EP46

Continental Clothing Co. is certified under the Organic Content Standard OCS by the Soil Association Certifications, licence TEO19090.

The aim of this standard is to guarantee the traceability and integrity of the raw materials during all the manufacturing stages.

The OCS accomplishes this goal by verifying the presence and amount of Organic Material in a final product. It provides a strong chain of custody system from the source of the organic raw material to the final product through certification.

The standard has two different types of Certification:
- OCS-100 is used only for product that contains 95% or more organic materials.
- OCS-BL (blended) is used for products that contain minimum 5% of organic materials blended with conventional or synthetic raw materials.

EarthPositive is the low carbon footprint apparel.

Climate Neutral

EarthPositive Apparel is 100% organic with 90% Reduced CO2

The carbon footprint was calculated in accordance with BSI PAS2050 methodology, and certified by the Carbon Trust Certifications.

The 90% reduction has been achieved by a combination of low-impact organic farming, efficiency in manufacturing and transportation, and the use of renewable energy instead of the fossil fuel based grid electricity.

It has been calculated that a single EarthPositive T-shirt saves around 7 kilograms of CO2, whereas a hooded sweatshirt saves up to 28 kgs of greenhouse gases. These are actual reductions achieved in the manufacturing, without any carbon offsetting.

Click here to see the CO2 values of all our products.

Carbon Footprinting

The Carbon Footprint of a product is the total the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases emitted as part of a product's manufacture, distribution, use and disposal. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are so called because they trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and keep the planet warm. The main gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide.
In January 2008, Continental Clothing Co. became the first brand in the world to calculate the carbon footprint and place the Carbon Reduction Label on textile products.
As a Business-to-Business supplier of ready-to-print apparel, we have calculated the carbon footprint of all the products in the EarthPositive range from the cotton field, through processing, manufacturing, transport, up to the point of our distribution warehouses.

The Carbon Reduction Label

In March 2009 Continental Clothing Co. launched the world's first Carbon Reduction Label in retail fashion. The EarthPositive footprint labelled clothes went on sale through ethical retailer Ascension decorated with organic print designs. This was the culmination of two years of work with the Carbon Trust to develop a methodology for assessing the carbon footprint of a cotton product from the field through manufacturing, screen-printing, retail distribution, consumer use to the disposal of the garment at the end of its useful life.

Lord Hunt, Minister for Sustainable Development and Energy Innovation and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords said:
"Continental Clothing's Carbon Footprint label is an innovative idea as part of the Defra-coordinated Sustainable Clothing Action Plan. The label is a great way to give consumers clear information about the environmental impact of their clothes throughout their lifecycle - from manufacturing right through to washing and disposal - so they can be confident in the sustainability of their clothing choices."

UK Department of the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Sustainable Consumption and Production Programme; Sustainable Clothing Roadmap Case Study: Continental Clothing Co. (Jan 2011):
"When Continental Clothing Company set out to create the 'perfect t-shirt' the aim was to consider all the impacts on the workforce, local economy, environment and climate change, whilst delivering a commercially viable and desirable product offering on a mass scale. The guiding principles were the complete traceability and transparency of the supply chain, and best practice at every stage."

Continental Clothing became a pilot partner with the Carbon Trust's product footprinting and labelling programme, working towards the development of the footprinting methodology for textile products. The company then extended the calculations to include screen-printing, mail-order retailing, consumer use and disposal, thus completing the first full life cycle analysis using the PAS2050 Carbon Footprint methodology.

The footprinting study and analysis pinpointed the GHG hotspots throughout the manufacturing process, from choice of fibres, fabric and garment construction, through to the wet processing, accessorising, screen printing, to packaging and transportation /distribution. The study provided vital information to the designers, logistics managers and marketers, in order to effectively control and reduce the impact on climate change.

The process achieved a 90% reduction in carbon footprint compared to an identical product manufactured using conventional energy sources – the T-shirt carbon footprint was reduced from 7kg CO2e down to700g CO2e.

 

 

 

Fair Wear is an independent, non-profit organisation striving to improve working conditions in the textile industry. The foundation is an initiative by trade organisations in the textile sector, trade unions and NGO's.

Fair Wear verifies that member companies implement the Code of Labour Practice along their supply chain, and checks compliance by monitoring audits and remediation efforts. Annual reporting by member companies and by Fair Wear itself promotes transparency at all levels.

The annual performance check reports are available on the Fair Wear Foundation page here.

Continental Clothing Co. has been a member of Fair Wear since 2. October 2006.

>>> Communication by Resellers <<<

1. Resellers of Fair Wear member brands can only communicate about Fair Wear membership if they explicitly name the company or brand. For example,‘We sell products made by CONTINENTAL CLOTHING, a member of Fair Wear.’;

2. Resellers of Fair Wear member brands can use Fair Wear logo when they provide general information about Fair Wear in the ‘About’ section of a website or wherever they explain their different labels and initiatives;

3. Under no circumstances may third parties (retailers, resellers or customers, etc.) add on-garment communication about Fair Wear themselves without mentioning the member brand.

PLEASE READ Fair Wear Information for Resellers and Retailers.