Our Values

Our Journey to Build a Regenerative Economy 

 

RIMMBA’s sustainability goals are deeply rooted in Regenerative Economy Principles. Our promises for Social, Environmental and Economic net positive impacts include fostering economic prosperity with communities , using resources effectively and protecting and restoring planetary health for future generations to make a net positive impact through every aspect of our business.


1. RiMMBA's Brand CODE OF ETHICS for our Workers and Partners

  • RIMMBA is committed to creating a healthy and supportive work environment.

  • We provide safe working conditions, living wages, and fair compensation to all our employees and partners.

  • We believe that happy, healthy team members are essential to producing high-quality, thoughtful garments. At our atelier, we also provide nurturing meals and a work environment rooted in respect, creativity, and care.

  • RIMMBA is dedicated to offering opportunities for both personal and professional growth to everyone involved in our supply chain.

  • To ensure accountability, we work closely with a Bali-based sustainability partner to audit the social and workplace conditions at our own atelier and our production partners’ facilities, making sure our Code of Ethics is upheld at every step.


(2) Shared Economic Prosperity and Honoring Artisan Heritage 

RIMMBA partners with a diverse network of local artisans - dyers, weavers, tailors -each bringing their unique skills to the table. Community building is at the heart of RIMMBA's philosophy, fostering a sense of shared purpose and pride in our craft. 

We partner with skilled Balinese artisans who embody generations of knowledge and skill. By valuing their expertise, we celebrate and preserve the rich artisan heritage of Bali.

 


RIMMBA's commitment to community goes beyond our atelier doors in central Bali. We actively engage with remote Balinese villages like Tejakula in North Bali and Desa Tenganan, in East Bali, establishing genuine connections with local artisans to preserve centuries-old traditions. Collaborations with village level ventures, cooperatives and SMEs not only empowers the communities but also infuses RIMMBA's designs with a unique cultural richness.
  • RIMMBA has entered into a partnership with a local non-profit organization to focus on regenerating the local cotton textile industry including the regenerative agriculture, the weaving, indigo dyeing, and batik process. Our partnership supports 100% Balinese-made products, bringing work and vitality back to a community while keeping traditional dyeing techniques alive and preserving cultural heritage.
  • As an active member of the Jiwa Garden, a non-profit Bali organization dedicated to regenerative agriculture education, RIMMBA is committed to giving back and fostering a deeper understanding of sustainable practices and inspiring others to embrace more regenerative options.

 

Photos: Rimmba Studio on the East Side of Bali.  

(3). Lifecycle. Zerowaste Fashion:

RIMMBA aims to provide consumers an alternative to fast fashion. Therefore we design our garments to be timeless and cherished for a lifetime or longer. We start with durable, renewable, biodegradable fabrics and durable construction to ensure that our natural textiles are used effectively and will endure tests of wear and time. 

Zerowaste to Landfill Commitment: Each year, an estimated 92 million tons of textile waste are generated globally. Of this massive amount, a mere 12% is recycled, leaving the rest to languish in landfills, where it leaches toxic chemicals, releases greenhouse gases and takes centuries to decompose. 

 

 

Pre-loved or rejected garments should not go to landfill. RIMMBA designs garments to be forever loved. Our garments are made from renewable fabrics and designed to be timeless and durable to maximize the effective use of our fabric resources. 

How do we do this? RIMMBA garments can be repaired and delivered to us to be re-dyed between wears and then repurposed to be always loved, always cherished and always respected as a precious resource.  

Our Metrics: RIMMBA eliminates nearly 100% of waste fabrics by using 98% of our textile. Our key to preventing textile waste is well-planned pattern layout and creative use of all pieces of fabric. When cutting fabric for our dresses, we efficiently utilize the material by simultaneously creating smaller garments and accessories such as the Pevita halter top, the Frida crop top and a range of silk hair scrunchies. RIMMBA repurposes our cut-offs and scraps by using innovative techniques. Our most used method is to make entirely new textile by sewing multi-material fabric scraps together (linen, cotton, silk) and then over-dying with indigo, resulting in new raw material. This new fabric can be used for garments, helping us to not only minimize waste but more importantly to maximize resource utilization. 
(4).  RIMMBA’s commitment to a non-toxic Environment

RIMMBA uses botanical dyes and 100% natural fabrics as a cornerstone of our commitment to a non-toxic environment. In Bali we are preserving and revitalizing artisan heritage by partnering with dye houses in remotely located communities. One example is our dye house in North Bali and a community project we recently started in East Bali.  

 

RIMMBA uses certified organic cotton, traceable linen and Mulberry Silk. 

RIMMBA uses 100% botanical dyes, biomordants and non-toxic salt mordants and 100% natural fabrics; even our threads are natural to ensure our garments are fully biodegradable and made from renewable materials which support the regenerative economy. 

  • Chemical textile dyeing and finishing processes release a cocktail of hazardous chemicals into waterways, devastating ecosystems and endangering human health. The fashion industry is the second-largest polluter of clean water globally and textile dyeing accounts for approximately 20% of industrial water pollution. 
  • Indonesia's lack of stringent regulations on chemical waste from the textile industry poses a threat to waterways and the surrounding environment. The Citarum River, a major source of water for millions, has been dubbed one of the most polluted rivers in the world, largely due to textile industry discharge. The pollution has severe impacts on local communities, who rely on the river for drinking water and irrigation.

 

RIMMBA sources local botanicals to make our own natural, non-toxic, biodegradable dyes. Our brand’s commitment to natural dyes encompasses our vision of using the natural resources which are abundantly cultivated in Bali, rather than using toxic, synthetic, industrially-produced dyes which contribute to degradation of water resources and harm human health. 

Furthermore, Rimmba uses completely natural biomordants and has developed its own innovative techniques to ensure better fixation of the botanical dyes to improve longevity, decrease water use and elevate the overall sustainability of our production method. 

 

(5). RIMMBA Water Re-Use

Like many places on the planet, Bali is experiencing water scarcity.
Using water as a precious resource is a high priority for RIMMBA. Our small scale and custom order business model allows us to dye fabric in small batches, on an as needed basis. 

We don’t use any chemicals in our dye process, therefore we can reuse our wastewater in our gardens. 

RIMMBA seeks advice from water management experts to guide us on our regenerative journey as we scale up our operations.

As RIMMBA scales up our production we plan to build a waste water garden system. 

 

(6). RIMMBA’s journey towards a traceable supply chain. 

RIMMBA garments are made from cotton, silk and linen, all 100% natural fabrics. We do not use synthetic fabrics from petrochemicals or semi-synthetics. Therefore our current supply chain for silk, cotton and linen is as follows:

  • Farm, (field), 
  • Textile Mill, 
  • Supplier in foreign country or Indonesia
  • RIMMBA atelier for inventory/planning/botanical dying
  • or partner dye house,
  • RIMMBA atelier for cutting, sewing, waste management, quality control, packing, shipping. 

RIMMBA is seeking certified regenerative fabrics, straight from certified regenerative textile manufactures and their suppliers. 

Our current fabrics:

  • 100% Cotton: At RIMMBA, we currently source certified organic cotton from the USA which assures our customers not only that the cotton was grown organically but also that safe conditions and a living wage was provided to all employees.  
  • 100% Linen from Portugal. RIMMBA sources straight from the mill. 
  • 100% Silk: RIMMBA currently sources genuine Mulberry Silk Satin and Chiffon. While certified regenerative silk is not yet widely available, we are actively seeking partnerships with a Chinese mulberry silk producer who shares our values and are committed to transitioning to regenerative agriculture practices. Bombyx is the only company in China producing a regeneratively grown Mulberry Silk and if we can import it then RIMMBA would be their first customer in Indonesia. 

RIMMBA believes that regenerative agriculture is the future of sustainable fashion, and we are committed to playing a leading role in this movement. Several leading sustainability brands have publicly expressed their commitment to sourcing regenerative materials and pioneering regenerative sustainability include Kering, Eileen Fisher, Allbirds and Patagonia. As certified regenerative textiles become more available, we will prioritize these sources to ensure that our garments are not only beautiful but also contribute to a healthier planet and thriving communities. 

 

(7) Carbon Footprint: As a small scale start-up, RIMMBA currently uses little energy for our operations and production. 

We have determined our energy baseline for the electiricty to run atelier sewing machines and pump water from our shared well to our atelier and will monitor over time. 

  • Our hand-washing and line-drying do not use energy. 
  • Our largest energy use is during the transportation of our fabrics from foreign countries to our atelier in Indonesia and shipping our garment orders to other countries. 
  • As we scale up our production, we are looking to decrease our carbon footprint by partnering with distributors in specific countries to represent our brand. This would allow us to make seasonal bulk shipments rather than many individual shipments.

o As importing fabrics and shipping abroad will likely stay our reality for the foreseeable future, we support Jiwa Gardens, a non-profit organization which is promoting regenerative agriculture.

 

(8).Our Packaging and tags

Organic cotton bags, recycled paper tags, low-impact dyes, natural plant twine

 
(9). Educating to inspire change
  • RIMMBA believes that changing consumer mindsets begins with education and inspiration. 
  • RIMMBA openly shares our sustainability journey, botanical dyeing experiments, and production processes on our social media platforms. Please check out our IG account here and join the conversations. We will be happy to engage with you in the replies or by DM. 
  • RIMMBA also gives hands-on workshops upon request. Earlier this year we hosted a workshop which included dying pre-selected dresses for a group of women attending a goddess retreat in Bali.  

(10). RIMMBA’s policy on Animals: RIMMBA uses Mulberry Silk, a sericulture material. (See our (upcoming) article on why we choose Mulberry Silk and conversation on Vegan Silk). RIMMBA does not use fur, leather, skins or shells or conduct animal testing. In the future we would consider to use ethically sourced wool as it is a natural material, takes up botanical dyes beautifully and more sustainable wools are coming onto the market.