Leading mens underwear brand C-IN2 has been offering greenish undies for a while now, not just in the colour green, much to my surprise. Who would have thought that you could buy underwear with a conscience that looks and feels so great, but are they truly green? Hence my use of ish with green.
They offer two lines of "eco-undies" in their collection from made from Bamboo and Seacell.
Rayon derived from bamboo is produced from regenerated cellulosic fibers. The Bamboo is broken down, then treated and made into rayon derived from Bamboo. The fabric has natural anti-bacterial functions.
Seacell fibers are manufactured from natural materials only. It is said that the natural elements found in Seacell such as Vitamins and Amino acids are passed on to the body when worn. Cotton is combined with seaweed to make the Seacell fiber.
However in each line cotton is used as a major fabric in the construction of the underwear. Whilst this is from US producers they do not say if this is organic, hence it most likely is not (they have yet to prove me wrong). Which is a shame, considering they have gone to the hassle of calling them "eco-friendly" on their site, but maybe sometime in the future we could see organic cotton in the collection.
Its been a while since we added products to our how much energy does section, and the first product of 2009 is for the fashionista's out there. GHD hair straighteners, are an item many can not live without, where ever they are in the world. Not only are they an essential, its a serious emergency should your bags get lost. But is this little gadget drawing enough energy to cause climate change?
Well we tested standard GHD straighteners (model ghd3) over a five minutes, the typical hair straightening time frame for medium length hair.
Initially, for the first minute of use from cold, the straighteners reached 300W, then as they warmed to temperature, this reduced to 120W, for the remainder of their use during the trial period they drew between 55W and 106W, with an average of approximately 79W.
Over the five minute period that the straighteners were used, they drew an average of 123W. This would equate to 1.6p an hour, or 0.13p per use. This equates to 56.7g of CO2 per hour use and 4.72g of CO2 per use (of five minutes).
But don't forget to switch them off or not only will they burn a hole in your work surface, maybe your pocket and the environment too.
Please Note the energy use figures are taken from an energy monitor and are not scientifically analysed, therefore the range and margin of error is greater. If you would like a specific product tested let us know and we will endeavour to check it out.
Stella McCartney has created the most fashionable charity t-shirt around for Red Nose Day 2009. Exclusively available from TK Maxx, the limited edition t-shirts feature iconic images of The Beatles and Morecambe & Wise.
Stella McCartney has come a long way since the launch of her very own label in 2001 with Gucci Group.
Today her name is on everything from luxury women's wear to organic skincare to the performance range she creates for Adidas and her flagship stores are a highlight of high streets around the world. As an ardent vegetarian, she's just as well known for not using leather or fur in any of her collections.
Stella's latest fashion feat is creating the first ever designer Red Nose Day t-shirt for this year's Comic Relief campaign.
The T-shirts have been wholly manufactured in Africa, and for the first time 100% of the cotton has been sourced from organic Fairtrade certified cotton co-operatives in Senegal. Which ensures gorgeous, pesticide and GM free cotton and a fair price for farmers in developing countries.
"It's a real honour to be involved in such a tremendous cause and be a part of the Red Nose Day campaign 2009. The designs of the t-shirts were inspired by iconic images of iconic people by iconic photographers and adding an element of humour to them. I wanted to focus on photographs where people are happy and create a charity t-shirt that would become a staple of a person's wardrobe." Stella McCartney
Tees are available to buy online, with approximately £5 to £8 going to charity per adult tee.
We have three beautiful Zara organic cotton tees available to win worth £15 each (all in size medium, and all mens), all you have to do is tell us what you think of organic cotton by posting a comment below, the best three will receive a tees, the closing date for comments is the end of October. Make sure you include a link back to your blog or your blog profile so we can contact you, if not send an email to support(at)howtosaveenergy.co.uk, outlining the post you own immediately after posting. Competition is open to all, in any country.
Here's the Zara Eco Warning for those of you that missed it featuring the song Baby by Austalian dance group Pnau.
Tesco, have introduced their new lines of school uniforms, with a green theme throughout,with recycled, Fairtrade and organic cotton ranges.
Tesco's recycled uniform range. Stylish and easy to care for, the range also helps to reduce landfill as it's made from old plastic bottles, which are melted down to make raw polyester and turned into fibres and yarns for fabrics that are used to make the clothes. Through our recycled uniform range we have diverted over 40,000 x 1 litre bottles from landfill (about 1.5 tonnes of waste diverted). It takes 6 x 1litre bottles to make a skirt and 17 bottles to make a boy's fleece.
The process of making this recycled fabric uses 84% less energy than making new material and as a result the CO2 emissions are around 77% lower. Surely all polyester should be made this way.
Girls' Recycled pinafore from £5 - sizes: 3/4-10/11 years 2 pack girls' Recycled short-sleeve shirt from £4.50 - sizes: 4/5- 15/16 years Boys' Recycled hooded fleece from £4.50 - sizes: 3/4-15/16 years 2 pack boys' Recycled short-sleeve shirt from £4.50 - sizes: 4/5-15/16 years Boys' Recycled trousers from £4.50 - sizes: 3/4-15/16 years
Tesco's Fairtrade uniforms supports small scale cotton farmers, ensuring that they get a fair price from sales of seed cotton, which helps them to develop their communities.
Tesco use Fairtrade cotton sourced from cotton producers certified by Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (FLO) and processed through FLOcert. The Fairtrade scheme offers traceability of seed cotton supply back to farmer level, to ensure the cotton used is truly Fairtrade and is benefiting farmers directly.
With organic cotton, producers aim to cut chemicals, improve soil fertility and help conservation and animal welfare in both its growth and manufacture. The organic cotton used in our uniforms is sourced mainly from farming co-operatives in India. Find out why organic cotton is better for the environment?
Now an initative which is very ethical. In Kenya, many children don't go to school simply because they can't afford a uniform. But you can help change that. Buy trousers for Save the Children from Tesco and, for each pair sold, Tesco will give a Kenyan child either a school skirt, shirt or pair of trousers. By producing the trousers in Kenya, we are also benefiting local trade.
By working together, you, Tesco and Save the Children are providing Kenyan children with the chance of a brighter future.
Now your only decision to make is which one is greener, more ethical, or lower in carbon footprint?
International clothing retailer Zara, have officially launched their Organic Cotton range with an "Eco Warning". You can view their promotional movie on their website. Below is stills from just that, and includes some of the tees for men and women you can find instore now.
So why is organic cotton eco chic and so much environmentally friendlier than your standard cotton. Non-organic cotton is considered to be one of the dirtiest crops in the world, to produce one cotton tee would require 150ml of potentially leathal pesticides, so deadly one drop could kill you.
Organic cotton is obviously made without pesticides, environmentally sound, and safer for those who pick the cotton.
So what has Zara got to offer ... (lets hope that they move to 100% organic across their entire clothing collection in the near future)
Green is the new black in the world of fashion according to the BBC's new thread magazine online, where you can find out more on ethical fashion, the above video link explains why organic cotton is a must for any eco friendly person, as well as advice on how to dispose of last seasons collection, should you be that way inclined.
For more from the BBC on ethical fashion, and how your garments are made, visit the Thread Magazine website or check out Blood, Sweat and T-Shirts on BBC3 and available on iPlayer. The series follows six young fashion addicts as they experience life as factory workers in India, making clothes for the British high street. Working in the mills of India’s cotton belt and stitch clothes in cramped back rooms, sleeping next to their sewing machine. See how it changes their attitudes to cut-price clothing.
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