Monday, July 19, 2010

Going Green in Style


When we think of how our choices and actions impact our planet and our bodies, we tend to think of our diets, the products and chemicals we use and of course, all that packaging!! So we try to get back to basics, get our food locally, organically grown. We use traditional plant based personal care products that biodegrade and don't build up toxins in our organs. Trade in our plastics for glass or paper and use pharmaceuticals sparingly, if at all.

These new behaviors are great for us and our environment but we are forgetting a major category of personal consumption. The clothes we wear! Have you ever thought about where your clothing comes from? I mean, where the fabric is grown, how it's manufactured, the people involved in the process and then how it gets to the store you purchase it from? All of these factors can contribute to the polluting of our environment and ourselves.

I recently stumbled upon an Eco-friendly clothing company sourced out of the Isle of Wight in the UK that is doing something incredible. They are making stylish, active clothing with very little carbon footprint. It sounds amazing and then when you really sit down to understand how they do it, you realize how much care has been put into their product in order to preserve our environment. The company is called Rapanui Clothing and the founders are visionaries. They realize that their "green model of production" is sustainable and can be replicated.

Here is why you can feel good about wearing anything that Rapanui makes:
They use only organic cotton that is farmed by hand
The cotton is transported to the factory via camels
They manufacture in a factory powered by wind
Every worker involved in farming or manufacturing their clothing is paid a fair wage
Finished materials are sent via truck back to London (using less fuel than air freight)
They experiment with earth friendly and sustainable materials such as hemp and bamboo

Even better is their Traceability Tool. This enables you too see exactly which stage of production your garment is in "from seed to shelf". Rapanui is putting the accountability back on the producer so that we the consumer can feel responsible for the effects we have on the environment. http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/eco/traceability-textiles.html Its a true win/win situation! (to shamelessly use a old worn-out corporate phrase)

Their style is active wear and focuses on t-shirts, pullovers, sweaters, scarves and socks. They offer a wide variety of styles for men and women. I can see myself working out in their shirts and feeling good about it!

More companies should start thinking like Rapanui clothing. It's time to turn our singular focus of profit making to a more holistic view that includes how well we are able to replace what is taken from the earth.

I highly suggest that you check out this progressive clothing company, read about their mission and how they accomplish it http://www.rapanuiclothing.com/eco/index.html and then go buy something. Before you know it, you will have a higher standard for what you put on your body!!