Eco-Friendly Clothes
Don’t you ever wonder where the clothes you’re wearing come from?
8Y8 Apparel
Clothing’s a necessity that we all buy, and with it being in constant contact with your skin it’s always reassuring to know that it’s organic and free from harmful chemicals. By protecting ourselves from harmful chemicals we can also protect the environment. Sustainability is also a major driving factor, as is the ability to be able to give back by using high quality, ethical materials from suppliers who support the farmers and manufacturers.
The following describes the ethics and environmental impact of the blank apparel as used by 8Y8, unprocessed prior to printing and finishing. Some materials vary from product to product, so see the list of corresponding eco-friendly credentials listed on the individual product pages.
Fair Wear Foundation
Social injustice is often associated with the apparel manufacturing industry – sweatshops – but it doesn’t have to be. 8Y8 goes further by only sourcing apparel blanks from a company affiliated with the Fair Wear Foundation, making transparent the manufacturing supply chain through independent audit by the FWF.
An independent, non-profit organisation, the Fair Wear Foundation strives to promote fair labour conditions within apparel companies and factories with internationally-recognised standards. FWF aids companies efforts to create fair and safe working environments through sharing expertise, social dialogue and strengthening industry relations. The manufacturing and supply chain are monitored, with the FWF verifying that the Code of Labour Practices are implemented and respected throughout. A Code of Conduct designed specifically for the garment industry is also stipulated to tackle the social injustice often seen in manufacturing, and to free impoverished farmers tied into debt from chemical companies.
8Y8’s blank apparel supplier was the first company in the UK to become a member of the Fair Wear Foundation.
EarthPositive
Organic and ethical are the standard for EarthPositive® apparel. Manufactured using low-impact raw materials from organic farms, using efficient transportation, and crucially, relying solely on green, sustainable energy such as wind and solar power during the manufacturing process instead of fossil fuel based grid electricity. This means that there is no detrimental damage to the Earth’s climate, soil, water or inhabitants.
No Carbon Offsetting
Some companies attempt to achieve a reduced carbon footprint by merely buying ‘carbon offsets’ whilst continuing to operate as normal. This represents the lowest quality of carbon footprint reduction and is avoided completely for the manufacture of all 8Y8 climate neutral apparel.
Organic Cotton + Ethically Traded + Carbon Neutral Manufacturing = 100% sustainable
Climate Neutral
A collection of wind turbines provide the primary power source for the manufacture of EarthPositive apparel. Combined with low impact (low emission) organic agriculture and carbon neutral manufacturing means that industrial greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced to pre-industrial levels. The blank apparel is then distributed to 8Y8 via warehouses and offices in London that use only renewable, green energy.
Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust Reducing CO2 Label signifies a commitment to reducing carbon footprints. The carbon footprint of a product takes into account the total amount of CO2 (carbon dioxide), as well as other greenhouse gasses such as methane and nitrous oxide, that are produced. Starting from the cotton field, to the manufacturing and distribution, up to the point of the UK-based distribution warehouse, prior to printing and dying. The carbon footprint is certified by the Carbon Trust and the Reducing CO2 Label is only used when a commitment has been made to reduce the carbon footprint.
In 2008, 8Y8’s blank apparel supplier was the first in the world to calculate the carbon footprint of a T-shit and place the Carbon Reduction Label on textile products.
Global Organic Textile Standard
In the field of organic fibre agriculture and processing, the Global Organic Textile Standard has become the world’s leading set of requirements for ecological and socially responsible textile production. It’s backed up with independent certification of the entire supply chain, gaining it universal recognition.
Defining high level environmental criteria throughout the entire supply chain of organic textiles. All the way through from the harvesting of the raw material to environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing, with strictly no forced, or child labor. Farmers are also protected, with stringent social criteria and a complete ban on the use of poisonous chemicals that could otherwise severely harm workers, their families health and the environment.
Soil Association
Leading the UK’s campaigning and certification of organic food and farming is the Soil Association organisation. As part of the Global Organic Textile Standard they certify that both the production and processing of the textile meets strict organic standards. To promote a healthy agricultural environment all harmful pesticides are banned along with harmful manufacturing chemicals, allergenic, carcinogenic and toxic chemicals. High social conditions are also kept for organic textile employees enabling them to avoid poverty.
Oeko-Tex Standard
The Oeko-Tex 100 Standard, Class 1, ensures environmentally friendly production methods throughout the manufacturing of the apparel blanks and guarantees the safety of textiles and dyestuffs in both a human and ecological context. ‘Confidence in Textiles’ is their motto, providing evaluation of potentially harmful substances in textiles with a consistent benchmark formed on a scientific basis. The Oeko-Tex Standard certifies that products are completely free from any harmful chemicals, ensuring that textiles are safe to be in regular contact with the skin.
Organic Content Standard
In order to verify the amount of organically grown material in a product, the Organic Content Standard (OCS) relies on accredited third party verification. This certifies the presence and amount of any given organic material in any non-food product. It doesn’t cover the certification of the raw material itself, chemical usage, or social issues, as they are covered independently by the other organisations listed on this page. The OCS simply provides accurate, transparent, and independent evaluation of the organic material content claims on products, certifying that the quoted amount of organic material is accurate.
