of attention paid to environmental issues. Wood decided to leave the corporate world and collaborate with his business partner to address the problem by establishing the Last Bottle Clothing corporation. Wood believes that "at Last Bottle Clothing, we will lead the way in the circular economy, driving apparel sustainability and environmentally conscious fashion."
Focus on the future
Reasons why Last Bottle Clothing was founded:
The apparel and fashion industry is a behemoth in the global economy and the second most polluting industry. The founders of Last Bottle Clothing recognize the gaps between the fashion industry and the environment that do not align with sustainability incentives. They have been looking for a way to positively influence the business environment's long-term outcomes to ensure that future generations will not inherit the negative results from what we are doing today. Coupled with their passion for addressing plastic pollution and the desire to make the apparel industry cleaner, Wood and Koehn settled to take action into the apparel industry, where they realized large opportunities lay at the intersection between plastic waste and fashion. With his brainchild, Wood hopes he can provide a cleaner, more ecological, and healthy world to the next generation.
Why SDGs are vital for business?
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To every business, "sustainable development goals are achievable, and it is an aspiration to put this world into much more equal competitive ground and give people around the world an opportunity to participate in this 21st-century economy," Wood says. He believes that it is essential not only for his company and the apparel industry but also for every aspect of the economy to implement SDGs. Early practicing and integrating SDGs into their business or every part of life can reduce inequality across the world and ensure a healthy economy to allow long-term sustainable development. Every person and every company, together, can make a significant impact on the economic environment.
How LBC implement SDGs
LBC implements SDGs in every single step of business operation from the raw material to customers. With the primary medium being plastic wastes, LBC's products are able to keep plastic out of landfills, decrease the amount of freshwater used to manufacture apparel as well as substantial fossil fuel required for transportation. Besides, even though LBC currently does not own any part of the supply chain, it has developed supplier networks that are environmental and social leaders in the industry.
Never stop moving
forward.
R&D:
Last Bottle Clothing looked at how to turn plastic bottles into wearable clothing, and it started with research and development. In 2016, the Last Bottle Clothing company was created, and the founders projected 12 months of R&D. The idea of turning plastic bottles into recyclable apparel had never been done before and proved to be an arduous and complicated process. It took Last Bottle Clothing three years to develop a product; however, through perseverance and determination over those three years, they were able to produce apparel that feels great, is 100% recycled, and 100% recyclable. Also, by creating apparel that is recyclable, Last Bottle Clothing is able to have closed-looped manufacturing and positively influence the environment by reducing waste as well as reducing their own costs.
Business structure: 
The business model is a crucial factor that directly impacts the process of implementing and maintaining SDGs. It would be easier if SDGs were planned into the business's core value in the very beginning. If not, it costs the companies a high price to remodel to become more sustainable. Along with that, consumers can dictate the company's operation from a sustainability perspective. They expect to see more sustainable practices throughout the production process. Moreover, human resources are also a challenge that every business needs to come across to achieve the goals that they aim to. It is not easy to get someone that understands the company's mission, willing to be a part of the mission to work and support the company's mission.
Supply chain:
It was not easy, but Last Bottle Clothing created its brand to be ethically responsible through every step of the supply chain, creating a closed-loop and sustainable product. It took the company a fair amount of time to find and understand each supplier in order to assure that they would meet the Last Bottle Clothing's mission and expectations on sustainability.
“Small but inspiration”
Local manufacturers aligned with sustainability incentives can be a game-changer.
All the manufacturing processes occur within a 100 mile radius within the southeastern US. By localizing their supply chain, Last Bottle Clothing drastically reduces the amount of gas emissions from the transportation between suppliers resulting in one of the smallest carbon footprints in the apparel industry. Being a local manufacturer, Last Bottle Clothing and its suppliers have created many employment opportunities for the local community. Interestingly, with the founders' ambitions, Last Bottle Clothing plans to acquire parts of the supply chain and place them in the westside of Atlanta. This action will create sustainable local jobs.
Take responsibility for customer consumption:
Last Bottle Clothing wants to make the world a better place, and they strive to achieve this goal through sustainable business practices, education of the youth and consumers, and by influencing other apparel companies to follow suit. LBC highly focuses on consumption responsibility. The company does not just sell recyclable products but also educates and informs consumers about the impact of plastic on the environment and how its product can change the pollution issues in this field. Besides that, with its recyclable products and take-back program, which allows customers to send back their old shirts, Last Bottle Clothing is able to close the loop process and achieve maximum sustainability in the circular economy.