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Tag Archives: fair wage

B Corp: For Profit as a Force for Good

30 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by ecobagsbrand in BCorporation, ECOBAGS, ECOBAGS brand, Ecobags in the Media, Ecobags Team, ECOBAGS® Lifestyle, Environmental Action, global citizen, Green Products, Tribe, Uncategorized

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b corporation, b corporations, Best for the Environment, Eco Friendly, Environmental Action, environmentally friendly, fair labor, fair wage, green business, Green living, Green Products, SA 8000, socially reponsible business, socially responsible

Sharon with Wings_Cochin India

Eco-Bags Products Founder & CEO Sharon Rowe, visiting our factory in India.

We are so happy to announce that we have been re-certified as a B Corporation. We so strongly believe in for-profit businesses as a force for good, and our ability as social and environmental change makers. It is a community that we are proud to be a part of and celebrate.

We have been a certified B Corp since 2010 – but we have been sourcing our labor and product ethically & sustainably since our inception in 1989, before it was the “cool” thing to do, before “social responsibility” was a buzzword.

Eco-B2016-best-for-the-world-overallags Products was  a B Corp Best for the Environment honoree in 2014 & 2015, and this past year – 2016 – we were recognized as a B Corp Best for the World Overall. We are happy to see B Corporation growing as more and more businesses join each year – and love to meet new friends, and see the old, at their annual retreats. As B Corp has grown it has had to change and adapt to the plethora of different businesses that are certified each year.

During our re-certification we learned that B Corp has changed the way it assesses businesses to better represent the growing number of for-profit companies that are seeking B Corporation certification that are social ventures whose sole purpose of existence is to employ those who are refugees or disenfranchised; companies like Greyston Bakery, whose practices (& baked goods) we so wholeheartedly believe in and support.

We are constantly looking for ways to improve in a way that benefits both the environment as well as the people and animals living on it, and our proud of our score of 111 on the B Corp impact assessment, from the B Corp website:

Any score higher than 0 points is a good score, as a positive score indicates that the company is doing something positive for society and the environment. The Assessment rewards practices that go beyond standard business practice; therefore, every point earned on the Assessment reflects incremental, positive impact.

Most companies score between 40 and 100 points out of the 200 points available.

Our factory  is both third party fair wage and fair labor certified, and the farm where we source our cotton uses revenue to fund a school for the children of their workers. Our cotton is GOTS certified organic. We have our SA 8000 certification, which is a social accountability standard. Our bags are made of either recycled cotton or organic cotton. We employ members of our local community and to lessen our carbon impact most of us walk to work or drive less than 3 miles, and one of us commutes by foot & ferry. We are a group of people committed to and with a strong belief in our companies values & mission.

We have made a commitment, and will continue to make that commitment, to support sustainability for the environment, and to make sure everyone in our supply chain works in a safe environ
ment, and makes a living wage.

Written by: Mollie Mac, ECOBAGS® very own marketing maven. Mollie is an adventurer and a green living advocate. If you have any tips or tricks for her she’d love to hear from you, email her at: mollie(at)ecobags(dot)com:)

 

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Your ECOBAG® made responsibly, and probably by a woman

13 Monday Mar 2017

Posted by ecobagsbrand in ECOBAGS, ECOBAGS B2B, ECOBAGS brand, Ecobags Team, ECOBAGS® Lifestyle, Environmental Action, feminist, global citizen, green living tips, Green Products, Green Tips, peace, Uncategorized

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Tags

apparel, fair labor, fair wage, feminism, feminist, FLSA, promotional bags, SA 8000

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After stumbling upon this Vice article which explores the possible hypocrisy of the apparel we wear to support causes such as planned parenthood or to proclaim our support of the feminist movement – clothes that at once deem us “woke” but also have cast shadows of doubt when no one asks “where” and “how” these items were made.

I want to assure you that all of our bags are made at factories that meet and exceed fair wage and fair labor practices as well as safety standards. We are certified FLSA and SA 8000. The majority of our factory employees are women – women who are valued in the workplace, compensated well above minimum wages and who have ample holiday and vacation time off.

Children did not make your bag. The people in it work in a safe work environment and they make a livable wage.

In addition to this we are a woman owned business and the majority of the employees (hi!) that work in our office are women. We work to empower women all over the world, and in all social and economic circumstances.

If you are a non-profit or are seeking to design apparel with proceeds that go towards a cause, you should work with a company whose values align with your own. You can be sure that here at Eco-Bags Products we support women, we support the right to a living wage – no matter where in the world you live, and we also support the protection of our environment.

Written by: Mollie Mac, ECOBAGS® very own marketing maven. Mollie is an adventurer and a green living advocate. If you have any tips or tricks for her she’d love to hear from you, email her at: mollie(at)ecobags(dot)com:)

 

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Why you should slow down your fashion: the big impact of fast fashion

06 Monday Jun 2016

Posted by ecobagsbrand in beauty, ECOBAGS, Environmental Action, Fashion, global citizen, Green Tips, Uncategorized

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Tags

Eco Friendly, eco friendly tips, ethical production, fair labor, fair wage, Fashion, fast fashion, slow fashion

zara_650

Fashion changes, and it changes fast. When you can buy a crop top for $5 or a pair of jeans for $10 – why would you care if a shirt pills after a single wear or you can’t stand it in the next month? You can just buy something new.

This is a behavior that needs to change, along with our perspective on what fashion is and how we can be fashionable; because it’s not just something that affects our wallets, it affects our oceans, our environment, the marginalized people who make our clothes: it affects our world.

The impact on our environment – and on the people making these clothes – is huge. Here are some fast facts about fast fashion:

  • The average pair of jeans takes 900 gallons of water to make.
  • Fashion is the second most polluting industry in the world – right behind oil.
  • Americans throw out an average of 68 lbs of clothes per year, per person.

Here are a few ways to make a change in your fashion behavior, these changes won’t just make you more chic, but they will also save you money in the long run:

  • Buy high quality clothes that are made to last and are classic. Think to yourself – will I like this jacket in 1 year? 5 years? 10 years? Will it last through this season and make it to the next?
  • Buy a few pieces that can be worn together to create different looks.
  • Consider shopping at consignment stores – you can find really high quality designer clothing that has been lightly worn for a fraction of the cost, and because you are giving it a second home, it’s one of the most eco choices you can make in regards to your wardrobe.
  • If something tears or breaks – fix it! A good tailor can fix just about anything. It will save you money in the long run over buying a new pair of jeans, a shirt, or a jacket every time something breaks.

Here are some GREAT slow fashion options:

ThredUp – an online consignment store, and contrary to popular belief e-commerce uses about 30% less energy than brick and mortar retail. So, get shopping… but only if you need to!

Reformation – if you want some truly eco and ethical clothing, but still want to look completely on this moments trend.

Eileen Fisher – for a classic option of ethical and eco clothing. Plus Eileen Fisher will take your clothes back once you have decided they are no longer of use to you – you get $5 in store credit per item. The profits from recycled clothing sold at Green Eileen stores goes to support non-profit programs that empower women and girls.

Want to learn more about fast fashion, and how to change your purchasing behavior for a better world? Here are some great resources to help you better educate yourself:

  • Watch The True Cost (it’s available on Netflix, and is heartbreaking but a must see).
  • Here is a great resource for finding ethical and sustainable brands
  • The Myth of the Ethical Shopper a great article written by the Huffington Post, and in my opinion is a must read.

Written by: Mollie Mac, ECOBAGS® very own marketing maven. Mollie is an adventurer and a green living advocate. If you have any tips or tricks for her she’d love to hear from you, email her at: mollie@ecobags.com 🙂 

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We Scored 125 out of 200!

30 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by ecobagsbrand in BCorporation, ECOBAGS brand, Uncategorized

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Tags

BCorporation, fair labor, fair wage, socially responsible, sustainable goods

We’re a Bcorp certified company. That means we do our best to make sure that what we do and how we do what we do, is as sustainable and responsible as possible. We started with this focus in 1989 with what we thought was an obvious business choice; to create durable products that allow people to make less waste, without polluting or hurting  anyone or anything in the process.  It’s  a “leave no trace” philosophy.  

Here’s how we just scored. We’re happy with our score but working to make it even better by digging even deeper into our supply chain with the Better Cotton Initiative, this year.

B Corp Scorecard

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1127 lives vs. 15 cents – Bangladesh

14 Tuesday May 2013

Posted by ecobagsbrand in ECOBAGS, ECOBAGS brand, Environmental Action

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Tags

Bangladesh, ethical production, fair labor, fair wage, sustainable goods

The world wakes up when there is a crisis and rushes to fix what has been broken. In Bangladesh 1127 people lost their lives because some apparel manufacturers weren’t paying attention or decided not to.

Now, it is coming out that the cost of paying attention to the lives of the people making their garments could cost the consumer as little as .15 more per garment. Would you care if your Tshirts cost .15 more? I doubt it.

We started ECOBAGS in 1989 with a commitment to fair wage and fair labor. Today, we not only have all of the certifications and site visits as proof, we have a long and trusting relationship with our production partners in India, a relationship that spans +15 years. It’s not that hard. It just has to be a #1 priority.

Responsible production

Our production partners

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