Better clothes for a better world

Made in Canada out of organic cotton and bamboo, helping others and the planet has never looked so good!

Getting ready for the holiday season typically means putting together a wish list that includes a cool sweater or great-looking pair of jeans. This year, before you finalize the clothing on your list, you might want to take a moment to consider who made your clothes and what products were used in their manufacturing.

At present, there are more than 218 million child labourers in the world. Working long hours, robbed of their right to be with their families or go to school, many of these children work in factories that manufacture clothes and other products sold in North America.

Another issue arising in the clothing industry is the environmental impact of cotton production. What most of us don’t know is that during cotton farming, many synthetic fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides are used, which pollute the soil. Every year more than 20,000 people in developing countries die from poisoning by agricultural pesticides and three million suffer from some type of side effect.

You might think it’s difficult to find companies who don’t want their products polluting the environment or those that don’t employ the illegal labour of children. Luckily, socially responsible and environmentally friendly alternatives have been popping up in response to consumer demand, presenting us with new and better choices.

Me to We: [Responsible Style] is a socially responsible and environmentally friendly clothing company. They provide you with high quality apparel, ethically manufactured in Canada, using only sustainable and environmentally friendly fabrics for their clothes, like 100 percent organic cotton and bamboo. And what’s best, 50% of their profits go to Free The Children to support development projects in impoverished areas across the globe.

As consumers, we have tremendous power and it’s important that we harness this power for good.  If you want to make a difference, vote with your wallet for products and services that protect our environment and support sweatshop-free manufacturing. It’s actually that easy to make a difference!

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.