PSI, TVP and ISS California experienced record numbers of visitors in early 08, all looking to see and compare first hand the explosion of new organic apparel brands, which were not even on the market at last year's shows. The Printwear & Promotion 2008 show at the Birmingham NEC March 2-4 2008 expects to experience a similar surge in visitors, with many looking to add value to their businesses by using the new green apparel to differentiate their product offering from their competition and gain market advantage.

In 2007 most garment distributors and garment decorators were experimenting with offering environmentally friendly products to their customers, alongside their standard conventional garments. In 2008, however, the conventional garments are now taking second place to the rise of organic, ethical and climate neutral T-shirts. Green products are no longer niche, they are an absolute requirement in the arsenal of any serious garment decorator, and any business who cannot offer an ethical product range in 2008 will increasingly lose clients to those that do.

Your business may have an admirable new environmental product offering, but unless you can communicate this to your customers, you are not exploiting your opportunity to generate additional revenue. Your competition, meanwhile, may in fact be over-exploiting a weak position in regard to sustainable products.

Take organic apparel. However popular organic T-shirts have become, they are still not making headlines; but climate change is. So how can you turn a standard organic T-shirt into a super-ethical climate-friendly T-shirt? The answer is simple: communication.

Most people do not know that choosing organic apparel over conventional promotional apparel, will allow businesses to reduce their negative impact both on the planet and on the climate. It is our job to communicate this to our clients and educate them, thereby showing leadership and gaining environmental credit. By doing so we not only safeguard our existing client relationships but may also present the opportunity to capture market share from ‘slow to respond' competitors.

Here's what to say:

Low carbon footprint

If it's organic cotton - let your customers know that its carbon footprint is lower.

"Conventional cotton is grown commercially using a large amount of petroleum based chemical fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides. In fact cotton production consumes 25% of the world's pesticides, but because organic farming does not use these toxic chemicals it is less reliant on fossil fuels and its carbon footprint is lower."

Low water footprint

If it's organic cotton and from India, let your customers know that its carbon footprint is even lower still.

"Organic cotton grown in India is likely to be planted and harvested by hand, without petrol driven farm mechanisation, and so its carbon footprint will be lower. Also, India receives 80% of its water from the monsoon rains. This is an important consideration, because cotton is one of the world's thirstiest crops, and it can take more than 20,000 litres of water to grow 1kg of cotton - equivalent to a single T-shirt and pair of jeans. The monsoon rains reduce the need for the largescale pumped irrigation projects normally associated with conventional cotton farming, which have the added negative social impact of often depriving local areas of scarce water resources by draining lakes and rivers."

Pick your cotton carefully

If it's organic cotton, then you know where it's grown, and so you can ‘Pick Your Cotton Carefully'.

"Because organic cotton is certified from farm to manufacturer, we have a paper trail to demonstrate where the cotton is grown. And so we can guarantee that it is not from Uzbekistan, and while the use of forced child labour in Uzbekistan is endemic, we guarantee that we will follow the recommendations of the Environmental Justice Foundation, and state the country of origin of the cotton we use."

No airfreight

There is a chance that licenced organic promotional apparel could lose its organic status if transported by airfreight.

"The Soil Association, which certifies organic products in the UK, has been discussing the issue at an airfreight summit. It is concerned about the environmental impact and says that air freighting causes more greenhouse gases per mile than any other type of transport. The summit is part of a 12-month consultation, which began in January, on how to tackle the issue. Refuse to contribute to even more atmospheric CO2, by refusing to use airfreighted promotional apparel. Commit to a ‘No Airfreight' policy on behalf of your customer."

Ethical credentials

If it's Oeko-Tex certified and licensed by the Soil Association, let your customers know that it does not contribute to environmental damage. If it's Fair Wear or Fairtrade, let your customers know that it does not contribute to social injustice.

"The Oeko-Tex 100 Standard is a guarantee of the safety of textiles and dyestuffs to human health. It also means more care is taken in adopting environmentally friendly production methods throughout the manufacturing. The manufacturing facilities have been audited by the Fair Wear Foundation, and licensed by the FLO (Fairtrade Labelling Organisation).

Save the climate - wash cool

All promotional apparel can be washed at 30°C. However, ask your customers to consider the effects of domestic machine washing and tumble drying time and time again, which may contribute up to 80% of the energy used by a conventional cotton garment in its lifetime. Look for garments labelled SAVE THE CLIMATE - WASH COOL - LINE DRY in addition to standard wash care instructions. Recommend eco-friendly detergents, which have minimal aquatic toxicity and will biodegrade quickly and completely.

Corporate social responsibility

Communicate your own Corporate Social Responsibility values and commitment to environmentally responsible business practices. Let your customers know what you're doing. For example, if you have switched your business over to green electricity to reduce your impact on the climate, communicate this.

Organisations that wish to reduce their carbon footprint:

• Banks and financial institutions
• Car manufacturers and oil companies
• Airlines and the transportation industry
• Cosmetics and the beauty industry
• Government and NGO's
• Charities and environmental groups
• Sports and Eco-Tourism
• Pop groups and Rock bands
• TV and the media

The attractiveness of carbon reduction as an indicator of environmental responsibility has made it a goal for many businesses, consumer brands and even countries. Choosing climate-friendly organic apparel over conventional promotional apparel will allow businesses to demonstrate their commitment to reducing their negative impact on the climate and the planet.

Now you can communicate your organic product offering to your clients, announcing that their use reduces the user's contribution to climate change. Then allow it to compete in the marketplace against non-climate-friendly products.