Aligning With Our Values
Where does it come from? Is it made in a fair working environment? What impact does it have on the natural environment?
Being a sustainable clothing brand with strong environmental and ethical values, a lot of thought, research and care goes into selecting the garments we source. Not only is it important that our garments are high quality, it is imperative that they align with our brand values.
For these reasons, we ensure that the garments we source for the Earthie brand come with important certifications as part of our endeavour to offer sustainable fashion choices.
Fair Wear Foundation
The Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) is a non-profit organisation with a vision to "see a world where the garment industry supports workers in realising their rights to safe, dignified, properly paid employment". They work with brands, manufacturers and governments to "improve working conditions for garment workers in 11 production countries across Asia, Europe and Africa."
It is our core belief at Earthie that we all need to be making more mindful decisions about the processes and resources involved in making clothes, and we need to place value in fair treatment of people, animals and the planet. As such it is very important to us that the garments we source are certified by FWF.
All of our garments come from manufacturers who are recognised members of the Fair Wear Foundation. This means their manufacturing supply chain has been made transparent with independent audits by the organisation, and their practices are found to be compliant with the Code of Labour Practices.
This Code is based on internationally recognised standards taken from ILO Conventions and the UN’s Declaration on Human Rights, and ensures the following:
- Employment is freely chosen
- There is no discrimination in employment
- No exploitation of child labour
- Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining
- Payment of a living wage
- Reasonable hours of work
- Safe and healthy working conditions
- Legally binding employment relationship
Learn more about the foundation here.
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
"The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the worldwide leading textile processing standard for organic fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed up by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain."
The standard is recognised world-wide as ensuring environmentally and socially responsible practices govern the whole process of producing organic textiles, including growing, harvesting, processing, manufacturing, packaging, labelling, trading and distribution.
All garments sourced for the Earthie clothing brand are 100% organic cotton, with GOTS certification.
Why is this important? What impact does it have?
- It means that workers involved in the process of making the fabrics for our garments are protected by strict regulations for health, safety and labour conditions put in place by the certification.
- It means workers are protected from having to use or be exposed to poisonous chemicals that can seriously harm the health of them and their families.
- It means the cotton in our shirts is GMO-free.
- It means toxic pesticides and fertilisers aren't being introduced to the environment for the sake of producing our clothes.
The GOTS certification is progressive, with continuous adjustments and improvements being made to the standard to work towards making organic practices a larger part of everyday life, and at Earthie we could not be more for this! (Yes, we have been known to hug a few trees in our time).
Learn more about GOTS here.
Oeko-Tex Standard 100
All Earthie garments sourced carry Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certification.
What does this mean?
"If a textile article carries the STANDARD 100 label, you can be certain that every component of this article, i.e. every thread, button and other accessories, has been tested for harmful substances and that the article therefore is harmless in human ecological terms."
I don't know about you but I like knowing that putting on a shirt isn't going to be harming my health.
The certification is internationally recognised and trusted, the tests are conducted by independent institutes and testing criteria is regularly updated to keep up with regulations and new scientific information.
The aim of the Oeko-Tex organisation is to increase product safety and sustainable production, increasing protection of people and the planet.
Learn more here.
Sustainable Manufacturing Facilities
In addition to the above certifications, we also know that our Earthie Unisex Classic Tees and Womens Rolled Sleeve Tees are manufactured in carbon neutral facilities in India powered by clean, renewable energy produced by wind turbines and solar power. This makes us feel pretty sunny indeed!
The facilities are in a region that receives up to 95% of its water from the monsoon rain, resulting in a low water footprint as the need for large-scale irrigation is reduced.
Sophisticated filtration systems are utilised to convert wastewater from dying into clean water, taking sustainable practices even further.
Related content you may be interested in:
- 5 Ways in which Earthie strives to be a sustainable brand.
- Earthie - The Story of a sustainable clothing start-up.