Greening Bumbershoot

Merchandise

Bumbershoot T-shirts include options for 100% organic cotton and sweatshop free apparel. As the variety of apparel choices meeting these criteria expands, expect our eco-friendly merchandise lines to grow as well.

Organic Cotton

Organic cotton is grown using methods and materials that have a low impact on the environment. Organic production systems replenish and maintain soil fertility, reduce the use of toxic and persistent pesticides and fertilizers, and build biologically diverse agriculture. In the U.S. organic cotton must be certified by the USDA verifying that organic producers used only methods and materials allowed in organic production.

Bumbershoot is pleased to offer organic options in all of our most popular designs.

Eco Extra: Conventional cotton is one of the most chemically dependent crops, using 10% of all agricultural chemicals and 25% of insecticides on 3% of our arable land. That adds up to 1/3 a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a T-shirt. Organic cotton is on the rise! Planted acreage of organic cotton in the U.S. grew from 8,510 in 2007 to 9,279 acres in 2008.

Eco Extra: Workers who harvest organic cotton aren’t exposed to breathing toxic chemicals while active in the field, and don’t have to worry about the chemicals getting into their water supply if they live nearby.

Fair Trade

The terms “sweatshop free” or “fair trade” express efforts of manufacturers to preserve or improve basic living standards. While no international standards exist for these claims there are universally accepted minimum practices such as: the right to associate freely and organize for collective bargaining, overtime guidelines and compensation, and workplace safety. For more details check out the Fair Labor Association’s website.

We are in regular contact with and work with suppliers who are committed to assuring fair labor practices and assure us that all products they offer are made ethically.

Eco Extra: Media attention on sweatshops exploded in 1996 when the National Labor Committee, a human rights group, reported that sweatshop labor was used to make clothes for the Kathie Lee line, sold at Wal-Mart. A labor activist spoke to the media and accused Kathie Lee Gifford of being responsible for the sweatshop activity. While Gifford explained that she was not involved with hands-on project management in factories, she subsequently contacted Federal authorities to investigate the issue, and worked with U.S. Federal legislative and executive branch agencies to support and enact new U.S. laws to protect children against sweat shop conditions. She appeared with President Clinton at the White House in support of U.S. Federal government initiatives to counter international sweatshop abuses.