I like doing as much as I can for the environment and for the exploited workers of the world, but I do like the to look reasonably stylish too. It is pretty hard to find men’s ethical clothes that are well styled and fashionable. I have found an organic and fairtrade t-shirt that looks like an ordinary t-shirt any one would wear! The Classic Tee is made by Saf (Socially Accountable Fabrics), and is available from getethical.com.
Andrew Chrysostomou's stories:
Waitrose has recently introduced a range of organic beauty products that are certified by the Soil Association. The Waitrose Organic Bath and Body range is made up of at least 70% organic ingredients, with some of the range having 95% organic ingredients. As well as being organic, the range is free from artificial colours, fragrances and parabens.
The Independent has an article tucked away in its Environment section that I think should have been front-page news. The article covers the news that for the first time rice containing human genes is being grown commercially. The rice in question has been developed to grow two proteins found in human breast milk. The company behind the rice, Ventria Biosciences says it wants to use it to make baby milk and rehydration drinks to help children in the third world. This all sounds very commendable, until you really think about this.
The fashion industry is pretty much a dirty business when it comes to damaging the environment and exploiting workers in some of the world’s poorest communities. There are some ethical designers and manufacturers, and the trend for fashion with a conscience is growing, but actually finding stylish ethical clothes can be a bit of a nightmare. Well, from tomorrow (5th June), finding a new stylish and ethical outfit will get a whole lot easier with the launch of Eco Stylist. Eco Stylist is a one-stop resource for anyone interested in ethical fashion.
US president Bush has confused the issue of global greenhouse gas emissions control in a clever move to stall any real progress at the G8 summit next week. Where anyone with any kind of concern for our planet’s future, and hence our own future would see this as a disaster for greenhouse gas emission reduction, our prime minister, Tony Blair called it an important step forward. An important step forward? To undermine the rest of the world’s efforts and to refuse to accept any responsibility for global warming is a step forward? Where British and German officials have stressed that a requirement for the next international climate agreement should be binding caps on carbon pollution for developed nations and limiting climate change to 2 degrees Celsius, President Bush is refusing to accept any cap on greenhouse gas emissions for the USA, as he thinks it will damage the economy.
You can win a selection of Organix foods and a copy of the ‘Organix Baby and Toddler Cookbook’ by Lizzie Vann by entering the free competition here. Organix are producers of healthy and organic food for babies and children which is actually fun and tasty as well as healthy. They have now introduced their Organix Goodies range of snacks that come with a ‘no junk promise,’ which basically means the complete range is pure, free from artificial or unnatural additives, nutritious and safe for your children.
The man behind the Fresh & Wild organic foodstores is launching his own natural range of skincare products called Nude. Bryan Meehan has created a range of products that are ethically sourced and manufactured, organic and free from possibly harmful chemicals. The entire range of cosmetics and skin care products has been developed to be effective and appealing without compromising the natural and organic nature of the ingredients. The ethos behind the range is to produce commercially acceptable products that are popular because they work well, rather than because they are eco-friendly and organic. Which is a reversal of most such products that are sold on their green credentials primarily.
The government announced a bold plan yesterday to have labels on products to show the environmental impact of producing, transporting and disposing the product. The government is working with the Carbon Trust and British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop the system over the next 18 months. Although the scheme will be voluntary, there are already a number of companies working with the project, for example Marks and Spencer and Tesco. A further 120 companies have expressed an interest in the scheme. The Carbon Trust is running a pilot project at the moment with Boots, Innocent Smoothies and Walkers crisps.
The government announced a bold plan yesterday to have labels on products to show the environmental impact of producing, transporting and disposing the product. The government is working with the Carbon Trust and British Standards Institute (BSI) to develop the system over the next 18 months. Although the scheme will be voluntary, there are already a number of companies working with the project, for example Marks and Spencer and Tesco. A further 120 companies have expressed an interest in the scheme. The Carbon Trust is running a pilot project at the moment with Boots, Innocent Smoothies and Walkers crisps.
A girl can never have enough shoes or hand-bags, or so the old saying goes. How true it is I have no idea, it sounds like an old 1950’s marketing campaign to me. If you look hard enough you can find some really individual and pretty unique bags that are fair trade too.
