Monday, September 12, 2016

Many student orgs may be planning on ordering custom T-shirts for your organization members, and we would like to ensure our students are making smart and ethical purchasing decisions. So, here is a fantastic guide to ethical T-shirt purchasing!
Checklist:

  • Do you really need Tshirts?
  • What are you purchasing the t-shirts for? Will you use the shirt multiple times, or just once? Generally, you should avoid putting dates on T-shirts so that members can wear them every year.
  • Hats, iron-on patches, bracelets, pens, buttons, mugs, or other customizable products may be a cheaper, more responsible alternative to custom t-shirts that will only be worn once.

So you still want to buy T-Shirts? What should you look for?

  • Avoid brands with histories of workers’ rights violations - a quick google search of your brand of choice along with the keywords “sweatshop,” “abuse,” or “rights violation” will return results of reported workers’ rights violations. If there are no results, then the brand is probably safe to use! [No news is good news in this]

Brands to avoid:

  • Gildan
  • Comfort Colors
  • Anvil
  • Jansport
  • Nike

Possible Alternatives:

  • Fruit of the Loom
  • Jerzees
  • American Apparel
  • Under Armour

Here are some quick tips to ethical t-shirt purchasing:

  • Clothing manufactured in the USA or Canada is generally produced without labor rights violations due to stricter labor laws
  • Buy Green! - In general, companies that demonstrate a commitment to sustainability also have clean labor rights records
  • Beware of “Greenwashing” - when a company spends more time and money claiming to be “green” than actually implementing environmentally responsible business practices
  • Use shirts made with recycled materials or organic cotton to minimize agricultural pollution
  • Do a google search for “sustainable custom t-shirts” when shopping around online
  • http://www.sustainuclothing.com/  and http://tsdesigns.com/ both offer some of the most sustainable custom T-shirts available
  • Donate the T-shirts! Donate used shirts to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or find a clothing drive near you! Even shirts in poor condition will eventually be recycled into other products

If you have any questions or concerns about ethical t-shirt purchasing, please contact UISG Senator Sarah Henry at sarah-henry@uiowa.edu.