Tag Archives: Fairtrade

Starting a Fashion Brand

We often get enquires from customers who are looking to start their own fashion brand. Sometimes they want ethical clothing such as Fairtrade or Organically certified products.
Often, they start with a small quantity of ready made, rebrandable items which can be labelled, printed and embroidered with the brand designs. This is a great way to start
At Cotton Roots we have tried to make this process simple by having a small selection of items which the customer can choose from look at the range here.

The minimum order level is 100 items which means you have options for a few items in a range of colours and sizes. The prices include the sewing in of a label which the customer can supply or can order direct from us here. For any print or embroidery on the garments, we can quote for this once the artwork has been supplied.


This process simplifies the first steps of starting a fashion business, we can then supply repeat orders of the same or increase quantities, at this point a customer may decide to start manufacturing clothing from scratch.

Buy Once, Buy Well

Over the last 50 years in the UK, buying habits have dramatically changed.  Buying an item of clothing, furniture or homeware used to be after much deliberation, something that was researched, considered and saved up for. 

For many reasons this changed, possibly with the introduction of credit which enabled instant gratification and the introduction of mass produced cheaper products. This meant that the general population could buy new things without much thought or consideration.  Often, once the initial excitement is over; and maybe the fashion has moved on, this will be discarded and replaced with the next latest product.

Waste is a huge problem for the world, and one which has been created largely by this shift in purchasing.  Educating people in the wisdom and satisfaction of saving up, considered purchases for a better quality, longer lasting product is one of the ways we can help to reverse the trend.

Have a look at our range of ethical uniform and workwear click here

Men’s Jacket Made with Recycled Fibres

Let Fairtrade Fortnight inspire you to make the change

As the world becomes increasingly aware of the ethical and environmental impacts of low quality low cost clothing, more and more businesses and organisations are turning towards Fairtrade, organic and recycled options. 

At Impact Trading and Cotton Roots we have noticed a significant move towards this recently and the great news is that the increased demand has meant that there has been a sharp rise in products available with regards to garment ranges and colours. In the next month we will be adding a range of new products including recycled fleeces, softshells, performance tops and jackets. We are also expanding our range of organic and vegan clothing.

Fairtrade organic polo shirts come in men’s and ladies in a wide range of colours. Click here to see the range

This Fairtrade Fortnight which runs from the 24th February to 8th March 2020, we are hoping that more companies will start to consider the move towards ethical and sustainable options for their future uniform and work wear solutions.

To find out more please visit our website www.cottonroots.co.uk or call us on 01908 511051

Feel Good Accessories

At Impact Trading and Cotton Roots we have a huge range of eco-friendly, Fairtrade, sustainable and recycled clothing which organisations and businesses buy from us and often brand.  As well as clothing we also offer a range of accessories which have ethical certifications. 

Recycled caps and bags which are made from organic or Fairtrade cotton. We also have options for hat, scarfs and bath towels, which come in Fairtrade and organic options. Lanyards made from 100% bamboo and dyed with water-based inks which are comfortable, strong, durable and naturally antibacterial.

All these items can be branded with print or embroidery to fit nicely in to your organisation or business as well as giving you the feel good factor.

For more information and quotes on these please contact us at sales@cottonroots.co.uk

A Sweetener for You

Our new organic, Fairtrade clothing is a brilliant addition to our ethical range and we wanted to tell you more about it’s story. 

Fairtrade Organic T Shirts available from www.cottonroots.co.uk

Cotton is grown in hot countries such as India and China and is susceptible to a wide range of insect pests, these are usually controlled with a range of chemical pesticides.

Our organic cotton clothing has a whole new approach to this problem.  The farmers spray the cotton with a sugar water solution which attracts the ants.  Ants love to eat the sugar on the cotton plants and so they defend it from pest attacks.  Happy ants, pest free cotton. 

The Fairtrade organic clothing we sell is made in India and the cotton is grown there, it is picked by hand so using natural pesticides means that the farmers and pickers are also healthy.

Amazing Grains

We recently embroidered some of our Fairtrade Organic aprons for a local bakery in Olney called Amazing-Grains.  Knowing that Olney was the home of the hymn Amazing Grace we were interested to know more about the bakery and its name.

Gareth the owner was made redundant after a 30 year career in IT, he realised that his heart no longer belonged in the corporate world.

Over the years, extensive travel had opened his eyes to the fact that most other countries held bread in high esteem unlike the industrialised products passed on as bread for the lowest possible price in the UK. So after dabbling in food distribution, Gareth decided to address this issue by learning to bake “real bread”, using good quality ingredients, and an honest approach. Sales began with friends, then from the local pub, to deliveries 5 days a week, all produced from a 30 Sq ft kitchen in a tiny 2 bed cottage in Emberton, just outside Olney in North Buckinghamshire.

Now baking 4 days a week from a converted workshop in East St in Olney, Amazing-Grains produces around 300 loaves a week, using only natural ingredients, time and no processing aids, to produce breads with a flavour, second to none.

The name of the bakery was based on the hymn Amazing Grace written by the curate of Olney, John Newton and published in 1779. It is one of the most recognisable songs in the English-speaking world.

We love supplying aprons to local businesses and particularly to one that has such an interesting story. You can find about more about Amazing Grains HERE

New Fairtrade, Organic range at Cotton Roots

We are really excited to announce that we now have a whole new range of Fairtrade Organic products available online from Cotton Roots just in time for Fairtrade Fortnight.

Not only are they Fairtrade and Organic products but there are lots of other great things about them.   Their buttons are made using waste cotton which is compressed and coloured to match the garments. The swing tags are also made from the waste cotton made into paper.

The range consists of t shirts, long and short sleeve in a selection of styles, polo shirts, sweatshirts, hoodies and zipped hoodies.  Most of the garments come in men’s, ladies as well as unisex fit and most have a wide range of colours to choose.

We also have a children’s range with t shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies, which come in a bright selection of colours.

If there is something you need which isn’t on our website please get in touch with us as we have other products available in the range.

sales@cottonroots.co.uk
01908 511051

So you want to be a Fairtrade Supplier?

Fairtrade reduces poverty. It provides local sustainability, better prices and safeguards humane working conditions for farmers and workers in the developing world. For those reasons alone, why wouldn’t you want to be a Fairtrade supplier?

But Fairtrade works both ways. It can also be good for your business too. Did you know that nearly 9 out of 10 consumers trust Fairtrade? And 4 out of 5 of them said having an ethical label on a product showing it is sustainable increases the likelihood of them buying a product? So it begs the question, can you afford not to carry the Fairtrade certification?
5

It’s good to know that Fairtrade is no longer a new concept but in order to generate greater sales for the benefit of disadvantaged and marginalised producers it’s more important than ever to get even more manufacturers involved with it. Did you know there are over 4500 Fairtrade products available? The blue-green logo has become quite common on products – coffee, chocolate, bananas, beauty products, cotton – these can all be certified Fairtrade, which means it’s far easier than you think to supply them.

Bananas?

The price of a banana brought in a UK supermarket has dropped from around 18p to 11p. The result is that farmers and workers in countries like Colombia and Dominican Republic, growing bananas for a living is becoming unsustainable. But supplying or buying Fairtrade bananas in the UK means that producers are guaranteed a minimum price, get an extra premium to invest in their community and have improved workplace condition and protection.

Chocolate?

You know that satisfying feeling you get from a chocolate bar? Well you’d probably feel a little less satisfied if you knew what it took to produce it. Life is tough for coca farmers. The price of the cocoa bean has slumped in recent years despite high demand. Disease and age are damaging coca trees and few young people are becoming cocoa farmers because of the poor prospects. But Fairtrade is helping put a stop to that. It’s making places like Ivory Coast and Ghana more sustainable by guaranteeing minimum prices and providing a premium to invest in local communities so farmers can provide a better future for themselves and their families. You can give them this opportunity just by supplying Fairtrade chocolate.

Coffee?

By choosing Fairtrade coffee, you are helping invest in schools, reforestation and agricultural improvements in developing countries and helping farmers around the world get a fair deal, improving their working, social and community lives. They are guaranteed a Fairtrade minimum price for their coffee, which aims to cover the costs of production and act as a safety net when market prices fall below a sustainable level.

Cotton?

Cotton farmers in developing countries like India are living in hardship. The challenges range from poor prices for seed cotton through to competition from highly subsidised producers in rich countries. Fairtrade cotton was launched to put an end to this and help the farmers who are often left invisible, neglected and poor at the end of a long and complex cotton supply chain. Supplying products made from Fairtrade cotton ensures that these farmers receive a fair and stable price for their cotton.

Beauty products?

Did you know there are nearly 150 Fairtrade beauty products available? From dental care to body butter the list is endless. Small scale farmers in over 50 countries are producing ingredients such as coconut, argan and brazil nut oils for beauty products. With Fairtrade, they are getting a fair price and enough support to invest in community projects,

It’s not just these products either – gold, flowers, sugar, wine, tea – these are all available with the blue and green logo.

A recent survey found that British shoppers are up to three times more likely to choose environmentally friendly products than they were in 2011, so if you are a Fairtrade licensee it will encourage consumers to choose your business over competitors who are not offering the same ethical conditions. Whether you run a restaurant, pub, cafe or are an independent retailer wanting to stock these items, you can use the National Fairtrade Purchasing Guide to help you find a supplier.

This isn’t just aimed at suppliers either! If anything it’s to show just how easy it is to come across Fairtrade products. Supplier or consumer – it doesn’t really matter. Choose Fairtrade.