econsciousness blog
How does econscious ensure the integrity of its supply chain?
All factories in our supply chain undergo social audits to ensure safe and healthy workplace conditions. Most of our factories (80%) are audited using SMETA Sedex’s social auditing methodology which is designed to enable us to assess, understand, and improve working conditions in our supply chain. The remaining factories are WRAP certified. https://www.sedex.com/our-services/smeta-audit/
What is the most environmentally responsible way to screen print?
We love screen printers! The ones we know are artists, renegades and visionaries. No suits and ties (or the female equivalent where applicable) for them---ever. So it’s not surprising that we have had plenty discussions with our artist friends about things such as what makes the best “blank canvas”, the craziest thing they ever screen printed or what temperature to use when screen printing a non-woven tote (answer: the lowest temperature possible). We created the econscious line with screen-printers in mind. We think of our tees as works of art waiting to happen. And when our conversations invariably roll around...
Why Organic?
Our choices impact the health of this place we call home. Organic farming practices: Keep millions of pounds of chemicals out of the environment Create healthier working conditions for farmers and agricultural workers Do not depend on chemical pesticides (poisons), synthetic fertilizers, or genetically engineered ingredients Reduce global warming. Organic farms pull CO2 out of the atmosphere as much as three times the rate of conventional farming practices and releases less CO2 into the atmosphere because it does not rely on chemical fertilizers and herbicides (Rodale Institute, 2008) Promote bio-diversity. Insect and bird life has been found to be as much...
Who certifies farms to organic standards?
Certification is done by independent, third party certifiers accredited to the standards being certified against (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008).
What are the steps to becoming a certified farm?
Submit application to accredited independent 3rd party certifier Develop Farm Plan for Ecosystem Management Develop an Internal Control System, includes record keeping Annual Inspections by certifier Transition period of 2-3 years depending on standard (Source: Organic Trade Association, 2008)
