Final part. With ethical issues dominating the headlines, we're constantly being bombarded with cryptic acronyms that are difficult to decipher and words like ‘sustainable', ‘green' and ‘eco' are banded around on a regular basis. To try and diffuse this ethical minefield, Epona's Juliet Bacon has broken down some of the more common terms into an easy to use A-Z guide and looked at why you might, or might not, choose to go for some of the eco options available

Part two. With ethical issues dominating the headlines, we're constantly being bombarded with cryptic acronyms that are difficult to decipher and words like ‘sustainable', ‘green' and ‘eco' are banded around on a regular basis. To try and diffuse this ethical minefield, Epona's Juliet Bacon has broken down some of the more common terms into an easy to use A-Z guide and looked at why you might, or might not, choose to go for some of the eco options available

With ethical issues dominating the headlines, we're constantly being bombarded with cryptic acronyms that are difficult to decipher and words like ‘sustainable', ‘green' and ‘eco' are banded around on a regular basis. To try and diffuse this ethical minefield, Epona's Juliet Bacon has broken down some of the more common terms into an easy to use A-Z guide and looked at why you might, or might not, choose to go for some of the eco options available

Many people in our industry are daunted and often confused by these various concepts, their true implications on our products and how we market them.  An environmentally friendly product might not always be ethically sourced and vice versa. A fair trade product is not necessarily a 'Fairtrade' mark accredited product.  All companies want to uphold the best practice surrounding their products and need to be clear on all the terminology so that they have precise knowledge of the sourcing, manufacturing and delivery of the product they specify for clients and campaigns.

With more than 10 years experience in environmental business gifts Evan Lewis set up Everything Environmental in 2005 to fill a gap in the market, providing distributors with a one-stop shop for a full range of recycled and eco-friendly business and promotional gifts. 

Most blue chip companies in the UK today have their own ethical policies. However, there is still a worrying number of businesses who are willing to buy, trade and source products without considering the ethical ramifications of their dealings.  Where have these products come from and under what conditions were they manufactured?

With the growing demand for cheap, fashionable clothing in the UK market, companies are falling over each other to provide the latest trends at rock bottom prices. Women's clothing prices have fallen by a third in the last 10 years, and 40% of all our clothes are now being bought from value retailers1. However, in their eagerness to make a stylish saving, these consumers are failing to look at the reality behind how their clothes are produced.

In January 2008, the state council of China announced it was banning free plastic bags in its latest attempt to conserve resources and ease environmental pressures. Up to 3 billion plastic bags are used each day in China. This staggering figure is symptomatic of wider problems in China, as the government struggles to raise awareness of the environmental costs of breakneck economic growth. Even in the UK we use billions of plastic bags every year, which are more often than not treated as entirely disposable items.

Many large clothing manufacturers claim it is too difficult to ever be certain where materials such as cotton come from, since garment components are sourced from all over the world and supply chains are increasingly complex. A frequent excuse is that they have little or no control of where the cotton comes from and that it is the suppliers, not the buyers, that are ultimately responsible for ensuring raw materials have been ethically produced.

Over the past few months I've been looking into ethical issues surrounding each stage of 'The Lifecycle of a T-Shirt'. In September I travelled to India to see this 'lifecycle' for myself and witness first hand how Epona's Fairtrade, organic clothing is made – from visiting the cotton fields to seeing the spinning, knitting, dying and cut and sew operations.

Having just moved house, I’ve been making a concerted effort to recycle properly. I’ve been amazed at how much unnecessary packaging is used on almost all products, how much I throw away and the amount of waste just one person produces. Here in the UK we generate about 100m tonnes of waste from households, commerce and industry combined each year.

As the trend in ethical clothing continues, increasing numbers of people are choosing to buy Fairtrade, Organic, Hemp or Bamboo clothing from screen-printers and promotional merchandise companies. However, few of these customers are stopping to ask questions about the dyeing process or the type of prints being used, despite their desire to purchase an eco-friendly garment.

“The global garment workforce in 2007 is tired, underpaid and unable to benefit from globalisation.” Tired and underpaid – probably how many of us feel after a hard weeks work – but it’s all too easy to take our way of life for granted and forget the appalling working conditions that are still the norm for millions of garment workers across the world.

In the second instalment of her series considering the ethical aspects of the lifecycle of a T-shirt, Juliet Bacon of Epona compares conventional cotton farming with organic and examines some emerging eco-fabrics

From organic and Fairtrade cotton merchandise to recycled leather folders, ethical products have become firmly established in the promotional industry. But what has prompted the growing demand for eco-friendly products and why are companies choosing to go green?