Green Cotton

Photosource: Swicofil.com

Eco-friendly clothing and organic cotton are all “the buzz” these days, but what is it exactly that can we can expect from a product labeled with “organic cotton” and how do we know we are not being green-washed?

With more and more companies jumping on the organic bandwagon such as Target, Wal-Mart, and Nike, Bed Bath and Beyond and many others, it seems increasingly important for all of us to get on the same page about what we mean by “organic” and enlighten ourselves as consumers as well as producers.

Despite this obvious need for clear requirements and labeling, there is a surprising amount of confusion within industry producers about organic textile labeling and certification. The answer to this confusion that I hear over and over again is: certification. And yet, organic textile certification has been around in various forms for decades across the globe. The problem however has been lack of consistency and collective agreement on standards. Germany had one set, Japan another, USA yet another and so on. However with the textile industry being extremely global in nature, it quickly became apparent that separate standards was a problem.

We here at Green Cotton agree that globally accepted certification is very important in terms of differentiating products from one another, but also because it can be used as vehicle for increasing producer accountability and consumer awareness. After doing some research, we happily discovered that a global standard does exist:  the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and so would like to share the good news and spread the word.

First launched in late 2006, GOTS certification standards are the product of an International Working Group on Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) http://www.global-standard.org/ This group began in 2002 with the common purpose of establishing global standards for textile certification that could then be implemented (and enforced) internationally.

The main bodies represented in the working group include:

• Organic Trade Association (OTA) from the USA
• Japan Organic Cotton Association
• Soil Association (SA) of England from England
  International Association of Natural Textile Industry (IVN), Germany

In 2006, the 4 organizations came to agreement on the global standards and released version one of the GOTS. In 2008, an international working group meeting then agreed upon a licensing system and logo (although as far as I know this logo has not yet been officially released). In May 2008, Version 2 of the GOTS was released. The GOTS is now accepted the leading set of criteria in the field of organic textile processing. With their licensing requirements and logo now complete, I would expect to see this new label on apparel in the next year or so. The logo I believe will help consumers readily identify genuinely certified garments/apparel/textiles much more easily and efficiently (hooray GOTS!).

Certification Process

Important to understand is that the GOTS International Working Group (IWG) is NOT a certifying body. They set the standards, then certification is left to approved certifying bodies. Currently there are a handful of accredited organizations/companies that are approved by IWG. Names and contact details off all approved certifiers are listed on the GOTS website . Besides the technical requirements, a certifier must be approved by the IWG for GOTS certification, must agree to cease using their own standards and must fully adopt the GOTS. As a result, the certifiers Control Union Certifications (formerly Skal International), EcoCert, ETKO and ICEA have dropped their own established standards and introduced to their clients the GOTS certification scheme.

CERTIFICATION STANDARDS

Aim

According to GOTS IWG, the aim of the standards in broad terms is to: Define requirements to ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labeling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.

Scope and Structure

GOTS covers the production, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labeling, exportation, importation and distribution of all natural fibers. The final products may include, but are not limited to fiber products, yarns, fabrics and clothes. The standards focus on compulsory criteria only.

LABELING

Labeling is important because there are many different stages in textile production (from crop growing to spinning, dying, washing, finishing) and there are many products on the market that only contain a certain percentage of organic cotton. So how are all these different cases handled? Well, here is a quick overview of the GOTS labeling criteria:

Final products that are produced and manufactured in compliance with all compulsory criteria of GOTS are to be labeled “Global Organic Textile Standard”. Further the standards provide for a subdivision into two label-grades.

I. “Organic” or  “Organic ‑ In Conversion”

95% or more of the fibers must be of certified organic (or in conversion) origin. The remaining balance up to 5% may be made of non-organic fibers including defined regenerated and synthetic fibers. Blending (= mixing the same fiber in organic and conventional quality in one product) is not permitted.

II. “Made with X % Organic Materials ” OR “Made with X % Organic ‑ In Conversion Materials”

70% – 95% or more of the fibers must be of certified organic (or in conversion) origin. The remaining balance up to 30% may be made of non-organic fibers. Regenerated and synthetic fibers are limited to 10% (resp. 25% for socks, leggings and sportswear). Again blending is not permitted.

Stay tuned for our next post in this series for a closer look at the actual standards and how they include fair labor components as well. Let us know what you think about this and your questions regarding organic certification.

Photosource: http://images.google.com

Cameron Diaz has kept herself busy this month trailing along a train of interviewers from various amazingly fashionable magazines to get the word out on the environment. While the interview we recently reviewed in VOGUE focused mostly on the eco-fashions Diaz wore in her editorial shots, and only quickly mentioned her environmental campaign, Marie Claire dove into her work and gave us a better idea of what exactly Diaz is up to.

Diaz is currently traveling across the country with a small entourage of about twenty cameramen and other crew with a goal of seeing how much the general American person knows about the troubles of our environment in order to raise general awareness.

Unveiling Diaz’s inspiration to talk about the environment, she shares her experience as a child living in a neighborhood in Long Beach, CA, that was not only near a large freeway, but also toxic waste refinery, which would dump waste at the end of her block. “Childhood” also meant suffering from asthma, and an ongoing burning, itchy sensation in her eyes and throat. Coming from this personal experience of knowing what it would be like everywhere if we don’t start treating the environment with more respect, Cameron Diaz speaks with an authenticity that deepens her California starlet persona.

So she has been traveling all over the United States to ask the average American math teacher, high-school girls, and soccer moms questions like, “Do you know where your food, your water come from? Do you worry about the environment?” And always wraps up with the same questions, “What would it take for you to do something about the environment?”

To which most people are very touched, but do not know how to respond. Diaz has met with a general feeling of hopelessness. People do care but do not seem to think anything they can do personally will help the environment as a whole. They feel any changes they make would not stop global warming or deforestation.

While no one person can do any one of these things alone, if we all ban together and do everything we can to save the environment, this will make a huge difference. We can all add up!

So what made Diaz finally campaign after years of silence in this area? She realized that the planet did not have a publicist to speak for her. Diaz decided to use her well-known clout and popularity to promote support for the environment. Just starting the discussion is enough to get people thinking about their actions and the repercussions of their actions.

This new environmental role she has decided to take on can only make us love her more. You go Cameron! The environment needs as many publicists as it can get.

Photosource: Marieclaire.com

Find out about Cameron Diaz’s favorite sustainability websites here.

By: Julia Rea

We found sometime to catch up with Jannae Knopse, the winner of our Green Cotton Earth Day Contest, for an interview to hear more about what she is doing to make the earth a greener place. We are so pleased to learn more about her ethics, goals, dreams, and just exactly what she did for Earth Day! Jannae turns out to be a fascinating artist, true to her morals and sure in her goals.

Read our interview to find out more about Jannae:

Green Cotton (GC): What motivated you to become a designer?

Jannae (J): “I think of myself as less of a designer and more of an artist (granted one who mostly does design work…).

“In any case I had this really amazing art history teacher at a young age that convinced me that I had a future in the arts if I wanted it. Through his class I learned about the power art had in the cultural, historical, and political realms I was particularly inspired by the connection through propaganda and from there on out all I wanted to do was be a part of the arts.”

“I was so fascinated by the relationship that when I got to college (RISD), I majored in printmaking because of its use in propaganda and distribution.

“Printmaking led me to screen printing which led me to shirts which led me to think about cultural and political implications of production. Shirts became my way to affect the world around me.”

GC: Tell us about Slug of the Sea. What inspired you to create designs of insects, bugs and other creatures?

J: “Propaganda and political art often use animals to show an intended meaning. These meanings come from both cultural identities we assign the animals and how the animal is portrayed in the design.

“I started with ants.

“Ants tend to have a military identity and at the time that was the type of propaganda I was most interested in. I wanted to make the way I displayed the ants more honest to their actual behaviors. I realized that it was the relationship of reality to decorative identities which I found most interesting.

“The rest of the insect line followed as an exercise in trying to attract people to things they have aversions to as a way (hopefully) to make them think about what they truly have a problem with… the insect or the way we culturally identify it. Though I’m more then okay with people just thinking they’re funny or cute!”

“Cockroaches hiding out of sight” Unisex sweatshirt from Jannae’s Slug of the Sea line

Photosource: http://shop.slugofthesea.com/

J: “And lucky for me my name ended up fitting into my new aesthetic.

“My first name, Jannae (JUH-nay), is generally considered a pretty name (at least I think so). It turns out that it is also the species name of a sea slug found in Northern California and the west coast of Canada. A pretty name with an adverse secondary meaning! I couldn’t be more meant to be!”

GC: What is your goal with Slug of the Sea (SOS)?

J: “Oh my, what isn’t my goal? I really would like to figure out how to make Slug of the Sea my full-time job, but not just by selling clothes. Over the last year or so I’ve gotten to experience ways I would love to expand it:

“I love doing freelance designing for companies whose mission statements I really respect like the Wildlife Conservation Society, Edun Live, and Malaria No More. This work allows me access to the cultural and political missions I’m interested in. I couldn’t think of a better full time job for me. Anyone with a good mission statement and the need for some design work let me know!

“I also really enjoyed giving a speech at my old college about green washing and fairly made goods in the imprinted apparel industry. The more artists/designers make informed and responsible decisions, the better for all of us. The only way to make things better is to have the most people possible working towards and spending their money on it. That is what will make a difference.

“I also love selling my shirts. The more successful they are the happier I will be. Not only are they a great way to create art, but it allows me to produced clothes the way I preach it should be done. I’ve worked in the imprinted apparel industry as an eco and fairly made consultant for my customers at my day job at a print shop for about two years, so I have the inside scoop on the production policies for many blank apparel companies.

“I only use clothes made by American Apparel (I know all the drama but they are USA made in good conditions and they have an eco line, and I judge the company based on their production standards not their sex lives) or Edun-Live.

“For those who don’t know, Edun-Live is a company created by Bono of U2 and his wife Ali Hewson. The idea of the line is to create sustainable economies in sub-Saharan Africa through fair production. They also have a 100% organic line and they work with the Wildlife Conservation Society to create the Cotton Conservation Society, which is dedicated to insuring the growth of their cotton is as environmentally friendly as possible.

I’m classically trained in Fine Art print making so that will always be my first love so my goal is to sell as much as I can so I can keep producing them.”

GC: Is SOS an eco-line? (and if so how so)?

J: “I wouldn’t call it an eco-line. I’m dedicated to making as many eco choices as possible, but to call it an eco line would imply that everything about it is ecologically friendly. As much as I try, it isn’t totally possible yet (I don’t want what to be a green-washer!). I do have to admit that my main concern is social justice. To me insuring as many eco choices as possible is a part of that. The chemicals and pesticides in question not only harm the earth but the people who come in contact with them. Farmers touch and breath it etc. the ginners, weavers, and sewers touch their fair share too I’m sure depending on the processing of the cotton. Those of us in print shops are breathing some fun stuff from the inks too…

I am eco because: When I can afford it, I use organic cotton tees (though I always buy as fairly made as possible). I will be posting a new organic style shortly– keep your eye out! My packaging for the tees are all printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper and made in the USA. For the prints, I back all of them with the old cardboard boxes from shirt shipments. The inks that I choose to use produce minimal waste.

I am not eco because: Not all of my shirts are organic, I still have to have the blanks shipped to and from me, I have to use plastic to protect the prints, though there is very little waste my inks are not water-based inks (water-based textile inks create a lot of waste so they aren’t really that eco friendly either…)”

GC: Green Cotton awarded you our Earth Day award for your Eco-work in the month of April with Edun-Live. Can you tell us about a little more about your experience working for Edun-live?

J: “Edun-Live quickly became a favorite vendor of mine at my day job in the print shop. They had both fairly made shirts and even some organic styles. Then last summer I started to do some freelance designing for them during which I developed an even bigger crush on Edun. This crush has lead me to want to dedicate more time to such a great cause/company, hence the work I did with them for earth day and throughout the month of April. This opportunity combined my passion and talent for art with my love and desire to make the world a better place!

While there I was able to build up my portfolio while doing things to support a company I respect. Throughout the month I worked on marketing materials, some web design, and designs to be reproduced on tee-shirts. The stuff I was most excited about working on was the printed marketing materials.”

“Year of the Gorilla” T-shirt designed by Jannae while at Edun-Live

Photosource: http://slugofthesea.com/scrapbook.jpg

J: “I also designed posters, hand outs and an earth-day newsletter while I was there. Design and advertising is the best way to inform others about what you are doing and inspiring them to help too; not doing so is the downfall of many a good mission. Maybe it’s just my love of propaganda talking but helping a company create an advertising campaign that informs the public and potential customers of what they are doing right is one of the best things I could do with my time and talent.”

GC: If you had any recommendations for the apparel industry what would they be?

J: “Be honest: this green-washing crap isn’t really going to help anything or anyone in the end.

“It’s great that the public is pressuring big companies to consider what they are doing but the companies turning around and tricking the public isn’t going to change what people want. Maybe you’ll make more money in the short term, but I’ve got to believe (even if it is just to make myself feel better) that this isn’t going away and eventually you’ll have to actually do what you say. And how about while you’re at it be a little preemptive and see that fairly made goods are coming up as the next big thing. Maybe you can be the first to coin the great catch phrase for it, too.”

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We loved becoming more familiar with Jannae’s devotion to her ethics, and honesty. Green washing can certainly be a step backwards. So once again, congratulations Jannae! Keep up the good work. We also hope more and more people will see the value in saving our environment everyday.

Please check out her own line, Slug of the Sea, at http://slugofthesea.com/index.html.