Category Archives: Fairtrade Clothing

Fairtrade Fortnight 2019

Ethical & Sustainable Garment Certification, Fairtrade Clothing, Organic stuff, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade
Fairtrade Fortnight runs from 25th Feb -10th March 2019

Fairtrade fortnight is run for two weeks each year when campaigners, businesses, schools and groups show their support for the farmers and workers who grow our food, crops and manufacture our clothes in developing countries, people who live in some of the poorest countries in the world and who are often exploited and badly paid.

At Impact Trading and Cotton Roots we supply many businesses and groups with Fairtrade Organic clothing and have a wide range of colours in t shirts, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies as well as children’s clothing. 

We also supply beautiful heavyweight Fairtrade, Organic cotton Aprons. 

All of these products can be printed and embroidered with your branding or supplied plain.

For more information please visit:

www.impacttrading.co.uk
www.cottonroots.co.uk

Fairtrade & Organic Aprons Supplied to Dorset Cereals

Fairtrade Clothing, Food Industry, Organic stuff, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade, Uncategorized

I recently looked at the Dorset cereals website. We supplied them with aprons which they need for prizes for a competition a while ago.  The aprons were a lovely chocolate brown and were both organic and Fairtrade certified aprons.

Well Dorset Cereals have a lovely website and a great competition to win a camper van which is fun and a little/very addictive 🙂  Have a go at http://www.dorsetcereals.co.uk/

Bespoke Fairtrade School Polo Shirt

Fairtrade Clothing, Fairtrade School Uniform, Uncategorized

We started the process some time ago.  The school in Bridgend have a very active eco committee run by pupils. They decided that they wanted to include ethical school uniform in their approach to sustainability and fairness.

The school is being rebuilt and they decided upon a new colour and a new style for their summer uniform and “re-launch” of the school.  We are at the stage where they have been pleased with the final samples are we are ready to go into production.  Purple with grey trim on the collar and cuffs, also the option of grey polo shirts with purple trim.  Even if we do say so oursleves they really do look smart.

They will soon go into production ready for spring and summer next year.  The best news?   They are made with Fairtrade certifed cotton from our cotton roots range.

Made to order Fairtrade school uniform polo shirts

This is the first secondary school customer we have who have chosen the Fairtrade cotton option.  We have lots of primary schools who have fairtrade uniform.  So I am really pleased that the whole order is exciting………Fairtrade, bespoke, made especially for them, and that they are from my homeland South Wales.

If you know of a school considering Fairtrade or Fair Trade school uniform please put them in touch with us.  They can ask for me, Susan, and we will work with them from design concept, sampling, right  throught to the final product.

wwwcottonroots.co.uk

Happy days!

Fairtrade School Uniform Sweatshirts

Fairtrade Clothing, Fairtrade School Uniform

Fairtrade Junior School Sweatshirt

We think we are the first and the only company with Fairtrade certified school sweatshirts in stock.  We now have red and navy and two school have started to order the stock.

It has been quite a long process.  Lots of samples made my Morses in India, patterns made and re-made.  Styles adapted until we were finally happy.  Our Fairtrade cotton for the sweatshirts still comes from northern India in Gujarat.  It will be interesting to see how many parents and schools will want them.  Well perhaps more than interesting as this has been quite an adventure from start to the finished product.  See our fairtrade school uniform –  Fairtrade school sweatshirts, fairtrade school polo shirts here. Continue reading Fairtrade School Uniform Sweatshirts →

Fairtrade School Uniform

Fairtrade School Uniform

The news is that we have received our stock of children’s primary school Fairtrade polo shirts.  We now have white, red, sky blue and yellow.  Better still we have four new schools who have chosen the Fairtrade route for their school uniform options.

I have found that schools often investigate Fairtrade school uniform  when a committed parent gets involved.  It seems that we are at the same stage that coffee and bananas were fifteen years or so ago.  These committed people really do make an enormous impact.  Bit by bit things happen.

Our white Fairtrade school polo shirts have been the biggest success along with the white Fairtrade school t shirts.  While we are still taking orders for the coloured options the quantities are less.

At Cotton Roots we are still trying and committing our resources to ensure that schools can have a choice.  One secondary school in my homeland Wales is really leading the way.  They are having Fairtrade uniform made to order for them.  I will give details in my next blog but int the meantime we are delighted to be supplying them 🙂 and I am very pleased and proud that the school is from the beautiful South Wales Valleys.

University of Portsmouth Fairtrade Status and Cafe Direct

Food Industry, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

The university of Portsmouth are a Fairtrade University and we were pleased to supply them with aprons and polo shirts made with Fairtrade certified cotton all embroidered with their logo.

The university is supported by Cafe Direct so we also needed to add their logo which in bright orange was very effective.

Our range expands and interest grows exciting times at Cotton Roots!

Visiting the Cotton Farmers

Fairtrade School Uniform, Susan's Musings, Visit to Cotton Farmers in Gujarat

Women and children Fairtrade cotton farmers

I visited India to spend sometime with the people who grow the cotton for our Fairtrade polo shirts and T-shirts which we supply to schools for their uniform. It was adventure rights from the word go and was fascinating from the moment the wheels of our plane wheels touched down in the City of Ahmedabad.

The whole trip was fascinating and wonderful however, there were two main highlights. We were talking to spinners at the large Mahima factory when we were suddenly ushered along, being told that the children were going home and that we would miss them. ‘Children? What children?’ I was puzzled as I  looked around at the adult filled room. We squeezed into an old car and soon arrived at the colourful Swayan School Academy which was an inspiring experience! I was able to briefly visit each class and meet the children who were from the rural farming cotton growing communities surrounding the school.   The school was financially supported by Mahima the spinning company we had just visited who produce solely organic and Fairtrade cotton.

 The children themselves were so polite and a little shy with us but they were clearly very happy. It was one of those rare moments that I know I will remember forever.  As I left the school I realised that the whole trip to India would have been worth that one special visit. The knowledge that by manufacturing Fairtrade and organic school uniforms we were connecting directly with, and supporting this school made everything seem real and worthwhile.

Swayam Academy Class

I squeezed into the car again and was driven along a very bumpy track to a Fairtrade co-operative of cotton farmers. I had no idea what to expect as I had been told that the harvest had already taken place. However, another memorable experience was about to take place.

Drummers making us welcome

On arrival two young men drummed us a greeting and as I walked into the village I was surrounded by excited children and smiling adults.  The harvest was not over and I was shown around the crop by a group of proud farmers. . They seemed honoured by my visit and interest which was so touching because of course it was me who was so honoured at their kind and excited reception.. Later I sat with the head of the village in the yard, and was presented with an Indian doll carrying Fairtrade cotton which was a very touching moment for me. These people, who in comparison to our Western lifestyle have so little, gave so much to me in time and smiling pride, and it may seem cliché but I was truly moved by the whole experience.
           

Once back from our trip I was absolutely committed, even more so than before, and it seems to me that we to supply Fairtrade school uniform seems the perfect thing for Cotton Roots to concentrate on. It’s fairer, has a good impact on the environment, and helps these children with an education that all our children in the UK already enjoy.

Christian Aid

Charities, Organisations Wearing Fairtrade

Christian Aid

Another new customer to be proud of.  We have been working with Christian Aid and supplied them with Fairtrade cotton hoodies and Fairtrade and organic T shirts.

  All in bright red.

If you click on their logo above and look at their web site you will see all the wonderful work that they do.

The great thing about the organisations we work with, they may have different faiths, or live with slightly different approaches, but they all strive to care for others and our planet.  I have also found another reason to love building this business……..the customers are a pleasure to deal with.  They are interested, patient and warm.  Oh happy days.

Wearing our Fairtrade & organic polo shirt

Here we have a Christian Aid worker wearing one of the polo shirts which we have embroidered with their logo.

Fairtrade Samples from India

Fairtrade School Uniform, Visiting India - Our suppliers

Well hurrah!  They arrived today from Morses in India.

Our new, hot of the press, Fairtrade Polo shirt sizing sets. 

In our business before our order is manufactured in bulk Morses sends us a set of garments so that we can check that the sizing is just as we expect it – and today our set of children’s t shirt and children’s polo shirts were delivered.  They are perfect!  We also received our “lab dips”.  These are small swatches (pieces of fabric)  dyed to show us that the colour will also be perfect. 

Morses has been a real help to help.  He is thorough, gives me confidence and is looking after the manufacture of our garments.  I met up with Morses when I visited India last year.  It really makes a difference to talk face to face.

Morses at work