Q: Why organic? A: Our choices impact the health of this place we call home. Organic farming practices:
Keep millions of pounds of chemicals out of the environment
Create healthier working conditions for farmers and agricultural workers
Do not depend on chemical pesticides (poisons), synthetic fertilizers, or genetically engineered ingredients
Reduce global warming. Organic farms pull CO2 out of the atmosphere as much as three times the rate of conventional farming practices and releases less CO2 into the atmosphere because it does not rely on chemical fertilizers and herbicides (Rodale Institute, 2008)
Promote bio-diversity. Insect and bird life has been found to be as much as 50% greater on organic farms than conventional farms (UK Soil Association, 2000)
Demonstrates your commitment to social and environmental responsibility
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Q: What is organic farming? A: The term organic describes a method of farming without the use of toxic and persistent pesticides or fertilizers, sewage sludge, irradiation or genetic engineering, and are certified by an accredited independent organization. It is a system of farming that strives for a balance with nature, using methods and materials that are of low impact to the environment (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: What are the government standards established for organic farming production? A: The US the standard is the USDA National Organic Program (NOP). The EU standard is the EEC 2092/2091. The Japanese standard is JAS. India and Australia also have organic standards (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008). .
Q: Who certifies farms to organic standards? A: Certification is done by independent, third party certifiers accredited to the standards being certified against (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: What are the steps to becoming a certified farm? A:Submit application to accredited independent 3rd party certifier
Develop Farm Plan for Ecosystem Management
Develop an Internal Control System, includes record keeping
Annual Inspections by certifier
Transition period of 2-3 years depending on standard
(Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: What are the differences between organic and conventional farming? A: The major differences are in the following categories: seeds, weed control, soil and water and harvest practice. For more information, check out the Organic Exchange Symbiosis booklet (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: What proportion of the agricultural chemicals are used to support conventional farming practices for cotton? A: Conventionally grown cotton consumes 25% of the insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides used in the world (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: How much chemicals are used to produce one t-shirt? A: Conventional farming devours roughly 150 grams or 1/3 of a pound of pesticides and fertilizers to produce enough cotton for a single t-shirt. (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: What about rotation crops, why are they important? A: Besides being an integral part of farming organically and required under organic standards to enhance the quality of the soil. Rotation crops provide food security and alternative sources of income for farming communities (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: How does organic farming support bio-diversity? A: Through crop rotation, promotion of soil health, and through an absence of agriculture chemicals that effect the ability of wild life and insects around the farm to thrive (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: Which countries produce the most organic cotton globally? A: In 2008, the top five organic cotton producing countries were India (51%), Syria (19%), Turkey (17%), China (5%), and Tanzania (2%). Altogether, these five countries represent 94 percent of the world's organic cotton production (Source: Organic Exchange: Organic Cotton Market Report, 2008).
Q: Where can I get details about global organic cotton production? A: Today there many of organizations working to educate people about the benefits of organic agricultural methods in an effort to promote the growth of organics globally. Here are a few of the sites we recommend visiting to learn more:
Q: Where can I learn more about organic farming projects? A: Please see our publication Sowing the Seeds of Change (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
Q: Where does your cotton come from? A: Our current production uses fibers mostly from Turkey and India. Turkey has been the world’s largest grower of organic cotton, but soon India will be the world leader in cotton cultivation.
Q: Where are your products made? A: We make our products in China (hats mostly), Pakistan, India and Vietnam.
Q: Why does Econscious manufacture in China, Pakistan, India and Vietnam? A: We carefully choose our production locations based on the quality and market parameters required to meet the needs of our customers. In these locations we are able to manufacture according to the highest international standards of social, environmental and organic compliance while offering a finished product that makes economic sense for all parties.
Q:Why aren't the products made in the USA? A: While we would like to produce in the USA, at this time we're unable to secure US fiber, spin yarn in the US, and manufacture at a price and quality level that satisfies market needs.
Q: What steps have you taken to ensure the integrity of your supply chain? A: Our supply chain is certified by Control Union and Oregon Tilth. All of our apparel and cotton bags are made in factories that have been certified according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and verified by an independent third party. In addition, our domestic warehouse has been certified according to GOTS and verified by Oregon Tilth. This certification has earned 14 of our products the distinction being able to carry the GOTS finished goods label. Click here to view our Oregon Tilth Certificate.
GOTS is the most comprehensive international standard for Organic textiles. GOTS ensures the “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.”
To learn more about our GOTS supply chain click here.
Q: Who certifies your cotton? A: Our cotton fiber is certified by Control Union (formerly known as SKAL) as well as other certification bodies recognized by the USDA NOP.
Q: Is your Youth Tee compliant with the Consumer Product Safety Act Requirements for products intended for children age 12 and under? A: Our certification according to Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) serves as compliance verification for textiles. GOTS limits lead content in certain textile products to no more than 100 ppm lead. Our Youth Tee, style 4000, is manufactured with tracking labels as prescribed by the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act guidelines.
Section 103(a) of the new law requires manufacturers to have a tracking label or other distinguishing permanent mark on any consumer product primarily intended for children twelve and younger. The tracking label must contain certain basic information, including the source of the product, the date of manufacture and more detailed information on the manufacturing process such as a batch or run number. The scope of this provision is quite broad in that it applies to all children products, including, but not limited to, items such as clothing or shoes not just toys and other regulated products. To learn more about the labeling requirements visit the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s website: http://www.cpsc.gov/ABOUT/Cpsia/cpsia.HTML#bytopic
Q: Why are Econscious “basic” tee prices higher than some other organic tee shirt vendors? A: There is not an apples-to-apples comparison possible at this time. Our tee shirts are not actually 'basic'. Our shirts have top-stitching details, spandex in the neck rib to maintain shape, and are washed with GMO free enzymes to create a very soft hand-feel. All these quality decisions make our tee shirt superior. For the price conscious promotional customer we now offer a ‘Value Tee’ that is an excellent product at a reduced price.
Q: Why is recycled polyester used in the sweatshirt? A: All product definition decisions are based on quality. Polyester content means increased fabric stability, reduced shrinkage and soft fleece in the inside. All current production uses post consumer recycled polyester.
Q: Do you use natural dyes? A: We do not use natural dyes. We use high quality reactive dyes that have low environmental impact. These dyes are accepted by the Organic Trade Associations Fiber Standards as well as the new Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS).
Q: Why do you use brass to make your zippers and clasps? A: Because brass does not have to be plated, the manufacturing process has a smaller environmental impact as compared to other options. We are continuously researching materials in an effort to find the most sustainable options.
Q: Do you use fibers like hemp? A: Our products are designed with quality in mind. Hemp is a fiber that is well suited for bags, hats and accessory items; and we make customs products in hemp. As a fiber for knitwear such as tee shirts, hemp is not as comfortable as organic cotton.
Q: Why doesn’t econscious use bamboo fabric (viscose rayon)? A: The complex process of chemically breaking down cellulose pulp to form regenerated cellulose fiber, or rayon, results in a great deal of environmental pollution. In addition, waste-gas emissions from the xanthation process and waste-water emissions associated with the wet spinning bath are of particular concern because of the health risks associated with the process. To learn more click here.
Econscious will not use bamboo fabric until we are able to verify that the production methods being employed are environmentally responsible. Q: What are the working conditions in your factories?
A: Our Organic cotton apparel and bags are produced in factories that have been certified according to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) by an independent third party agency. Section 3 of the GOTS addresses important social components designed to ensure a safe and hygienic workplace is provided. Our primary organic cotton cap factory is WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production) certified; visit http://www.wrapapparel.org .
Q: What is the most environmentally low impact way to screen print apparel? A: At Econscious we get daily questions and inquiries about the best ways to imprint Organic cotton T-shirts keeping the environmental impact in mind. We have been recommending water based inks but wanted to have someone independent and someone that knows environmental chemistry take a look at the print systems that are available on the market today. To help us with this we turned to our friends at Brown and Williams Environmental LLC and asked them to survey the existing ink technologies on the market. To read about their findings click here.
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