Sustainability

Our Commitment

Au Lit has always been committed to keeping it natural, supporting local, and working closely with our partners at every stage of production to ensure the highest standards are being met.

We care deeply about quality, and believe that true quality cannot exist without responsibility. We and our partners are committed to sustainable practices in the production of our bedding, today and every day.

Our Mills

We've worked with the same Italian & Portuguese mills for decades to source the finest quality, natural fabrics for our bedding.

Our mills are certified OEKO-TEX, meaning they have adopted eco-friendly processes & passed stringent tests attesting to the absence of harmful substances. This includes meeting European REACH compliance, which strictly regulates chemical substances to minimize potential impact on human health and the earth.

Our Italian mills are also certified and comply with GOTS, the The Global Organic Textile Standard for all their main finishing processes, including ennobling and dyeing. Energy efficiency & environmental impact are constantly addressed and certified by our mill in Italy. It uses renewable energy sources from over 7,000 square meters of solar panels with an annual output of clean energy equal to 1.003.875 KWh.

Our Materials

High quality 100% natural materials are used in all of our sheeting - no synthetics. Our founder, Peggy Byron, wanted to change the way Canadians slept when she opened Boutique Au Lit in Montreal in 1981, one of the first in Canada to offer pure cotton sheets instead of treated polyester. These fibres have been used since the start of human civilization and for good reason! Quality cotton and linen fabrics last for several years without decreasing in integrity compared to synthetic counterparts, and only get better with time.

The cotton used in our sheeting is exclusively long and extra-long staple, selected for its resistance, natural shine, and strength. Fabrics woven of long-staple cotton are more wrinkle resistant and tend to fray less, pill less, and fade less than their short-staple counterparts. Our Egyptian and American long-staple cotton is harvested industrially and without exploiting child and forced labour.

Our sheets will outlast low-quality and synthetic counterparts by years, meaning less consumption year over year and many more years of enjoyment for you.

Sheet Recycling Program

Even when the time does come to say goodbye, you can rest easy knowing that Au Lit is happy to facilitate the recycling of your well-loved Au Lit bed linens.

Learn more about our Sheet Recycling Program.

Our Manufacturing

Au Lit products are designed in Canada and made in Canada & Europe by people who truly care.

Once our mills weave the natural fabrics, our sewers in Canada carefully finish and package our core collections before they arrive in our stores. Select collections are expertly made in Europe at the same mills the fabric is woven at.

With the majority of our manufacturing based in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto, our carbon emissions from transportation are significantly lower than if we outsourced our labour.

DOWNMARK®

Our down products are finished in Canada and are DOWNMARK® certified by the Down Association of Canada.

DOWNMARK® is the globally recognized symbol of quality issued by the Down Association of Canada, a non-profit organization committed to helping consumers buy genuine down products with confidence.
– downmark.org

Sustainable & ethical down

Down is a natural, renewable, and reusable material, which can last a lifetime with proper care.

The Down Association of Canada is committed to sustainable initiatives and the ethical treatment of birds and humane harvesting practices. The down is obtained as a by-product of the poultry industry and does not involve live-plucking.

Down products have the smallest carbon footprint of all insulating materials, as the raw materials are renewable and compostable and the by-products are biodegradable.

Discover Down