Insight News will interview company spokesperson Mariusz Stochaj about the origin of the cotton Continental uses in its T-shirts and apparel. It follows claims from some clothing companies, particularly high street retailers, that it is difficult to find out the source of the cotton they use, said Continental.

But Continental disputes this, as Stochaj explained: “Factories will bend over backwards for their customers, and especially for the large retailers and fashion brands. Can you really imagine Primark or Matalan being told ‘No’ by any of their suppliers? That would never happen. There is almost nothing they will not do for them, and providing documentary proof of the origin of the cotton, if requested, is the least of their many problems as manufacturers.”

Each of the factories Continental uses, in Turkey, China and India, has prepared the paperwork for both the organic and non-organic cotton, to show the source of the raw cotton. It took only four days to prepare the documentation, said Continental, and the documentation had to show the receipt of the cotton as it travels up the supply chain of the manufacturing processes.

Insight News has been filming undercover in Uzbekistan at the 2007 Uzbek ‘Cotton Conference’, and in the fields to witness the school children working alongside their teachers, picking the cotton.

Continental Clothing Company claims it is the only company so far to take a stand on the issue and to prove the origin of its cotton. “Consumers deserve to have this information. If a consumer could choose between a cotton T-shirt made using Uzbek cotton, picked by school children forcibly taken from their classes by their government, or a T-shirt made with ‘clean’ cotton, I’m hoping that they’d choose the latter,” said Stochaj.

Continental now labels its garments with the country of origin of the cotton, following the recommendation of the Environmental Justice Foundation.

Meanwhile, the company’s new EarthPositive ‘climate neutral’ organic T-shirts had their first outing at last month’s Sustainability Show, held at the O2 in London.

“The T-shirts were 100% organic in every way, featured the Soil Association logo, and were the first ever use of climate neutral T-shirts, manufactured solely using renewable green energy from wind power,”said Continental Clothing.

Event organiser David Miall added: “This was a match made in heaven. The Sustainability Show is all about providing a variety of new products and ideas developed specifically with sustainability in our lifestyles in mind. EarthPositive 'climate neutral' T-shirts represent everything we are trying to achieve here.”

The 1000 event T-shirts featured the ‘I Sust It!’ Sustainability Show logo, and were printed on Continental Soil Association licensed T-shirts by licensed organic T-shirt printer T-Shirt & Sons.

Insight News is due to air on the BBC in early November. For details go to www.insightnewstv.com.

Printer friendly version

Email this article to a friend

Bookmark this

---