Made in Green (MIG) has been developed to address these issues, and looks not only at regulating how the product is produced from an ethical perspective, but also ensures the product itself is as safe as possible.

Green concerns go right to the top of retail, and some are enthusiastically embracing ethical and ecological issues more than most.

Wal-Mart president and CEO Lee Scott said in Oct 2008: "I firmly believe that a company that cheats on its overtime and on the age of its labour; that dumps its scraps and chemicals into our rivers; that does not pay its taxes or honour its contracts, will ultimately cheat on the quality of its products."

 Wal-Mart has set out a list of requirements for those doing business with it, including demonstration of compliance with environmental, ethical laws and regulations and is expecting all its suppliers to comply.

It is not just Wal-Mart that is insisting on these standards, most other multinationals are also implementing them as well, says Shah, driven by ethics and product safety.

"There are major safety issues cropping up all the time with products produced abroad, particularly in the Far East," says Shah. "Issues with baby milk, toy production and toxic materials in furnishings sold by a UK retailer are just a few examples.

"Even though there are strict quality control procedures in place it does not necessarily mean that they are strictly adhered too. One factor that may be contributing is that long supply chains and cost control pressures are leaving some manufacturers vulnerable to fraud."

Shah added: "For this reason, we need to regulate and control the production of our products and processes via established and internationally recognised institutes and this is the only way that we can ensure that the products and processes used to make them are not only ethical but as safe as can be."

Which is where MIG comes in. For a company to apply for MIG status it has to have the following criteria in place :-

Product:

Absence of substances in the textile product which could be harmful to health, confirmed by an international standard such as Oeko-tex 100

Environment:

Respect for the environment at the production centres where the product is manufactured, confirmed by an international standard such as Oeko-tex 1000,ISO 14001    

Social criteria:

Respect of human rights and the universal right of workers in accordance with the International Labour Organisation at the product centres where the product is made. Confirmed by an internationally recognised standard such as SA8000 or AITEX CCRS.

How it works

MIG offers a complete ethical and ecological traceability throughout the production supply chain, says Shah. For a product to be granted MIG status all component manufacturing centres used to make that product such as yarn, fabric, buttons, zips and sewing threads must have an internationally recognised environmental and social responsibility certification in place and all the component parts of the product have to be tested and certified to ensure they contain no harmful substances.

All textile manufacturers can apply for MIG, be it the yarn producer, weaver, finisher and dyer, or accessories supplier - it does not just apply to the product retailer or distributor.

If the company achieves MIG status it will be issued a certificate, which is reviewed and audited annually. In addition, it will be able to attach labels to its products, which will show the customer that the product not only conforms ethically and ecologically but is also safe and free from harmful chemicals.

"The labels have been designed with the consumer in mind and are very easy to understand," said Shah. "Our vision for MIG is a long term one - we view it as a ‘green quality' stamp for companies.

"We would like to think that in the future consumers will be able to recognise the MIG just as they would other quality labels such as kite mark."

For more information go to: www.shirleytech.co.uk or www.madeingreen.com

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