Labour behind the label – Part 1

This is the fourth year in which Labour behind the label has reported on the state of high street fashion, focusing on various issues within the industry such as the labourers behind the clothing lines and how or if at all, what fashion labels are doing to address an area of the industry which has come under increased public scrutiny and attention. There is a growing movement of accountability within fashion and this report highlights a major area of weakness in the industry, which is the labour.

Much has been said about size 0 models and now much needs to be said about how high street fashion labels source their textiles and labels. If for example when you are doing your food shopping and you want to know where your bananas have come from, it will be displayed. Hopefully they are fair-trade bananas and you are making an informed decision, because you know that the man or woman who picked those bananas is getting a paid fairly and works in a safe and fair environment.

Would it not be wonderful if you knew that all the people who made all your clothes are in the same situation? They are not being exploited; they are able to provide for the family giving them a better future and opportunities in life. For this to happen there would have to be a wholesale revolution for the fashion industry, something they would much rather avoid no doubt. However information today is widespread and hard to hide from, making information and knowledge in particular very powerful tools.

This blog series will look at the Labour behind the label – 2009 report findings and highlight various issues together with additional market information. The objective of all this is to generate awareness and allow shoppers to make informed decisions.

As the 2009 Labour behind the label report states “The scandalous truth is that the majority of workers in the global fashion industry rarely earn more than two dollars a day in an industry worth over £36 billion a year in the UK alone. Many have to work excessive hours just to get this meagre amount and have no possibility to earn wages needed to properly feed, clothe, house and educate their families.”

In recent years many big brands on the UK high street have publicly accepted that garment workers’ wages need increasing, and many of these brands will say that they have started to eliminate poverty wages. However few of these plans will ever make a tangible impact on wages and those people’s lives. Why is though? It is because most projects have ignored fundamental issues which make the biggest difference of all, such as freedom of association, price and distribution of profit, and have instead focused on making factories or workers more ‘productive’.

The report goes on to say “On Oct 7^th 2009 a new and exciting initiative, the Asian Floor Wage, will be launched. This is an Asia-wide campaign with global resonance, which rejects the idea that governments, unions and workers in different countries should be forced to choose between unemployment or exploitation………It places workers right back at the centre of debate and it lays down the gauntlet to brands and retailers, governments and employers to make sure that the garment industry finally provides not just any work, but decent work to the millions of women and men producing the clothes we wear.”

Funky Eco Clothing from Credau, an Original Clothing label that produces and sells environmentally friendly clothes online, our environmentally friendly clothing is made from 100% natural cotton and all our designs and fits are made in-hous. We believe in integrity and longevity through quality work.

National Geographic loves Credau

In this winters copy of the National Geographic the main theme is about how green we are here in London and also tries to inspire people to behave and possibly think greener.

Jarvis Smith is the National Geographic Green’s publisher and lead singer/songwriter for The Phoenix Rose which has a record contract with Britain’s first green record label, Archangel Green. In this copy of the National Geographic looks into how green the fashion world is and how conscious we are regarding our own wardrobe. Jarvis is a man who cares very much about what he wears and it’s not the label he will be looking at. Instead there will be a much greater emphasis on the material, where it came from and how it was put together. Not all of this will be on a label so he uses established eco friendly designer menswear shops.

In this publication of National Geographic Jarvis demonstrates that with almost everything he buys he will be thinking green. Jarvis goes on to say that “I am very careful about what I wear and avoid anything that makes me feel uncomfortable or inhibits my energy. Some materials, for instance leather and man-made fabrics and some colours, make me feel tired or sad. I’m anti polyester on environmental grounds: nitrous oxide is released during production, a greenhouse gas three times stronger than CO2. Polyester is non biodegradable, so will hang around for another century or two. I do not over buy: one suit for business, one casual, a couple of pairs of organic cotton denim jeans. I have some tops made from hemp, one of the most eco-friendly textiles around as it requires neither pesticides nor fertilisers. I have some 100% biodegradable bamboo cotton T-shirts. Bamboo is the world’s fastest growing plant and takes in more CO2 and breathes out more oxygen than trees, making it highly eco-friendly”.

Further in the article, Deborah Meaden from Dragons Den goes on to make a point that is very relevant and timely. She says that “In a recession, ethics and environment can get pushed to the back of many people’s agenda as price becomes paramount. If I could wave a magic wand I would try and move ethical consumerism up the agenda. It alarms me that production and ethics are currently separate issues.”

Ethics and morals are currently making the long and meandering journey to the forefront of fashion. The are many obstacles to overcome and there is no guarantee we will get there but with people like Jarvis Smith and the many more eco conscious men, women and children out there, we are getting closer.

If you would like to read the full article and find out more please click here

From conception to production Credau believes in using local industry and environmentally friendly production logistics.

ETHICMEN: Christmas is coming, and fast!

10% off with promotional code ‘ETHICMEN’ on www.credau.com!

Its mid November, which means the countdown to Christmas, has begun.  With the festive season fast approaching, Credau has two special offers, for two fantastic products.

All you need to do is go to www.credau.com and find your products. Once they are in your ‘shopping bag’ you will find a promotions box prompting your to enter a code. Simply enter the word ‘ETHICMEN’ and you will receive a 10% discount on our ‘Love’ t-shirts and ‘Bicycle’ boxers!

Give ‘love’

In the Seventies, iconic band The Jackson 5 told the world to ‘Give Love On Christmas Day’ with it’s yuletide song… and now East-London menswear label CREDAU is sending out the same message with it’s wonderful ‘LOVE’ t-shirt.

The eco-friendly, hand-crafted, cotton t-shirt is beautifully appliquéd with the word ‘LOVE’ in silk and comes in a variety of colours. But, not only does this t-shirt ‘spell out’ how much you care for your man – it also shows how much you care for the environment. It is eco- friendly and made in England, which ensures the carbon foot print is kept as low as possible.

Designer Aude Lesur explains: ‘The ‘LOVE’ t-shirt is helping to spread that wonderful word again this year. ‘This is the perfect gift for Christmas because the t-shirt is made using eco-conscious methods. It will show the man in your life that you really care, as well as demonstrating that you both love the environment because you are buying clothes with a conscience!’

Lead singer of Faithless Jamie Catto, who is a huge fan of the eco-friendly label, says: ‘If I had known what I was buying into when purchasing clothes from some high street shops, I would have opted to go naked. I’m no ‘fashionista’, far from it but I’m a father who cares about the planet we’re leaving for our children.

On your bike boys!

ONE in three people in the UK own a bike and as many of these riders are men, so the quirky bicycle-print boxer short from London label Credau is bound to be a big hit this Christmas.

But, whether the man in your life rides a bike or not, cycling is popular and these trendy made in the UK boxer shorts make the perfect gift for Christmas. Beautifully made, this fabulous underwear comes in a choice of four fabrics, including luxurious silk, cotton poplin, viscose and cotton jersey. The cotton jersey boxers, not only make comfortable day wear, but are ideal as a jersey sleep short.

The boxers, which are hand-printed with little bikes in a variety of shapes and styles, can be dyed to the colour of your choice. So, whether you prefer light grey or light blue to provide a stunning contrast to the print; or dark blue or red for a subtle contrast, Credau can do it for you using unique colour recipes.

The beautiful and original cycle design is printed in sepia or black, using traditional printing methods and safe dye, in Hackney, London.

The East London label Credau, which is a favourite with the eco band The Phoenix Rose, offers cutting-edge wearable clothes with a conscience, entirely sourced and made in the UK, using natural and recycled materials.

Credau, which won an award from Debenhams last year, recently showed off its 2010 collection at the Eco Chic Show at The Tabernacle in Notting Hill, during the London Fashion Week.

Pesticides days are numbered!

About a month ago at a United Nations meeting in Geneva, scientists voted to draw up a risk management evaluation for endosulfan. This is the last step before putting endosulfan before a vote on a global ban under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs treaty). The treaty addresses chemicals that are known to strongly affect and easily accumulate in humans. The ban, if enacted, could take place as soon as 2011.

But Professor Ivan Kennedy, from the University of Sydney, says a ban could cause problems. Endosulfan is used in northern Australia to control insect pests in horticulture, but it is also linked to human health problems. “I’ve spoken to some chemical companies about possible candidates to replace endosulfan where it is used, and it’s not that clear what the replacements would be,” he says. “The danger is that they would therefore need to use higher levels of other chemicals which could actually be worse as far as the environment and human health is concerned”. The National Toxics Network say endosulfan poses unnecessary health risks and Australia should follow other countries in banning its use.

The opposition stems from the deep difference of opinion on pesticides and toxicity between the developing world and the wealthy economies of the West. India’s opposition is perhaps the most concerning as they use more endosulfan than any other country and Indian chemical companies also export the substance. The government of India, influenced by strong agricultural interests, has long opposed an endosulfan ban, arguing that the pesticide can be used safely and that a ban would discriminate against Indian agriculture. Agricultural interests in the U.S., Australia and Brazil all oppose the ban, but governments of those countries have not expressed the same public opposition as that of India.

The pesticide, a brown or cream colored powder which is sprayed on crops by airplanes and by workers on the ground, is popular for a wide range of crop usage, including cotton, cocoa, cashews, potatoes, cabbage, coffee and soybeans. The substance kills most types of insect pests and Farmers like endosulfan because it’s cheap and does not tend to create resistance.

Unfortunately, endosulfan appears to kill many other things, as well. Environmental groups have alleged poisonings from improper use of the stuff has killed hundreds, if not thousands, of agricultural workers, primarily in the developing world. In the Kerala incident, the government acknowledged that endosulfan had killed at least 135 workers.

Exposure to endosulfan in humans can impact the central nervous system and cause hyperactivity, nausea, dizziness, convulsions and, in case of high exposure, rapid death. Longer-term exposure likely damages the kidneys, reproductive organs, nervous system and the immune system.

Scientists also believe that thanks to aerial spraying of endosulfan on crop fields in California they are contributing to mysterious and terrifying frog die-offs in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. In Australia, researchers have tentatively connected endosulfan with malformations of fish, including fish that have two or three heads, according to newspaper The Land.

India is clearly poised to become an economic powerhouse with its enormous population, emerging technology sector and rapidly growing economy. Along with Russia, China and Brazil, India will have a much greater say in global matters in the next decade and beyond.

If we, in Europe continue to import clothing material, most notably cotton from India and other developing countries, where chemicals such as endosulfan will be used with such scant regard of delicate ecosystems and human life, the clothing and fashion industry will never have a clear conscious and will be, as a whole accountable for the suffering of hundreds of thousands. If however, clothes manufacturers were to source their cotton locally and from environmentally friendly and sustainable sources, the demand for chemically rid cotton from developing countries would ease and the use of endosulfan would decline. Fashions change and ultimatley fashion must become eco fashion, and the textiles industry must go green and support eco clothing.

It is of course ridiculous to simply take away such an important economic resource away from countries such as India. An alternative is quite literally a matter of life and death. Without an alternative crop the suffering would only increase. However it would be an error of monumental proportions to replace something like cotton with another crop that will require the intensive use of chemicals. Thankfully there are crops which fulfill the requirements, such as hemp, which was highlighted very recently.

Cannabis versus Cotton

It has been said before that knowledge is power. Society has begun to demand more knowledge and information, whether it’s from our politicians and how much of our money they spend, or where our bananas are grown. Certainly we are starting to take a closer look and take much greater interest, so why should what we wear be any different?

The most commonly used material in what we wear is cotton and it has been worn for thousands of years, dating back to Alexandra the Great and beyond. With the dawn of the industrial revolution and the slave trade, cotton went into mass production and business boomed. Cotton became available to the higher echelons of society at first but soon it was available and affordable to the masses.

Over time cotton growers have ‘perfected’ their skill and today conventionally grown cotton uses more insecticides than any other single crop and epitomises the worst effects of chemically dependent agriculture. Each year cotton producers around the world use nearly $2.6 billion worth of pesticides which is more than 10% of the world’s pesticides and nearly 25% of the world’s insecticides.  In the long term the impact is crippling and in numerous ways.

With insecticides and pesticides being increasingly widespread, insect resistance to pesticides seriously weakened the efficacy of many chemicals. In response, farmers applied so many chemicals that by the late 1980s pesticides accounted for approximately 50% of production costs. Besides making cotton production financially unviable, pesticides also introduced serious health and environmental problems, including farm worker poisonings, fish kills and deep well contamination.

These are not isolated events and certainly no coincidence. In 1997 a Danish television documentary showed methyl parathion being sprayed on cotton fields in Nicaragua and Guatemala while children played in and beside the fields. Pesticide poisoning remains a daily reality among agricultural workers in developing countries, where up to 14% of all occupational injuries are in the agricultural sector and amounts to tens of thousands of  fatal injuries which can be attributed to pesticides.

Further evidence of the long-lasting and often unforeseen damage cotton can have can be found in Australia. In 1994 Australian beef was found to be contaminated with the cotton insecticide Helix® (chlorfluazuron), most likely because cattle had been fed contaminated cotton straw. In response, several countries suspended beef imports from Australia. One year later, farmers were alarmed to discover that newborn calves were also contaminated with Helix, apparently because it was passed through their mother’s milk.

All of the negative aspects of modern conventional cotton farming are glaringly obvious and cannot be ignored. This is now knowledge we have, which means something can be done about it, and thankfully there are people who have stood up and taken notice.  In this case and rather interestingly the world of fashion seems to have embraced the idea of environmentally friendly cotton and is now easy to find on the high street, known also as eco clothing. Companies such as Credau use local industry, with their clothing made in Britain and adopting environmentally friendly production and logistics. Sourcing their fabrics locally from the UK and France, they insure these materials are from natural or organic and sustainable eco sources. If the trend continues, I may well be shopping for eco-friendly clothing in the eco menswear department.

Clearly cotton can be an eco-friendly and sustainable material, however the question of alternatives must be asked, and in doing so we can unearth an equally widespread and somewhat understated material, Hemp. Like cotton Hemp dates back thousands of years being used in all sorts of manner. Unfortunately Hemp is a plant that does come with some stigma. This is because Hemp is in fact the product of the male cannabis plant, but is in fact completely free of cannabis. In the UK there has been much debate recently regarding the classification of the drug. As the government drug advisor (Proff David Nutt) put it “cannabis is less harmful than alcohol and tobacco”. Unfortunately this resulted in him and two other government advisors losing their jobs.

“What can hemp do that cotton can’t?” you might ask. Well, Hemp yields are amongst the highest of any crop. The Hemp crop requires no herbicides or pesticides. No part of the plant is wasted. Hemp fibres are tough, durable and incredibly versatile. Hemp is such an incredible material that the amount of land under cultivation continues to grow and demand is increasing, including car manufacturers substituting polypropylene for hemp indoor panels. And this is over sixty years after Ford first proposed the idea of making cars out of hemp!

So we conclude with two obvious winners and an obvious looser. Modern conventional cotton cultivation has resulted in crop failure, deforestation, loss of life and widespread ecological disasters. Companies like Credau have however demonstrated that cotton production can be an environmentally friendly process and finally, perhaps the biggest winner of all, hemp. An ancient material that has been misunderstood and underestimated for too long might just be getting back to the top of the pecking order.

Why buy environmentally friendly products?

We have all seen eco-friendly products for sale at various stores around the United Kingdom, but what is the reasoning behind this push for these products and what exactly are the environmentally benefits to these products.

The continued research and technological advances have exposed the growing problem of global warming and increased awareness for eco-friendly practices, including consumer goods.  The 20th’s century last two decades have been the warmest on earth for 400 years and possible the warmest in several millenia.  This can be partially contributed to the fact that humans are releasing more greenhouse gases such as, carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide faster than plants and tress can absorb it.  These harmful gases are released primarily from the burning of fossil fuels and have various heat-trapping capacities.

A select number of people have seen the importance of eco-friendly products long before  “going green” was a popular saying, but for the rest of us the movement towards more eco-friendly goods is fairly new.  The global warming theory has helped people realize that many past common production models for products had a negative effect on the environment.  Customers all around the world have started to demand products that are less harmful on the environment and that have a sustainable production models.  For example it takes three quarters of a pound of chemical fertilizer to produce the cotton for one pair of jeans.  24% of the worlds insecticides are used in the production of cotton, making it the most sprayed commodity on the market.  Simply by purchasing jeans and other products made from organic cotton one could help to curve the negative effects that cotton production has on the earth.

Whether or not you are a believer in global warming, products that are made with sustainable and eco-friendly production models help to preserve the earth and continue the push towards more eco-friendly products.

From conception to production Credau believes in using local industry and environmentally friendly production logistics.

Daisy Green Magazine

Press coverage by Daisy Green Magazine:

http://www.daisygreenmagazine.co.uk/fashion/features/heaven-sent-ethical-fashion/

Sept 09 – Credau at the Eco Chic Catwalk Show

Hosted at London’s Tabernacle and putting emerging labels intothe spotlight, there were lots of eager ethical fashionistas in attendance to find out what threndswill be hot for Spring/Summer 2010.

The evening kicked off with the designers showcasing their new collections, Credau was amongst them

Press coverage by The Gin Lady:

http://www.theginlady.com/ginposts/2009/9/24/the-eco-chic-catwalk-show-by-ethical-heaven.html

Sept 09 – Mail on Sunday

The green band Phoenix Rose interviewed by the Mail on Sunday,

“We have impeccable green credentials! We have some of the top ethical designers sponsoring us including Credau.”

Singer Jarvis is wearing a white shirt by Credau

‘The Six Sins of Greenwashing’

The environmental marketing firm TerraChoice evaluated more than 1,000 retail products for their environmental claims. Based on its research, the firm came up with what it calls “The Six Sins of Greenwashing.”

1. The Sin of the Hidden Tradeoff is committed by suggesting a product is “green” based on a single environmental attribute (the recycled content of paper, for example) or an unreasonably narrow set of attributes (recycled content and chlorine-free bleaching) without attention to other important environmental issues (such as energy, global warming, water, and forestry impacts of paper).

Examples:

• Paper and lumber products that promote their recycled content or sustainable harvesting practices without attention to manufacturing impacts such as air emissions, water emissions, and global warming impacts.

• Household insulation products that claim indoor air-quality benefits without attention to other environmental aspects, such as recycled content and manufacturing impacts.

2. The Sin of No Proof. Any environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information, or by a reliable third-party certification. TerraChoice says “no proof” occurred if supporting evidence was not accessible at either the point of purchase or at the product Web site.

Examples:

• Household lamps and lights that promote their energy efficiency without any supporting evidence or certification.

• Personal care products (such as shampoos and conditioners) that claim not to have been tested on animals, but offer no evidence or certification of this claim.

• Facial tissues and paper towels that claim post-consumer recycled content without providing evidence.

3. The Sin of Vagueness is committed by every claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the intended consumer.

Examples:

• “Chemical-free.” In fact, nothing is free of chemicals. Water is a chemical. All plants, animals, and humans are made of chemicals as are all of our products.

• “Non-toxic.” Everything is toxic in sufficient dosage. Water, oxygen and salt are all potentially hazardous.

• “All Natural.” Arsenic is natural. So are uranium, mercury and formaldehyde. All are poisonous.

• “Green,” “environmentally friendly,” and “eco-conscious,” which are meaningless without elaboration.

4. The Sin of Irrelevance is committed by making an environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant and unhelpful for consumers seeking eco-friendly products. It distracts the consumer from finding a truly greener option.

The most frequent example of an irrelevant claim relates to chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) — a principal contributor to ozone depletion. Since CFCs have been legally banned for almost 30 years, there are no products that are manufactured with it. Such products included CFC-free insecticides, lubricants and disinfectants.

5. The Sin of Lesser of Two Evils. These are “eco-friendly” claims that may be true within the product category, but that risk distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole. TerraChoice considers a claim to commit the Sin of Lesser of Two Evils when environmental qualifiers such as “organic” or “green” are placed on products in which the entire product category is of questionable environmental value.

Examples:

• Organic cigarettes.

• “Green” insecticides and herbicides.

6. The Sin of Fibbing is committed by making environmental claims that are simply false.

Examples:

• Several shampoos that claimed to be “certified organic,” but for which our research could find no such certification.

• A caulking product that claims to be “Energy Star” registered, but the official Energy Star Web site suggests this is false.

• A dishwasher detergent that purports to be packaged in “100% recycled paper,” and yet the container is plastic.

Source: TerraChoice

Credau stands by eco- friendly and sustainable production logistics, standing against the throwaway culture.