Responsibility

Who we are

Inspired by our Cape Town home, our love for adventure, and our mission to protect the wondrous outdoors - Sealand is a lifestyle brand that focuses on responsibly made gear. Our mission is to ensure that every decision we make keeps the planet andx its people front and centre. With this in mind, all of our bags and apparel are made from either waste, or responsibly and ethically sourced materials.

We combine thoughtful sourced or produced materials with high-quality hardware, innovative design, and expert craftsmanship to create gear that will last a lifetime. Our upcycled and responsibly sourced materials are sturdy and weather resistant, making them perfect for any adventure.

Sealand forms part of the vibrant South African community and the environment around it, while dedicating itself to profound social and environmental impact. We aspire to always play our part for the planet and its people. By supporting us, you do too.

Our team embodies the Sealand brand. This crew combines passions for business, the wondrous outdoors, and innovative design. The expert craftspeople that make our gear form the backbone of the brand. Amongst our family there are endurance runners, surfers, avid hikers, and ingenious personalities.

Sealand’s ultimate lifestyle aspiration is to ensure that all stakeholders do one's part by being responsible and considering the piece of the planet that one has a direct impact on. Sealand strives to be a brand that invests in change and when you support Sealand you are investing in that change too. 

Inspired by nature, made from waste.

Discover New Paths. 

People AND Planet:

At Sealand - we do not divide people and planet into two separate categories. We believe that all matters of social and environmental responsibility are interconnected. Thus, in every action and decision we keep this at the forefront of our minds in order to wholly promote responsible practices to benefit both people AND the planet.

Planet:

Diverting waste from landfills is one of the core pillars at Sealand. We partner with mills and textile manufacturers that produce high-quality outdoor-suited materials, so even when they can’t be turned into sails, or tents, or umbrellas they can still make great bags. All of our materials are sturdy and weather resistant by nature. We couldn’t achieve this without the relationships we have with our suppliers. We take great care to nurture and grow them. They help us make high-quality products, and we ensure their waste doesn’t end up in a landfill.

We work exclusively with waste or responsibly and ethically sourced materials such as CmiA cotton and hemp blends combined with high-quality hardware that will last a lifetime. 

Sealand’s bags come in two main exterior materials - yacht sail and canvas_

• Yacht sail comes in four colourways - Retro, Vintage, Terra, and Breeze. Sealand is most famous for its yacht sail gear. As yacht sail has been designed to withstand the toughest weather conditions - this results in low water absorption and high durability. 
• Canvas also comes in four colourways - Lava, Flare, Desert, and Ocean. Canvas is weather resistant, easily washable, and contains anti-mould properties.

Other materials that feature on the gear_

• Poly Twill is a tactile and durable material. It’s commonly found as an in-store advertising material. All of our gear features a Poly Twill lining that is unique and vibrant - this is just one of the many distinguishing elements of Sealand’s gear. This lines the inside of all Sealand bags and adds a hidden detail to each product. 
• Spinnaker is durable and lightweight. It is used to add colour to Sealand products. 
• Ripstop is a weave that is rip and tear resistant. It is wrapped around the base of the bag to prevent holes and wear. This also adds to the weatherability of our bags
• Bedouin Stretch - Technically a knit fabric, but designed to only stretch under the immense pressure. Used to manufacture outdoor stretch tents.

With regard to apparel, cotton and hemp are the two main materials used_

• Our cotton is CmiA certified. This stands for “Cotton Made in Africa”. This helps to empower people through proactivity, rather than donations. The cotton is mainly used for Sealand’s t-shirts. This creates superbly unisex soft t-shirts. These t-shirts are single-cotton jersey grown in sub-Saharan Africa, rainwater-fed, and non-GMO.
• Sealand’s hats - both peaks and wide brims - are made from hemp. This is a hemp/rPET blend which features durability, low quantities of water use during production, zero chemicals, protection from UV rays, breathability, and great insulation. 

The Lifetime Warranty_

All our bags come with a lifetime warranty. Our aim is to divert waste from landfill, and then keep it out forever. This warranty covers any defects in materials or workmanship, but does not cover normal wear and tear, airline mishandling, direct punctures, or anything of a similar nature. We design to repair, rather than replace. 

We do Repairs_

We design for repair, rather than replacement. In the case of a customer returning a product as a result of a manufacturing defect, Sealand will repair the product. Customers will need to arrange that their product is shipped back to our studio or taken to one of our stores for repair. We will do the repair free of charge and ship it back to the customer.

Local Industry_

We support the local industry and source locally as much as possible. This reduces our carbon footprint. However, our main goal in supporting local industry is to play a role in reestablishing the South African textile and manufacturing industries. We achieve this by supporting mills and recreating lost jobs. Our proximity to our materials, processes, and people throughout our design and production processes is only made possible by wholesomely supporting local industry. 

People:

We Pay Living Wage_

We firmly believe that all of our employees should be uplifted toward a more dignified quality of life. For this reason, we pay all of our machinists and cutters a fair, living wage. This is nearly double the minimum wage, earned by most factory workers in South Africa. 

Internal Promotion Policy_

Every employee is entitled to approach senior management with promotion requests or propositions. This promotion request or proposal may be horizontal, vertical, or both. Promotions in the company will always depend on employee performance, experience, and workplace conduct. Sealand invests in the belief that each employee should be treated with dignity and respect - as such, efforts are made to up-skill and continually educate those within the Sealand family.

We GIVE back_

GIVE is Sealand's first giveback initiative in partnership with various organizations across South Africa. We only partner with those that we believe align with our values.  Through the GIVE initiative, for every R1 500 that is spent, we GIVE an upcycled school bag to a South African school student. This gives back to the community, but also makes use of our unique skill set to create bags that continue to keep waste out of landfills.

We are Handmade_

Each and every individual bag is handmade in Cape Town, South Africa, at the Sealand Campus.

A Name in a Bag_

Each bag made includes the name of the machinist who made it. This creates a sense of ownership in the product. One machinist, one bag - from start to finish. We don’t make use of a traditional production line, ensuring that each highly skilled machinist is being upskilled and not trained to simply do one element. We are immensely proud of the people who make our bags and encourage everyone to read the story of the individual who made your product on our website. 

Local Industry_

We support the local industry and source locally as much as possible.  This reduces our carbon footprint.