Recycle t-shirt by Volcom V.Co-Logical

Recycle t-shirt by Volcom Volcom are doing a series of V.Co-Logical products made from sustainable materials such as organic cotton and hemp. Prints are made fromm vegetable dyes and organic stains and they use low impact production methods where possible. The range includes, tees, knits, fleece, wovens and a few other miscellaneous items.

The Recycle t-shirt features the well known recycle logo and is made from 100% organic cotton with a low impact screenprint. It is available in blue, natural and vintage black.

You can get more details at the Volcom website where you can purchase online or find a local Volcom dealer.

Palmetto organic t-shirt by Matix Clothing

Palmetto t-shirt by Matix Another t-shirt from the 100% organic cotton range from MAtix Clothing. The Palmetto t-shirt is available in white, black and sage green.

You can also be part of the polution solution by purchasing products from Matix Clothing. They include a rubbish bag with some of their range rather than the usual wax combs, bottle openers and fin keys. Let face it, you probably have enough of them already. I know I do. Their philosophy is that the environment would be a lot cleaner if everyone picked up just one bag of rubbish and ensured things were disposed of properly rather than just throwing them out of cars, leaving them at the beach or other areas where they end up in rivers and waterways and other nasties.

More information on the Matix Clothing range at the Matix Clothing website.

econscious organic cotton clothing

econscious slim fit tee econscious product a great range or 100% organic clothing. They offer blank clothing perfect for putting your own design on or for when you just don’t feel like wearing anything more than plain t-shirt. Their range includes t-shirts in both regular and slim fit for men and women, polos, sweatshirts, hoodies, caps, beanies and more. Plus you don’t have to use the plain old natural colour. For example, the men’s slim fit t-shirt pictured is available in sky, wasabi (shown), white, warm grey and black. It is made from 100% organic ring spun cotton in 150gsm. Not too heavy and not too light. The slim fit uses a side seam construction which isn’t always suitable for the large prints so keep that in mind.

A quick look over the econscious website shows a documented commitment to manufacturing attractive products with the least possible impact on the environment. They are constantly striving to improve their processes rather than stading still. “Doing well by doing good” is a motto they follow.

Wholesale orders are also possible and from a quick bit of research it appears they supply some of the more popular brands with their organic blanks. Don’t worry though, you can still buy in retail quantities and there is no need to order over 1200 at a time unless you want private labeling options.

Sweatleaf organic cotton t-shirt by Matix Clothing

Sweatleaf t-shirt by Matix Matix Clothing might not have a large range of environmentally friendly products, however, they are doing something a bit different and hopefully encouraging people to clean up their local area. They call it Polution Solution and instead of including small items like wax combs, fin keys and bottle opener with their apparel they are including a trash bag. The theory being that if everyone picked up a bag of trash when they hit the beach things would be a lot cleaner.

Matix Clothing do have some organic clothing and the Sweatleaf t-shirt is an example. Made from 100% organic cotton, it comes in black, white and marine blue. So pick one of these up and rather than being part of the problem, become part of the solution.

More information on the Matix Clothing range at the Matix Clothing website.

Flora organic jeans by Del Forte

The Flora jeans by Del Forte are a relaxed leg jean made from 100% organic cotton. They are available in the Azul medium wash of dark Estrella wash if you are looking for a stretch denim version.

Del Forte is a USA brand using 100% organic cotton for their products that are mainly made from denim. The clothing is made in Los Angeles, a city pushing for sweatshop free labour in the fashion industry. They have also partnered with The Sustainable Cotton Project and a portion of their proceeds go to supporting The SCP.

Non-organic cotton farming is one of the most harmful agricultural industries with around 2/3 of a pound of pesticides used to make a pair of jeans and 1/3 for a t-shirt. This accounts for about 10% of all pesticide use globally. As you can imagine, most of this then ends up in the soil and streams and further down the food chain. It takes three years for a field to be considered pesticide free and suitable for organic farming.

Plus, thanks to the Del Forte Project Rejeaneration, you can send back your used jeans once you have finished with them and the fabric is used in the Rejeaneration range. You are also rewarded with a 10% voucher off your next purchase or they will donate your 10% to The SCP.

The full range and further details can be found at the Del Forte website.

Romi Hoodie by Edun

Edun Edun was launched in spring 2005 by Ali Hewson and Bono. Their aim was to create a not-for-profit socially conscious clothing company operating under the premise of trade, not aid as a means to helping communities. This means they are helping to build sustainable communities rather than just continually handing out aid money etc. They help work with factories in a number of countries including India, Peru, Tunisia, Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Mauritius and Madagascar.

The item pictured is their Romi Hoodie and is made from 100% organic cotton and made in Peru. These are high fashion items worn around the world with ranges for women, men and kids. Simple t-shirts through to jeans and dresses for women and jeans, shorts and collared shirts for men.

They have an online store or the clothes are available at many retail outlets around the world. Buying these clothes helps support the sustainability of local economies where they are able to learn to provide for themselves once they are given the world stage to show their products. Edun helps facilitate this.

More information available at Edun

Reef Loom Belt

Reef Loom belt Reef make more than just cool clothing and footwear, they have some great accessories. These types of products often get produced for very little cost and are view more as marketing tools and extra sales items. Fortunately some companies take their responsibilities seriously and look at the construction of these with as uch importance as their regular lines. The Loom belt from Reef is an example.The main part of the belt is made from 100% woven burlap and held together with 100% hemp webbing. Not much else to say about this one as belts are a pretty basic product that perform a very important task. It’s difficult to be active when your jeans are around your ankles, unless you’re talking about…Further details about the Loom belt at the Reef website.

Aaron Chang Swimwear

Aaron Chang swimwear It makes sense that photographer and surfer Aaron Chang wants to look after the environment because he makes his living from it and with surfing, also spends his downtime enjoying it. The apparel company he co-founded makes a range of eco-friendly swimwear and clothing.The products are made from recycled polyester yarns that were originally items like the plastic bottles you recycled after enjoying your favourite drink. More products are now being made from recycled PET as the technology makes it more efficient to utilise them. No more throwing them in the rubbish can and ending up as landfill or floating around in our river systems. Organic cotton is another raw material used throughout the range. Traditional cotton, whilst it may be ‘natural’ is harmful in the way it is grown when organic principles are not followed. In addition to damaging the environment the processes can also be harmful to the people living near the cotton growing areas. Following organic processes means less harm to the soil and the end result being the ground is in the same condition as before the cotton was grown.Having a look through the range you can see a surf inspired theme to the swimwear and coverups. Functional, appealing and easy on the environment make it a good choice.More of the range at the Aaron Chang website.

Rip Curl Planet

Rip Curl Planet Rip Curl’s foray into the eco-friendly market is more a case of dipping their toe in the water rather than a fully fledged effort. Hopefully this will change as they improve their sourcing and manufacturing processes. As they say on their website, organic materials are more expensive and their isn’t the variety of fabrics. That said, they are making an effort through their Planet range which consists of products made with more than 50% eco-friendly materials.

Most of the t-shirts are 100% organic and goes down to 55% organic for the mountainwear technical multi-layer products. The Planet label also covers products in their boardshorts, pants, hoodies, jackets, footwear and accessories lines. These products aren’t separated as a separate line, just incorporated into the other lines and labelled accordingy. So look out for the Planet label when buying your Rip Curl stuff.

The Planet idea also extends to other parts of the Rip Curl business. For example, they actively recycle old wetsuits and event banners turning them into beanbags and they try to make the events they sponsor greener by using recycled paper, reducing the use of disposable plastic and limiting or partially offsetting Carbon Dioxide emissions for their riders and event organisers.

The European Rip Curl website has heaps more information.

RE:VOLVE Apparel

VOLVE RE:VOLVE Apparel wants to leave a better and more peaceful world for future generations. Part of the way they do this is by donating a portion of their revenues to projects such as the Waterkeeper Alliance and Peace Alliance. The other way they do it is by using only sustainable materials and production processes in the manufacture of their apparel.

What is even better with RE:VOLVE is that they have some really great looking clothes. Many of them have an in your face message on them such as the Start Global Cooling t-shirt and there are less obvious with the Distressed Dove. Thier products are made from 100% organic cotton adhering to the fair trade principles meaning they are caring for the current generation as well as the future ones.

Check out all the apparel for men and women the RE:VOLVE website.