It has become increasingly apparent that a minimum living wage figure is needed across Asia. The Asia Floor Wage Alliance are a large coalition of workers’ labour organisations spread across Asia, supported by trade unions, labour NGOs, anti-sweatshop movements, and scholars from Europe and the USA. Together they have come up with a calculation of this figure to prevent wage competition between Asian garment-exporting countries and halt the race to the bottom.

One of the root causes of poverty wages in the industry is the power of global buyers to constantly relocate production in search of ever lower prices and better terms of trade. This power is used to exert a downward pressure on wages and conditions – labour being one of the few ‘production costs’ or ‘inputs’ that can be squeezed. The basic idea of the Asia Floor Wage (AFW) is to put a ‘floor’ under this, thereby preventing this competition from forcing wages below poverty levels and making sure gains are more equitably shared along the supply chain.

The Asia Floor Wage coalition have formulated a unified, regional demand for a wage which is decent and fair and which can be standardised and compared between countries. This means that workers need no longer be in competition with each other to offer to work at lower pay rates in order to attract business.

This regional collective bargaining strategy will unite workers and their allies from different Asian countries behind this demand. The goal is to attain a standardized minimum living wage for workers across Asia through negotiations between garment industry employers and workers’ representative organisations, and with the mediation and support of governments, intergovernmental organisations and social movements.

A number of brands have highlighted the need for governments to set minimum wages that meet living wage levels. We agree. The AFW coalition aims to campaign on a national level for governments and industry to accept the floor wage figures and adjust minimum wage levels accordingly. If all governments do this at more or less the same time, wages can be increased without risk of relocation of production. Investment from the global garment industry can be distributed more equitably down the chain and, in turn, the buying power of garment workers will be increased. It is hoped that such a move could contribute to the promotion of a more development-led growth. Such growth may enable the industry to match the economic development claims currently made in its favour.

The Asia Floor Wage campaign will go public on October 7th 2009. If retailers choose to support the campaign and recognise the wage demands it makes as legitimate, and engage with trade unions, activists and campaigners involved in the alliance, we could stand to see huge improvements in the state of pay behind the UK high street.

Brands and retailers exercise a lot of influence over the way that production is organised. They set prices and determine how production takes place. Global buyers need to absorb the cost of increased wages by paying higher prices to suppliers. Since wages represent only a small percentage of the retail price – normally 0.5 – 1.5 percent – the AFW Alliance believes that the supply chain has the capacity to absorb such wage increases without too much difficulty.

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

The accepted definition of a living wage is one that enables workers and their families to meet their needs for nutritious food, water, shelter, clothing, education, healthcare and transport as well as providing for a discretionary income. Few if any garment workers in Asia enjoy such a wage, even when working excessive overtime hours.

The impact of excessive work and poverty wages on health, family life and communities cannot be overestimated which is why workers from China to Sri Lanka, Thailand to India and Cambodia to Bangladesh all tell us that increasing wages is their number one priority. Still, salaries in general remain low and wage levels are getting worse not better. Achieving a living wage for all workers is not an easy process. Defining what a living wage is and ensuring this wage actually gets to the workers are just two tricky issues involved in this process. Both could be addressed through union organising, but with union membership at below 1% in some countries this would be a slow process, even if trade unions weren’t opposed and repressed by the vast majority of employers.

Two distinct approaches to these problems are now being developed. Industry actors are focusing on improving the productivity of suppliers (whether factories, workshops or home workers). This means ensuring production is as efficient as possible, workers are well trained and production blockages and problems swiftly resolved. The idea is that by reducing waste and increasing the surplus value of the product itself, workers will be able to increase the wages they earn to levels commensurate with the cost of living.

The second approach comes from the workers’ side in the form of a new coalition to demand a floor wage across Asia. This will be used in coming years as an organizing tool to raise awareness of workers’ issues, strengthen union demands, lobby governments and challenge the race to the bottom that has eroded the value of workers’ wages over the last two decades

The 2008 report clearly stated that, although productivity programmes could have a place in supporting wage increases, they wouldn’t ever on their own be enough. Yet this year productivity continues to be the central feature of projects that brands are defining as ‘wage-focused’ work. Savings made through productivity improvements could be used to pay higher wages, but without proper union representation to demand that this is the case, savings could just as easily (and this is more likely) go into the employer’s pocket. Productivity also risks actually worsening conditions by increasing the work-rate, and thereby the mental and physical stress experienced by workers, and could result in fewer or different jobs.

The focus on productivity changes the emphasis and the nature of living wage projects. A living wage is a right guaranteed under human rights conventions and demanded by worker organisations. The priority is to ensure that living wages are being paid and that wage increases take place as soon as possible. Once these wages are being paid to workers it is up to the buyers and employers to work out how to cover the costs involved. If they can do this though productivity programmes, great!

The focus on productivity turns this logic on its head. By emphasising productivity as the key element of any wage programme, brands and retailers are signalling that they don’t really see a living wage as a right for garment workers.

Let’s be clear. Wages in the garment industry are not low because of poor productivity. They are low because the structure of the industry creates intense competition between brands and retailers, governments, employers and workers. They are low because governments are failing to protect the poorest members of society through the implementation of labour law. They are low because workers have been prevented from organising and making these demands. These are the root causes of poverty wages and these are the issues that need to be addressed by all concerned with the implementation of a living wage.

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

It is all very good and well to identify a major problem in the fashion industry, but what good would that be if it ended there. The very point of identifying a problem is so that it can be fixed, and this is a very big problem, which for far too long has been ignored.

Unfortunately big problems like this cannot be fixed overnight due to the systemic nature of the problem. The situation as we know has taken years to reach its current state and it will probably take years to fix the damage.

In last year’s report a clear four pillar strategy was laid out which included using a collaborative approach by working with other companies, trade unions and labour rights groups; supporting worker organising and participation; addressing commercial factors throughout the supply chain and creating a clear road map to implementing the living wage for all workers, however only a very small number of retailers (Next, Gap, Monsoon) appear to be conducting work that contributes to the strengthening of all four pillars.

What does a collaborative approach really mean though?  What this essentially means is that, the label which buys its textiles from overseas suppliers cannot simply ignore ethical and moral issues associated. The labels need to work with their suppliers to make sure the textiles they are buying have been made in a safe and fair environment with the person making it receiving a good living wage. Many of the factories which produce these textiles are in fact owned by the labels so to say that nothing can be done would be like saying you cannot decorate your own home!

The second pillar is freedom of association, which means that workers should have the power to set up their own organisations to discuss the workplace and wider issues, to define their own demands and highlight the issues which concern them most. Collective bargaining ensures that workers can make these demands and negotiate with employers as a group, rather than individuals, allowing them to meet with employers on a more equal basis.

The ‘Labour behind the label’ report goes on to say that “Freedom of association and collective bargaining are enabling rights. If workers in the garment industry were properly organised, we might not need corporate responsibility projects or consumer campaigns – workers themselves would be involved with setting wage levels that not only covers their basic needs but that reflected the real value of their work.”

For some retailers the credit crunch was an opportunity to take advantage by promoting their high volume low price fashion, such as Primark and Tesco. “As competition struggled to survive these fast fashion retails saw profits steadily increased. The garment industry has been through a drastic restructure which has intensified the race to the bottom. Prices paid to suppliers are decreasing fast. At the same time suppliers are faced with rising fixed costs, such as fabric, transport and energy, and are facing difficulties in obtaining the credit needed to bridge the gap between production and payment.”

In Bangladesh, for example, where production costs are among the cheapest in the world, suppliers reported that buyers were demanding drastic decreases in price. In April 2009, M&S, Tesco and H&M were reportedly among 50 other brands and retailers calling on Bangladesh exporters to reduce their prices if they wished to stay competitive (Reuters, Dhaka, April 2009).

The final and perhaps most important pillar is for there to be in place a road map for sustaining a living wage. For wage projects to be successful there needs to be a clear standard which everyone is working to, ideally based on negotiations with workers and one which is updated regularly to take inflation and other factors into account. Even though everyone agrees on the definition of what a living wage should cover, the benchmarks used by brands and retailers vary drastically.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

“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 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.

“Push your bodger right in and don’t be afraid to pull it back through quite firmly, otherwise it’ll all fall out…” Debbie Siniska’s instructions were very clear and worked a treat. But coming, as they did, from someone whose bodger earns them a living, that wasn’t really surprising. Debbie is one of the country’s foremost practitioners of the almost-lost art of rag-rug making, and we virgin bodger-users were having a little local difficulty.

The bodger in question is nothing to do with the wood-turning use of the word; it harks back to the older meaning of a sharp, pointed tool. Our rug-making bodgers are pincer-like tools which, poked through the rough hessian backing material, open to “grab” the strip of rag, and pull it back through the fabric to form the tufts on the rug that my (Northern) grandmother would have called a “clippy” mat.

It was the memory of my grandmother’s colourful rugs and doormats, lovingly handmade from worn blankets and old coats, that had drawn me to this new course at somewhere I’d longed to visit – West Dean College, the country’s foremost centre for those who wish to learn how to make, restore or conserve beautiful artefacts.

Rag rugs are newly fashionable as the ultimate eco-friendly use of cast-off clothing and fabric leftovers, but originally they had no such pretensions, they were simply the only way in which the cash-strapped could create a floor covering for otherwise bare boards or stone-flagged cottage floors.

In recent years, the craft has been resuscitated and – like many other centuries-old British arts – claimed as an American “heritage” craft. We West Dean ruggers, however, sniffed disdainfully at the US ready-made rug “kits” with their printed canvasses ready for the maker to fill in like a fabric version of Painting by Numbers.

We’d come armed with our own selections of material, and our first session was devoted to learning how to use as much fabric as possible from that old T-shirt, fleece or unwanted curtain. Hems, trims, buttonholes and other unweavable areas were trimmed off and, as our dressmaking scissors snipped away across the workshop cutting tables and we cut our long rug-making strips, so also did we begin to unpick the fabric of our lives.

One of the unspoken delights of joining a group of people all keen to learn a craft or hone a technique, is how quickly you relax with each other and soon stories and family memories were shared along with the cutting gauges.

Rug-making is a simple technique; the real skill is not in perfecting an even loop, but in how you blend colours, weights and types of fabric to produce not just a rug, but a one-off piece of folk art.

Debbie is one of the 200-odd artists, designers and craftspeople who come to West Dean to share their expertise, which is what makes the college’s courses outstanding – you get help and advice from a real working artist, not from just a crafts teacher.

The flint-faced house itself, the former home of Edward James whose charitable foundation now runs the college, is a gem, its interiors perfectly preserved and set in pristine landscaped parkland.

And my bodging? I mastered the technique, along with the flatter, closer “hooked” rug weaving, too. My grandmother would be delighted to know that her 19th-century rug hook has a 21st-century convert.

Credau Menswear is eco friendly clothing line standing against the throwaway culture and believes in sustainable production logisits, come check us out!!

Spring/Summer 2010 Eco Chic

There will be wine, goodies and a showcase catwalk featuring Credau amongst other eco-brands

music by The Phoenix Rose

When? 19th September 5pm-9pm

Where? The Tabernacle, Powis Sqare, London W11 2AY

All over the world, a new T-shirt from East London is causing a sensation.

From London to New York, the Cityscape T-shirt from credau is becoming the must have item for men.

Perfect to take on holiday or for a weekend away, this eco-conscious T-shirt will compliment you under any sky. Whether loafing in St Juan, zig zagging in Zagora or checking out the night life in Berlin, this uber cool T-shirt is so comfortable, you won’t want to take it off.

Stylish and natural, the cityscape T-shirt is easy to wear as well as ‘easy care‘.

“With its abstract metropolitan design and colourful travelling vibe, it is a great item for any men’s wardrobe in the UK or in Sydney, and ideal for any day, gig or trip anywhere in the world.”

Having recently won a prestigious award,  credau is currently featuring in the Debenhams flagship store on Oxford Street, London. A special printed version of the Cityscape T-shirt is available from the limited capsule collection.

credau, is fast becoming a favourite with men, including Jamie Catto, former lead singer of Faithless, and Jarvis, lead singer from the Phoenix Rose, who have signed the worlds first green recording contract.

Entirely sourced and made in the UK, the Cityscape T-shirt is carbon neutral:

• The fabrics are supplied from Leicester and Cheshire

• The T-shirt is manufactured in Nottinghamshire

• The silk labels are printed in Wales and care labels woven in Pembrokeshire

• The garments are dyed in London

• The T-shirts are individually wrapped in recycled tissue paper and sent in biodegradable polybags

The idea behind the prints : “Organic nature is a theme exaggerated in Credau’s digital prints where supernatural vegetation conquers the urban world. Take the printed T-shirt for instance and you have a landscape from Ireland fighting a cityscape from New York” says Sarah Hardy from FashionMusicStyle magazine, who wrote the first Press release for Credau back in August 2008.

Inspired by pictures taken during various trips around the world, the prints are superimposed images of lanscape over cityscape… So, while the T-Shirt features an original snapshot from Irish forest superimposed over a portrait of NewYork city, the Short Sleeve Shirt features a Manhattan building with window shutters opening on lush Brasilian foliage; to create the ironic illusion of an urban environment crumbling away under a vegetation invasion…

New collections, promotions, events… So keep in the loop and check it out!

Starting with a page from the designer’s notebook for a little preview on the new collection:

July 7, 2009

We’ve heard of fair trade Ethiopian coffee and clothing. And now Bethlehem Tilahun Alemu, Co-Founder and Managing Director of SoleRebels is successfully running Ethiopia’s first fair trade footwear company.

Since its 2005 debut at New York’s Fashion Week, eco- friendly fashion has morphed from its humble beginnings as an alternative trend into high-end boutique apparel labeled “green,” “sustainable,” “organic,” “all-natural fiber” and our personal favorite – “vegan.” SoleRebels footwear is available for purchase on several online shopping sites including Amazon and Endless.com. Introducing SoleRebels Tilahun describes her work as “a story of fair trade, eco-sensibility, great innovative footwear products and HOPE!”

Tilahun’s fans are equally enthusiastic. Jasmin Malik Chua, New Jersey based Environmental Writer and Editor of Treehugger.com, dubs SoleRebels as “Fair Trade, Eco-friendly Shoes With Plenty of Soul.” Worldchanging, a non-profit organization which describes itself as “a global network of independent journalists, designers and thinkers covering the world’s most intelligent solutions to today’s problems,” features SoleRebels products in their Bright Green Footwear for Humanity section, highlighting how Tilahun’s concept fuses business and trade “not foreign aid to leverage positive change in that region.”

But Tilahun says it best: “One of the truly unique and exciting things about soleRebels is that we are green by heritage, and NOT because some marketing folks told us to be! We maximize both recycled inputs and craft our materials in the traditional manner — the way they have always been made in Ethiopia – by hand.”

She summarizes their ethos in three words: “Roots, Culture, Tires.” SoleRebels products are created using indigenous practices such as hand-spun organic cotton and artisan hand-loomed fabric. Tires are also recycled and used for soles. The end result is environmental friendly, vegan footwear. “Historically that is the way things have been done,” Tilahun says, and it not only makes great sense to continue the tradition, it also has generated income for local artisans.

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

Attention Grabbing: Functional textiles
TITAS has been the sourcing platform for functional textiles since 2005. It presents textile products with various characteristics including moisture transferring, water-vapor permeable, water-proof, antibacterial, deodorant and UV-protective for outdoor and sports wear. There are also textiles for technicians and health care workers to help ensure their safety at work: materials with anti-wrinkle, anti-mold, stain release, flame-retardant, water repellent, oil repellent and antistatic functions. An eye-catching product for future market demand will be an ultra-thin, electrically conductive soft fabric based on special fiber combining technologies in textile design, fabrication, dyeing and electroless plating.

Green Biz: Eco-friendly Textiles
TITAS 2009 will give an eco-boost to the always fashion & tech forward textile industry of Taiwan. With great feedback from attendees for organic cotton products and recycled PET fibers at last year’s show, an eco-label system is designed especially for this year’s fair. “Green Label” will be introduced to textiles made from eco-friendly materials and “Gray Label” to those made through eco-friendly production processes which generate minimum environmental impact. The system will help buyers to identify and access green textiles easily and efficiently. With the soaring environmental awareness worldwide, eco-friendliness is becoming a new “function” for textiles. There is no doubt that eco textiles will be the star products at TITAS in the very near future.

Big Brands
Despite the economic downturn, over a hundred of brand representatives are on their way to visit Taipei, hunting for the latest functional and eco textile products. Among them are Lafuma and Eider from France, sports gear giant Under Armour from U.S., Helly Hansen from Norway, outdoor wear BAILO from Italy, Coalision from Canada, Eiheiji Sizing from Japan and the rising brand Toread from China. TITAS 2009, as a sourcing and networking platform for international buyers and exhibitors, will host 32 custom-made trade meetings for over 160 exhibitors with these brands.

Seminars on Market Trend
Visitors and exhibitors will be extremely busy at TITAS 2009. Besides the exhibition and meetings, there are still 15 seminars on the participants’ agenda to rush for. The topics cover from ecology, market and trend to textile certification. U.S. brand Patagonia, Southern Taiwan Textile Research Alliance and Intertek will talk about how to get involved with the green movement of sustainability. U.K. fashion media WGSN will share their observation on 2010 fashion trend while French trend forecasting agency Nelly Rodi will give their viewpoint in home deco style for Spring/Summer 2011.

The Research Center of China Hemp Materials will enlighten the audience with the prospect of China hemp fiber. Seminars on marketplace analysis will focus on several E.U. nations and Hangchow and Yancheng, China. SGS Group and Bureau Veritas H.K. will shed light on the updates of EU regulation REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances) and the latest development of other environmental regulations.

Credau is an eco-friendly clothing line that specializes in environmentally sustainable products.  All materials used  from fabic to statioinary are natural(organic when possible), from sustainable or eco sources.

These days, most jusi fabric is actually polyester and some is made with silk fibers.

Banana fibers can be used to make more than just the silk used in the Barong Tagalog. According to Eco Fashion World:Banana trees were widely used for making fabrics before cotton was affordable and readily available. Now “jusi” banana fabric is made in only a handful of places in Southeast Asia. The raw materials come from the stem that farmers leave in the garden after a banana harvest. The tree stalks and leaves are removed and processed into a pliable fibre. Different layers of the stem yield fibers for specific uses: the outer layer’s fibers are generally used for tablecloths while the third layer makes the finest, silkiest fabric, suitable for kimonos and saris. Many Nepalese rugs are made from bleached and dried fibers of the banana plant that are hand-knotted into silk-like rugs.

From conception to packaging, Credau believes in using loical industry, and eco-friendly production logistics.

Frankenfood. This is the name some green activists apply to genetically modified foods — crops whose genes have been spliced with other plant or animal genes. It also makes for a great Halloween costume: Drape yourself with a few garlands of fake fruits and vegetables strung together, or wrap yourself in a tunic made from a couple of yards of food print material.  Then paint your face green, stick a couple of fake bolts to your next and — if you can find one — plop on a square-topped Frankenstein head mask, and you’re set. You’ve become a walking, talking, trick-or-treating version of an organic farmer’s worst nightmare.

Al Gore. Here’s a costume that’s guaranteed to set off some animated discussions with any conservative-minded party-goers. It’s simple, too: Dress in a sharp, dark suit (add a little extra padding underneath to complete the effect) and tie, stick a “Live Earth” concert sticker or “Hello, I’m Al” name-tag to your lapel and tuck a copy of “An Inconvenient Truth” under your arm.

Willie Nelson. He’s a legendary musician, an outspoken green activist, a leading proponent of biofuel (his tour vehicles run on biodiesel) and an easy look to duplicate: Just dress in plenty of denim or casual wear, put on a long gray wig tied up in a ponytail or braid, stick on a little fake facial hair and grab a guitar (or, if you prefer, a plastic bottle of vegetable oil).

Green Party. There will probably be plenty of Halloween party-goers this year dressed as one of the year’s headline-grabbing (usually in the not-so-good-sense) Republicans or Democrats. Why not do something different by promoting a third-party option, and see if fellow partiers can figure out what you’re supposed to be? Just throw on all the green-colored party gear you can — hat, leis, banners, balloons, buttons, noise-makers, etc. — and let the guessing begin.

Sunday, 13 September 2009

Fashion brands Claudia Sträter and Rianne de Witte, which will be showing at London Fashion Week, which opens on Friday, are the latest companies to join Made-By, the fashion industry’s not-for-profit eco-labelling organisation.

Made-by sets sustainability standards throughout the industry by monitoring its supply chain. It grades members on how eco-friendly and ethical they are. Shoppers can see the grades on clothing labels.

Allanna McAspurn, Made-By’s UK director, said: “The world has to become more eco-friendly and the fashion industry is no different. We work with brands, on a step-by-step process, to improve every aspect of their supply chains.”

Made-By, which was launched in the UK last March, has signed up 35 brands across Europe.

Credau offers a wide variety of eco-friendly clothing for men.  From conception to packaging, Credau uses local industry and eco-friendly production logistics.

When Vanity Fair announced “green is the new black” in its May 2006 publication, it kick-started the latest fashion trend.

Julia Kamoroff, co-president of the environmental club, said she supports all sustainable efforts in every aspect of life, including eco-fashion.

“Clothing is a huge industry, and impacts the environment in many ways,” she said. “Transportation of goods across seas has a huge ecological impact. The materials that clothes are made from can have toxic byproducts and utilize unsustainable resources.”

Sustainable fashion makes a difference on the environment by decreasing the use of fossil fuels for transportation and using more “natural” materials and less-toxic dyes, Kamoroff said.

The Sustainable Technology Education Project – a project aimed toward increasing people’s awareness of eco-friendly technology – defines sustainable fashion as clothes made in regards to the environmental, humans and the conditions for those who work in the industry, according to the Sustainable Technology Education Project Web site.

For an item to be considered eco-friendly, it must be organic, recycled, fair-trade certified and free of animal products, according to the Eco-fashion World Web site.

More and more designers are taking into consideration the environment and those who live in it by producing eco-friendly fashion lines.

Designers such as Oscar de la Renta and Stella McCartney have created eco-fashion lines for the runway and the everyday.

McCartney has a line of organic T-shirts that are made in Africa, using fair-trade certified organic cotton.

De la Renta’s Chase line features chic handbags made of discarded materials from men’s suits.

Deborah Lindquist and Bahar Shahpar are green designers who create clothing out of recycled garments and low agricultural impact materials that are naturally or organically produced, according to the Positively Organic Web site.

Organic cotton and wool are examples of low impact materials. Organic cotton is nickel-free, has low impact chemical dyes and doesn’t contain heavy metals. Organic cotton only has a low environmental impact but is safer for people with allergies and sensitivities, according to the Positively Organic Web site.

Celebrities such as Sophia Bush and Gavin Rossdale have been seen wearing vintage scarves and repurposed kimonos by Lindquist, according to the Tree Hugger Web site.

Alicia Silverstone’s and Heather Hills’ favorite Shahpar pieces entail intricate details of shell buttons and vintage trim, according to the Tree Hugger Web site. S

haron Stone, Hayden Panettiere and Gwen Stefani have also been spotted sporting sustainable garments, Tree Hugger reported.

All materials used by Credau are natural(organic when possible), sustainable or from recycled sources.  Credau offers a wide variety of funky eco-friendly clothing.

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) – Rather than throwing that bag or hosepipe into the recycle bin, how about turning it into a belt or a shower curtain, joining a growing band of upcyclers?

Upcycling refers to reusing an object in a new way without degrading the material it is made from, as opposed to recycling which generally involves breaking down the original material and making it into something else, using more energy.

Supporters of the eco-friendly practice of upcycling say people in developing countries have effectively been upcycling for years, using old packaging and clothing in new ways, although more out of need than for the environment.

But upcycling is now taking off in other countries, reflecting an increased interest in eco-friendly products, particularly ones that are priced at an affordable level and proving profitable for the manufacturers.

“If upcycling is going to become mainstream, then the corporate world needs to see that it can be profitable,” said Albe Zakes, spokesman of U.S. company TerraCycle which specialises in finding new uses for discarded packaging.

A growing number of companies are focusing on upcycling although the trend is still in its infancy with industry-wide figures yet to be produced.

Upcycling is used on a range of products including jewellery, furniture and funky fashion items, such as making bracelets from old flip flops, lamps from blenders, and turning skateboards into furniture such as chairs and bookcases.

British company Elvis & Kresse Organisation (E&KO) uses industrial waste to make new luxury products, turning fire hoses into bags, belts, wallets and cufflinks.

Credau is not just a label, it’s a style motto, with a responsible and skilful approach to product. Standing against the throwaway culture, we focus on the long-term and embrace the idea of ‘new decency.’  We believe in integrity and longevity through quality and recycling.

- What’s old is new again. Though fashion trends are in one season and out the next, vintage eco-friendly pieces are always in high-style. For shabby-chic finds that will revamp your wardrobe, check out local flea markets, consignment shops or antique shows. If you have to buy items new, look for eco-friendly materials such as bamboo or organic cotton.

- Green machine. When caring for your clothes, choose the cold water setting on your washing machine and only turn the washer on when you have a full load.

- Dispose the disposables. Each year billions of razors end up in landfills across the globe. Reduce your waste and trim unwanted hairs by investing in a reusable razor.

- Makeover your make-up. Though a swipe of lipstick can take you from drab to fab, some cosmetics aren’t so eco-friendly. Look for lipsticks and mascaras made from plant-based ingredients rather than petroleum products, which can be harmful to the environment.

Credau clothing line offers a wide variety of funky clothing choices that are eco-friendly. All materials used from stationary to fabric are natural,(organic when possible) from sustainable and recycled materials.