Organic cotton

Fairtrade Urban Shoes: Canadian Newcomer Oliberté and Veteran Veja

September 16, 2009
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Fairtrade Urban Shoes: Canadian Newcomer Oliberté and Veteran Veja

Thanks to Ethical Style for letting us know about Canadian designer Tal Dehtiar’s new shoe line, Oliberté. Oliberté claims to be the first footwear company to make urban shoes exclusively in Africa – based on Fairtrade principles. The shoes are made from locally sourced materials (leather and rubber) in West Africa (starting in January). Speaking on the issue of poverty in the continent, Dehtiar argues that “the only real way to alleviate poverty on this beautiful continent is to build a middle class that includes fair paying jobs.” It will be interesting to see how this line develops. As...

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A closer look into Gap Inc.’s new Clean Water Program

September 3, 2009
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A closer look into Gap Inc.’s new Clean Water Program

Gap Inc.’s Clean Water Program, established in 2004 to monitor water contamination, has now grown into a system that advertises zero waste from the factory. Inside the pocket of each pair of 1969 jeans you will find this statement: “The water used in the process of washing & dying these jeans has been specially treated to ensure it is safe & clean when it leaves the factory.” Here’s a closer look at how Gap Inc. breaks down its environmental footprint: “The first phase of our environmental footprint assessment focuses on regions and facilities where we control operations and can make...

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Social Alterations is now on Ning!

September 1, 2009
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Social Alterations is now on Ning!

  You can use this space to share and upload curricula ideas, lesson plans, visual aids, research and projects, or to just discuss the current happenings in the industry with respect to social issues and environmental concerns, as well as the latest trends in socially responsible design.     “See” you in the Forum! Oh…and don’t forget to pick up your Social Alterations Badge!   Visit Social Alterations

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Social Alterations: Forum

August 20, 2009
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Social Alterations: Forum

How can education foster sustainable change toward socially responsible fashion and apparel design and manufacturing practices? Social Alterations hopes to foster socially responsible fashion design education through aggregating relevant material that will inspire fashion/textile and apparel instructors, researchers, designers and design enthusiasts to get on board with thinking about consequence in the industry. Sign up to the Social Alterations Forum if you’re interested in sharing and contributing ideas on curriculum, research, projects, materials, design, etc. with this community.

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The Cotton Conundrum

April 4, 2009
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The Cotton Conundrum

  Nowadays, when it comes to cotton, you can pretty much take your ‘pick’: low-chemical, organic, low-water use, fair trade, conventional. So what’s all the hype this week about organic cotton? Well, Organic Exchange released their 2007-2008 Organic Cotton Market Report.   According to this article:   “Global retail sales of organic cotton apparel and home textile products climbed 63 percent in 2008 to $3.2 billion   ‘Despite the global retail outlook, most brands and retailers selling organic cotton products remain committed to their sustainability plans and upbeat about market growth with plans to expand their product lines...

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slogan t-shirts: what do you think?

February 25, 2009
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slogan t-shirts: what do you think?

  I have been obsessed with U.K. designer Katharine Hamnett for a long time. In fact, it was her slogan t-shirts that first showed me that there was opportunity to transform this industry; she is the quintessential example of a pissed off designer who refuses to stand for the high human cost of fashion. She is dedicated to the promotion of organic cotton, and runs a strong campaign against the conventional ‘white gold’: “Conventional cotton represents 10% of world agriculture and uses 25% of the world’s pesticides. 100 million conventional cotton farmers, from Russia to South Africa, are living...

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Global Surplus in Organic Cotton Production

January 27, 2009
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  According to this article by Eco-Textile News, although 2008 saw an increase in demand for organic cotton by 33%, global production was left with an 8% surplus. The article cites information released by non-profit Organic Exchange, who also claim that demand for organic cotton will likely result in a 24% increase in 2009 an worry that inventory will remain too high.   The Organic Cotton Market Report will be available in Feb 2009 for review.

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