Green Cotton

Following the ‘Leaders of the Pack’ conversation, Tesco is a good example of not a leader, but a follower in the movement toward green apparel. Longtime eco-fashion warrior, Catherine Hamnett pulled out of her Tesco contract due to broken promises and insufficient eco commitment. Tesco, like other mainstream companies with diversified portfolios, appears to be taking advantage of ‘green’ value for positioning purposes without much company-wide commitment. In addition, while Tesco chose to incorporate organic garments (in small numbers) into their stores, fair trade was left behind with continued sourcing from Bangladeshi garment workers who on average earn $25 /month or less.

While the Tesco-Hamnett break down is disappointing on the one hand, I would also argue that Catherine’s hiring in and of itself was a positive move in the right direction. Given Tesco’s high profile coupled with her well-known eco-leadership, her pullout is simultaneously good press. Ultimately, the news reflects poorly upon Tesco, demonstrating lack of full commitment to eco-action. This is good for the greening movement. One thing we know for sure is that demand for green apparel products is increasing. The surge in demand is precisely one of the main reasons Tesco attempted to offer the line in the first place. The trend is moving forward, and as more and more entities adopt green business practices and products, we will see a lot more Tescos signing on ‘Catherine Hamnetts’ and the good news is, accountability and transparency will only increase.

clipped from www.treehugger.com Last year, amidst much fanfare, Katharine Hamnett, the original eco-warrior fashionista, announced that she was teaming up with Tesco, the biggest and much reviled supermarket, to produce a fair trade and organic line called Choose Love. Hamnett said: ‘I was initially really excited about the tie-up because I thought we could increase demand for ethical products. But I’ve come to the conclusion that [Tesco] simply wants to appear ethical, rather than make a full commitment to the range. Choose Love is only available in 40 stores and the merchandising is practically non-existent.’ Maybe she shouldn’t have been so surprised; a recent report by War on Want about the appalling working conditions of garment workers in developing countries pointed out that “the �4.6 million in salary and bonuses for Tesco’s chief executive Sir Terry Leahy could pay the annual wages of more than 25,000 Bangladeshi garment employees who supply its stores, based on average wages of about �15 a month.”