The UK promotional garment industry is one of those industries, following closely behind air travel and transportation. Although the promotional industry is now well versed in green issues, the subject of carbon emissions has, until very recently, been remarkably taboo. But until the promotional garment industry can acknowledge and understand its contribution to global warming, the industry’s green veneer is like a fresh and easily scratched coat of paint. The industry must take steps collectively, to reduce its contribution, and this must begin with education, awareness and understanding.

Climate change is the most urgent issue humanity faces today. The 2006 report written by Sir Nicholas Stern, adviser to the UK Government on the economics of climate change, made a case for urgent action to reduce our carbon emissions. It stated: “The scientific evidence is now overwhelming: climate change is a serious global threat, and it demands an urgent global response. There is still time to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, but only if we take strong action now.”

Business now accepts it can play an important role in combating climate change, and wants to be seen as taking action. Corporate business and industry, particularly the most damaging or high profile industries, want to be seen to be tackling their own emissions and leading the pack in the fight against climate change.

The UK promotional garment industry is in a perfect position to provide corporate business with products and services to help take action on climate change, but first it must acknowledge its own contribution to global warming and become accountable – collectively and individually.

2007 has seen a rapidly growing public and corporate awareness of climate change. As the public becomes increasingly climate conscious, business is becoming increasingly carbon conscious. Corporate business and industry are looking for ways to take action on climate change, and build it into their Corporate Social Responsibility. They are aware that businesses taking a lead on climate change will benefit from the loyalty of consumers and will most likely capture new markets.

A recent report by Goldman Sachs showed that companies that are considered leaders in implementing environmental, social and governance (ESG) policies to create sustained competitive advantage have outperformed the general stock market by 25% since August 2005.

The problem for business is that it has few, if any, real commodities to purchase to help take action on climate change, bar the most obvious green electricity or intangible carbon credits.

The UK print wear and promotional garment industry, however, has the knowledge and expertise to quickly develop the products and services that will allow business to take action on climate change, through simple substitution of damaging practices with sustainable and responsible alternatives. But before the promotional industry can profit from climate change, it must first take a lead on action on climate change. To do this it needs to acknowledge its contribution to global warming, take responsibility for its greenhouse gas emissions and effect immediate change.

The UK promotional industry makes a significant contribution to global warming with its carbon emissions, for example in cotton farming, textile and apparel manufacture, transportation, garment decoration, and so forth. Here we present some of the industry’s problem areas together with some sustainable alternatives. This is not an exhaustive list, but simply an introduction to the subject.

Conventional cotton farming

One of the dirtiest crops in the world, conventional cotton is heavily reliant on petrochemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. Fertilisers are the largest source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in agriculture and the single largest source of nitrous oxide (N2O) for all sectors in the world. Nitrous oxide from fertilisers, is the third largest greenhouse gas contributor to overall global warming, behind carbon dioxide and methane, and has 296 times more impact on global warming than CO2.

Solution: Organic cotton and use of other sustainable eco-textiles including hemp, which is about as sustainable as a fabric can be.

Man made fibres

Industrial production of polyester, derived from crude oil, is highly energy intensive, and releases heavy metals and poisons into the air and water, plus it’s not biodegradable, so discarded polyester garments will sit in landfills for the next 2000 years.

Solution: Recycling plastic drinks bottles to make polyester fleece. Marks & Spencer, which has a fiveyear eco-action plan, launched its own recycled polyester clothing collection in August 2007.

Industrial manufacturing

The high-energy processes used to manufacture, dye and finish garments in textile factories, predominantly in the developing countries, produce carbon emissions. Added to this is often the environmental damage associated with cheap production, as well as clothes miles.

Solution: Insist manufacturers have environmental and social certifications and a transparent supply chain. Use containerised shipping, which is the most efficient of all transportation methods; and place orders in good time to avoid the need to airfreight garments.

Garment decoration

Silkscreen printing uses petroleum-derived inks and cleaning chemicals that release damaging solvents into the air. It also generates toxic effluent and uses energy intensive machinery including gas dryers.

Solution: Water-based printing requires more energy use to dry the prints, while newly developed eco-plastisols are the subject of controversy, as to their real benefits. A solution to this issue will require further investigation and debate.

Disposable fashion

As promotional clothing gets cheaper and cheaper, we’re buying more than ever, fuelling a trend for cheap, disposable fashion. Not made to last, clothes are produced with little care, using low quality fabrics, so much so that one may be lucky to get more than a few wears out of them. However, the true cost of a ‘cheap’ item of clothing has been subsidised by oil, and in environmental and social terms, the cost to the planet and the climate is much higher.

Solution: Fewer, but better made promotional clothes will be more expensive initially, but will serve the planet better, and be cost effective in the long term. The buyer must realise that cheap is no longer an ethical choice, and that there must be a minimum price to pay in order to guarantee that basic social and environmental standards are met during garment production.

After care

A typical T-shirt, if washed at 60°C, tumble dried and ironed, will lead to the release of 4kg of CO2 in its useable lifetime. Consumers can drastically reduce the climate change impact of their T-shirts by washing cool and line drying. It can be part of the responsibility of the print wear and promotional industry to educate our customers.

Solution: Start simply with new labeling of garments to encourage consumers to: WASH COOL – LINE DRY – SAVE THE CLIMATE. If 2007 was the Year of Environmental Awareness, then 2008 will be the Year of Action on Climate Change. Many new initiatives in the promotional garment industry will begin in the year 2008, and in time, the market for climate conscious clothing and services may rival the promotional women’s wear market, which also barely existed a decade ago.

In the December issue, we will outline the three steps individual companies can take to become more environmentally conscious day to day, through legislation, inspiration and education.

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