In terms of promotional clothing, green is certainly the new black, as this is one of the industry areas which is focusing on environmental and ethical impact of products. Many clothing products on the market today are made from cotton, which from the outset may seem harmless but actually poses threats to the environment.

It is not widely known that cotton is very difficult to grow, meaning that farmers end up using large amounts fertilisers and chemicals to produce it. The Organic Trade Association reports on its website that cotton uses more than ten per cent of the world's pesticides, a quarter of the world's insecticides and more insecticides than any other single crop.

While this does not impact on the end user in the finished product, the use of such chemicals does endanger the health and safety of cotton farmers and workers. Pesticides also threaten the surrounding environment, depleting wildlife, impoverishing soil and poisoning water systems, suggesting that cotton as a material is not as ‘friendly' as it is first assumed.

Organic cotton however is considered to be one of the most sustainable fibres for textile production. It avoids chemicals, it is GM-free and it uses less water. It is an all round better option for people and for the environment during the farming process. Cotton, hemp, bamboo, ramie, linen, and silk can all be produced organically - as can wool, cashmere and alpaca.

Alongside organic farming, recycling is also becoming a major factor of the promotional clothing industry. Recycled clothes are made from materials and fabrics which are already in existence, but are re-used to avoid waste. Recycling is very eco-friendly, as the environmental impact of recycling worn-out polyester into new polyester fibre, for example, is significantly lower than making that same fibre from scratch.

It is positive to see that more and more companies are becoming aware of the need to be ethically and environmentally sound, and are asking questions such as "What has this been made from?", "Who has made this?" and "Where has this been made?"

However, despite this awareness and a major effort to keep manufacturing within the UK, only a small proportion of clothes are actually manufactured here. Instead, mainly due to cost, companies prefer to import clothes from countries where labour expenses are low and workers have fewer rights.

 It is in this sense that sadly, the clothing industry is notorious for its poor treatment of workers abroad, and there have been many high-profile cases which put ethical manufacturing, or lack there of, into the spotlight.

Despite some horror stories, it is not all bad news and the promotional merchandise industry is quickly coming round to the idea of ethical and environmentally friendly trading. Companies are starting to put in place codes of conduct to ensure that best practice is met and others are working with manufacturers who are members of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), which aims to change the way companies do business.

Many promotional clothing companies now also have their own company lead factories in countries such as India and China, to ensure that ethical and environmental standards are not only met, but maintained and exceeded. As an industry, it is important for us to see this type of progression through, to ensure that our reputation for being innovative and forward thinking remains.

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