Green Cotton

Levi’s is revising their care tag to advise people to wash in cold water, line dry when possible and donate used jeans to Goodwill. This new initiative aims to put billions of pounds of unwanted clothing to good use instead of into landfill.

This partnership was reached through shared values held by each organization: Levi Strauss & Co.’s goal to reduce the environmental impact of its products and Goodwill‘s commitment to help communities recycle usable items while helping those in need. Starting next year, the Levi’s care tag will become the vehicle for delivering an environmentally conscious message for Goodwill.
The care tags will have other environmental reminders – the company studied every stage in the life cycle of a typical pair of 501 jeans and found that one of the greatest opportunities for reducing climate change and water impact happens after consumers take their jeans home. So, the tags will also encourage consumers to wash less, wash in cold water and line dry when possible, reducing the impact of their jeans ownership by about 50%.

The initiative was conceived by BBDO West, Goodwill of San Francisco’s pro bono agency, which came up with the unique idea to use care tags to communicate this message.

The new care tags will be available in Levi’s retail and wholesale operations the U.S. beginning in January 2010 and the regional and global tags will appear in clothes in Fall 2010.
The Levi’s brand, which will be the first major retailer to include messaging on product care tags that encourages people to donate unwanted clothing, and Goodwill will also spread the word to consumers through online viral campaigns and in retail store communications. Go Levi’s and Goodwill! Way to make a difference. Thumbs up from Green Cotton.

Photo source: Levis, Goodwill.

By: Julie Finkel

Photosource:  http://www.departika.com

Decorating the tree, the home, lighting candles, spending time with friends and family…  the first snow. Christmas is is in the air well as Hanukkah, the New Year and Eid just passed….it is time to celebrate the season!

Jute and Jackfruit wants to know what is your favorite holiday tradition this time of year on their blog and you’ll earn a chance to win a $100 Gift Certificate on their online eco-fashion boutique. Its that easy! While the responses are piling in, there is still time: contest ends December 19th.

The winner will be chosen on December 19, 2009 through Random.org and announced on the blog, so no need to worry about how interesting your favorite moment is. Just be honest. Check out the compilation of favorite moments on there to date, will bring a smile to your face.

Enter contest here on the Jute and Jackfruit blog as a comment:

http://juteandjackfruit.net/2009/11/holiday-contest-at-jute-and-jackfruit/

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) is an international campaign focused on improving working conditions in the global garment and sportswear industries and on empowering workers, most of whom are women. There are CCC coalitions in 12 European countries, backed by a broader, international network of trade unions and NGOs in garment producing countries (Asia, Africa, Eastern Europe, and Central America). The CCC also cooperates with similar campaigns
in the United States, Canada, and Australia.

The Clean Clothes Campaign educates and mobilizes consumers, lobbies companies and governments, and offers direct support to workers as they fight for their rights and demand better working conditions.

According to a new report released by CCC : Major global retailers Carrefour, Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, and Walmart are seeing massive profits and increasing market share in the garment sector, as workers in their supply chains face increasing poverty, appalling conditions, and serious workers rights violations.

The Clean Clothes Campaign insists that companies bear a responsibility and have the power to ensure that workers throughout their supply chains are treated fairly. The CCC has developed a “Code of Labour Practices for the Apparel Industry Including Sportswear” based upon the conventions of the United Nations’ International Labour Organization. The principles set forth in this code include, among others, a minimum employment age, safe working requirements, set working hours and right to a living wage.

So where should we buy our clothes?

Actually this question is difficult to answer, because CCC doesn’t have a list of recommended “clean” companies.
But they do know what companies should be doing to improve working conditions and ensure respect for workers’ human rights.

• They should adopt a comprehensive, credible and transparent code of conduct based on the international labour standards and human rights conventions.
• They must implement the code with provisions for monitoring, verification, remediation, ethical purchasing.
• They should participate in a credible multi-stakeholder initiative that involves companies, unions, NGOs.

For more about CCC recommendations, check out on www.cleanclothes.org