GROUNDTRUTH grew from our shared belief in the power of collaboration. And also our drive to protect people and nurture the planet. We have worked for five years on developing the GROUNDTRUTH concept. It evolved through our experiences on the road, in the field and business.
Together, we saw the opportunity to design problem-solving travel goods that drive positive change: reducing plastic pollution and improving people’s lives.
Georgia, Sophia and myself Nina, have worked collaboratively to realize this vision, drawing together our diverse skill sets to create a progressive, sustainable company and a unique range of products.
Three sisters
We are three sisters who have experienced a lifetime of intercontinental, and sometimes extreme, travel. Together, Georgia and Sophia have spent two decades working worldwide while running their documentary production company, GroundTruth Productions. In contrast, I spent my career in product development and artisan textiles, pioneering sustainable products and innovative fabrics.
The combination of Sophia and Georgia’s operational experience in harsh environments and my understanding of contemporary design and exploration of new fabrics birthed a range of highly durable bags. They boast practicality and durability.
Besides that, it is a real family business. In other words, we are colleagues, sisters and best friends. I think this has helped get us through some really tough times. It is never just a business venture for us. We live and breathe GROUNDTRUTH every day.
“GROUNDTRUTH is embracing technologies at the vanguard of innovation and prioritizing ethical practices to develop a new generation of travel goods from 100% recycled materials. Our resilient and adaptable range is designed for exploration and tailored to transition seamlessly through cities, across continents and within the most extreme of environments. GROUNDTRUTH bags rise to the challenge of every journey, leaving you free to take on the world.” Georgia Scott, co-founder and CEO.
GROUNDTRUTH mission
Created from our bespoke GT-RK-001 textile and made from 100% rPET, GROUNDTRUTH sparks a new generation of sustainable fashion with a range of durable, adaptable travel goods.
GROUNDTRUTH was founded on the need for versatile and reliable technical bags and accessories that are created with people, our planet and performance at the very core. We are on a mission to change the course of the fashion and manufacturing industries from within, while establishing GROUNDTRUTH as a lifestyle brand of our time.
Unique to GROUNDTRUTH, the range’s PET fabric was developed using recovered, post-consumer plastics from landscapes, waterways and oceans worldwide. By 2025, we predict we will have removed over 10 million plastic bottles from the environment to turn them into our range of high-performance bags. In addition to reducing plastic pollution, we prioritize ethical production methods by partnering with manufacturers approved by Bluesign®. Therefore, this organization provides safer and more sustainable working conditions to change the environmental impact of the textile and fashion industries.
Our debut range: The RIKR range
The RIKR Range, ‘the ultimate durable bag,’ GROUNDTRUTH first of four ranges, has been tried and tested in Antarctica by polar explorer and the first man to walk to the South and North Poles – Robert Swan OBE.
The RIKR Range is designed for contemporary travel in response to real-world travel experience to maximize functionality. With its modular compartments and convenient access points, the Range provides the reliability any traveler might need. And this is without sacrificing the environment’s well-being for its production.
Despite the challenges of the Covid pandemic, we spent the last two years working on a brand technology. We hope it will push GROUNDTRUTH to the forefront of green innovation. To sum up, this Autumn, we will release the first range of bags and accessories made from 100% recycled materials embedded with enhanced captured CO2.
After two years of in-depth innovation and development with our partners OCO, GROUNDTRUTH’s new product range demonstrates the direct utilization of CO2 emissions into end products. In other words, it is the world’s first carbon sink backpack.
GROUNDTRUTH & the three core pillars:
People
The fast fashion industry fuels human rights violations against workers. With our investigative approach, in addition to using over a decade of experience as documentary filmmakers, we put our workers’ rights first by building a transparent and also ethical supply chain. We place human rights central to our core.
Planet
Our planet is facing global plastic pollution & CO2 emissions crisis. We are at the forefront of green innovation. We are creating exclusive technology to convert plastic waste & CO2 emissions into technical materials.
Performance
Poorly designed products with short lifespans feed the global pollution crisis. Future focussed design is integral to our philosophy. Therefore, we create sleek, long-lasting products built for any environment.
GROUNDTRUTH: Created with Purpose. Built for Performance
“Their bags are a byproduct of over a decade of experience as documentary filmmakers creating hard-hitting films sharing the plight of young people around the world, spanning the Syrian borders, Bosnia and Africa, grounded in investigative journalism and relationship building. These attributes are not typical of accessories or apparel brands. But they, without question, form the foundation of a way of doing business that is naturally open and transparent and places people and the planet central to the purpose—whether it be their documentaries or their bags. The approach is the same.” Forbes article June 2022.
Like this article? Then you must read this one: How to Open a Sustainable Clothing Boutique
* Written by Nina Scott.
Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Fashinnovation’s columnists are their own, not those of Fashinnovation.
