With the financial crisis effecting more and more people every day and spending becoming significantly more conscious, many consumers are choosing to trim the fat.
Unfortunately, this often means becoming more dollar conscious and less eco conscious.
Greener choices – such as organic, shade-grown, or local – often cost a little bit more, and so another adverse effect of the financial crisis is that the cheaper and more environmentally harmful choices are gaining more popularity.
One green company suffering as a result is No Sweat Apparel, an organic clothing company working exclusively with union shops and run by American entrepreneur Adam Nieman.
Starting in 2006, No Sweat Apparel has been active in the Middle East through its production of organic t-shirts in Bethlehem.
This endeavor both encourages green practices and provides jobs in an area where many are unemployed.
Unfortunately, No Sweat Apparel is not untouched by the financial crisis… hence a current liquidation of their online store. Including the Bethlehem line of organic tees. Apparently luring customers to think green and fair trade during an era of penny-pinching can make you break quite a sweat.
Stylish organic shirts (such as the ones above and to the right) can now be purchased for as little as $12 and shipped anywhere. (Granted, the shipping is not so green, but it still supports a worthy endeavor.)
As the company defines itself:
“No Sweat is the pioneer of fair trade fashion and footwear, setting an empowered, unionized workforce as the gold standard for fair trade clothing.
We market direct to consumers via the internet, through our network of independent retailers, and by custom orders to wholesale customers. We provide a competitively priced fairly traded product to you and a living wage to our workers… It’s our world. Let’s change it.”
Read more about eco fashion::
Playing Dress-up: The Eco-Mum on Greening Your Baby’s Wardrobe
Cotton’s Organic Clothes Are Soft on the Environment
Bagir’s Recycled Plastic Bottle Suit Gives New Meaning to Euro-Trash
Author: Karen Chernick
Much to the disappointment of her Moroccan grandmother, Karen became a vegetarian at the age of seven because of a heartfelt respect for other forms of life. She also began her journey to understand her surroundings and her impact on the environment. She even starting an elementary school Ecology Club and an environmental newsletter in the 3rd grade. (The proceeds of the newsletter went to non-profit environmental organizations, of course.) She now studies in New York. Karen can be reached at karen (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
thats sad to hear. I spent time with adam & his local factory owner in bethlehem last year, and it seemed they were on the cusp of great success,& bringing a fair deal to Palestinian workers.
Yep, a shame indeed…
I would like to point out that No Sweat Israel still has some “leftover” organic t-shirts from Bethlehem, which can be purchased at http://www.babyorganic.co.il/en/category/60/
or
http://nosweat.co.il/en/
Thank you green prophet 🙂