In the first year of Shirtseed there was a lot to learn about being green, social responsibility, certifications in this and that. There are perceptions and there is reality. There was the argument over bamboo and was it really green. There is the argument where the most ethical place in the world to manufacture is and if your raw materials are picked by hand or machine and if your textiles are created in a “closed-loop” system. Is the textile ink water-based and do you treat your waste water for that too?
With all the good intentions a small and medium size producers may have, distrust and apathy is common. We have learned well that its good to question where things come from, although our judgments are based on newspaper clippings and short films on You Tube. Frankly, it’s not our fault. How much can we be expected to know! Unfortunately, if we assume that the environment is going to be saved by suppliers we will probably always choose products based on clever marketing and price and not weather it is truly the most “environmentally friendly” widget. The fact is that if governments don’t protect the land, sea and air they are the custodians of with law, then the fate of the environment is left for the ill-informed or apathetic consumer to decide.
There are some really powerful, wealthy entrepreneurs that are beating governments to the mark on the issue of the environment and social responsibility, but even they will tell you governments need to act! Well who are governments accountable too? It seems like nobody in Canada.
The question whether hemp or bamboo is greener, its petty and unproductive. Ask yourself, did you vote in the last election? What was your party’s green policy? Did you understand it, or ask any questions? Why don’t we have a Green member of parliament? It’s important to spend thoughtfully, but don’t expect responsible consumption to save the world. After all isn’t it consumption that got us here in the first place.
Amy
