FAQ

As of October 2022, the entire econscious supply chain will be SEDEX members with current SMETA audits on file. SMETA is Sedex’s social auditing methodology, enabling businesses to assess their sites and suppliers to understand working conditions in their supply chain.

https://www.sedex.com/our-services/smeta-audit/

At econscious we are aware of recent media attention related to the challenges faced by the organic cotton certification process resulting primarily from surging demand, reduced global supply and farmers losing their organic certification. Despite the challenges, the organic cotton supply chain remains one of the most transparent, strictly regulated certification processes and enforcement systems created to ensure authenticity claims. As a result, instances of fraud can be quickly detected and addressed.

Our commitment to maintaining the integrity of our products continues to be fundamental to our mission. Our compliance specialists track each buy to ensure the fibers we use are accompanied by the proper documentation as certified by an independent third-party agency.

We only work with vendors with whom we have long standing relationships, or who have been thoroughly vetted. In many cases, we are working with the same manufacturers we started with when econscious was founded in 2006. This, coupled with an assortment that replenishes the same fabrications year after year, allows our suppliers to forecast fiber needs in advance of production with the assurance that each fabric will be used in future production and have a long product life cycle. This slow fashion approach provides the stability associated with products that live year-round, year after year.

The marketplace has a lot of new players entering it as the world wakes up to the central role sustainable textiles will play in our future. We are glad to see this new growth spurt but clearly the organic agriculture is experiencing growing pains. At the same time, the oversight processes are also evolving. We welcome the increased attention to organic cotton certification processes. Shining a light on the challenges will contribute to our shared efforts to strengthen requirements on 3rd party inspectors, detect and eliminate fraud, and protect consumers.

Thank you for helping us continue to support the increased use of organic agricultural production methods.

From all of us at econscious

We love screen printers!  The ones we know are artists, renegades and visionaries.  No suits and ties (or the female equivalent where applicable) for them---ever.  So it’s not surprising that we have had plenty discussions with our artist friends about things such as what makes the best “blank canvas”, the craziest thing they ever screen printed or what temperature to use when screen printing a non-woven tote (answer: the lowest temperature possible).

We created the econscious line with screen-printers in mind.  We think of our tees as works of art waiting to happen.  And when our conversations invariably roll around to the question of the most “environmentally responsible” printing method…then things get interesting.    Our discussions gave rise to many different viewpoints, so we decided there was only one thing to do.  Get scientific. 

To help with the science we turned to our friends at Brown and Williams Environmental LLC and asked them to survey the existing ink technologies on the market.   Before you click the link---put your thinking cap on because this is some dense material.

To read about their findings click here.

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

 For more information email info@econscious.net

Certification is done by independent, third party certifiers accredited to the standards being certified against (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008). 

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)

The major differences are in the following categories: seeds, weed control, soil, water, and harvest practice. Organic agricultural practices prohibit the use of chemical pesticides, fertilizers, and genetically modified seeds (GMO seeds). For more information, check out the Organic Exchange Symbiosis booklet (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).

Click here to find out more

Conventionally grown cotton consumes 25% of the insecticides and more than 10% of the pesticides used in the world (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).

According to the USDA 2007 usage data, .00544 pounds of pesticides is used to grow one pound of conventionally grown U.S. cotton. When 2005 synthetic fertilizer usage (nitrogen, phosphate, potash and sulfur) is included in the calculation, then the combined synthetic fertilizer and pesticide usage is .179 pounds per pound of conventionally grown cotton. For example, a 9 oz cotton tee shirt could use as much as 2.85 oz of chemical inputs to cultivate the fiber needed to produce the average conventional cotton tee shirt, or about 1/3 of the weight of the shirt.

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).

For more info visit:

https://www.soilassociation.org/organic-living/why-organic/better-for-wildlife/

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:

Organic Exchange: www.organicexchange.org

Organic Farming Research Foundation: www.ofrf.org

Organic Trade Associate: www.ota.org

Pesticide Action Network: www.panna.org

Rodale Institute: www.rodaleinstitute.org

The Organic Center: www.organic-center.org

Yes, in 2019  we joined forces with a factory located in the heart of Los Angeles, California that is well versed in the storied art of making a great tee. The introduction of the USA Made Organic Tee, style EC1007, helped us realize a long standing goal of bringing more manufacturing closer to home. We hope to add more styles in the future!

In addition, all our current production of our 100% organic tees are knit and dyed in the USA and then sewn in Mexico (styles: EC1000, EC1500, EC3000, EC3052, EC3500).

Factories we work with agree to ensure and actively engage in upholding the econscious Workplace Code of Conduct which addresses important social compliance standards designed to ensure a safe and hygienic workplace is provided. 

We’ve worked with most of our factories since our inception and have made regular visits to our production locations an essential part of the way we conduct our business. This allows us to assess workplace conditions first hand. We also employ independent third party agencies to conduct regular on-site inspections. 

These long standing relationships have allowed us to build partnerships based on trust and our shared goals. We believe if we thrive so will our partners and vice-versa.

• Textile waste occupies nearly five percent of all landfill space.
• One million tons of textiles will end up in landfills every year.
• 20 percent of industrial fresh water pollution comes from textile treatment and dyeing.
• In 2009, the world used three trillion gallons of fresh water to produce 60 billion kilograms of fabric.
• It takes 700 gallons of fresh water to make one cotton T-shirt.
• One trillion kilowatt hours are used every year by the global textile industry, which equates to 10 percent of global carbon impact.

(Source: Global Report Market Report on Sustainable Textile, Textile Exchange 2010)

In 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).

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). 

Organic farming is not a new trend. In fact, organic farming represents a return to the practices employed prior to the mass industrialization of farming.   The primary methods that distinguish organic farming are:

Soil: Organic farmers maintain the health of their soil by using manure or compost and other organic material instead of synthetic fertilizers. Biological fertilizers like compost, release nutrients slowly, build up organic soil matter, increase the capacity of soil to retain moisture and reduce leaching of nitrates into groundwater. Up to 40 percent of synthetic fertilizers used on conventional farms end up in ground and surface waters, eventually polluting rivers, lakes, and oceans.

Beneficial insects: Some organic farmers introduce beneficial insects such as ladybugs, soldier beetles, green lacewings, big-eyed bugs and beneficial nematodes that eat harmful insects.

Crop rotation: Organic farmers often do not grow the same crop on the same field year after year. Crop rotation naturally replenishes the soil because as different plants contribute varying nutrients to the soil.  Disrupting the habitats of insect pests and weeds helps control them.

Buffers: Organic farmers designate the edges of their land as buffer zones.  This means the land is managed in accord with organic practices, but the crops grown on them aren’t sold as organic because some plants in the buffer may have been exposed to genetically engineered crops or chemicals used in conventional agriculture but barred for organic farms.

Cover Crops: Cover crops such as clover, rye, and wheat are planted between growing seasons to help replenish the soil with nutrients and prevent soil erosion. They also help maintain populations of beneficial insects. Cover crops can control weeds by smothering and shading them and outcompeting them for nutrients

(Source: Organic Trade Association, 2016).