24 April 2009, New York – Hessnatur, a leading German organic
apparel brand has joined forces with Planet Green, a multi media company devoted
to the environment, to create an online contest offering the American public a
chance to make an environmental statement by designing a limited edition
organic t-shirt. The winning t-shirt will be sold internationally and
manufactured by Grameen Knitwear in Bangladesh, a subsidiary of the Grameen
Foundation, founded by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Fifty
percent from the sale of each t-shirt will be donated back to the Grameen
Foundation, which uses the power of microfinance, technology and innovative
solutions to defeat global poverty.
Microfinance helps people to escape poverty by giving them
collateral-free loans and other financial services to support income-generating
businesses. As each loan is repaid, the money is redistributed as loans to
others, thereby multiplying its impact.
Launching later this summer, the contest is designed to
highlight what the partners see as the damage a traditionally manufactured t-shirt
has on the environment. Organisers say that the growth and harvesting of
conventional cotton causes some of the world's worst environmental pollution, requiring
one third of a pound of pesticides and fertilizers to create just one of the
2.4 billion t-shirts produced globally each year.
"We believe that the simple act of every person
choosing an organic t-shirt can make all the difference in the world,"
states Wolf Luedge, CEO of Hessnatur. "Much like changing a light bulb or
recycling, an organic t-shirt does make a difference."
PlanetGreen.com will host the contest online and will offer
Americans an opportunity to design an iconic organic t-shirt that, if chosen as
the winning design, will be sold internationally. The winning T-shirt design
will be selected by PlanetGreen.com readers through a unique view and vote
feature.
Grameen Knitwear
The t-shirt will be made by Grameen Knitwear in Bangladesh,
a subsidiary of the Grameen Foundation, founded by Nobel Peace Prize recipient
Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
Equipped with the state of the art Mayer & Cie. knitting
machines from Germany, Grameen Knitwear are capable of producing a wide range of
circular knitted fabrics. A wide variety of single and double jersey fabrics
including pique, lacoste, interlock, eight lock, rib, pleated design rib, French
terry, fleece, as well as collars and cuffs made of cellulose and synthetic
yarns is offered by the company. Grameen also produces functional and technical
fabrics for sportswear from cotton and synthetic yarn. Its high quality solid,
stripe and semi -jacquard collar and cuffs are knitted on Shima Seiki machines
and the company produces 10,000kgs of fabric and 2800-3200 sets of collars and
cuffs per day.
"Planet Green engages consumers of all backgrounds with
inspiring and innovative content, information and resources that help them make
a positive and personal impact on the environment," said Ken Rother, Vice
President for Planet Green Interactive. "Through our partnership with Hessnatur
and this competition, our audiences have a fantastic interactive opportunity to
use creativity as a way to make a statement about how we humans impact the
planet."
Health, social and educational benefits
In addition to the environmental impact of traditional
cotton manufacturing, health, social and educational improvements for workers
are also at the core of Hessnatur's mission. A pioneer in the sustainable and
social responsibility movements, Hessnatur was recognized with the 2008 Public
Eye Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos for its work in improving the
social conditions of workers around the globe. Hessnatur recently merged the
revolutionary microfinance program of Dr. Yunus' Grameen Knitwear, with its
expertise in organic farming to help improve both the living and health
conditions of workers in Bangladesh, one of the poorest regions in the world.
In addition to Planet Green and Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Hessnatur
says it has long partnered with world leaders to improve the social and
environmental conditions of workers, including Clean Clothes Campaign and
FairWear Organization.
Hessnature says that due to the unrivaled organic apparel
network it has around the globe, including organic linen, silk, alpaca, wool
and cotton textile projects in Peru, Senegal, Turkey, West Africa, China, and
Bangladesh, they are able to pay above fair-trade price and still offer
reasonable prices to consumers.
"Keeping green affordable is especially challenging
during this economic climate. The future of the planet depends on our growing
the green movement, so we are committed to putting Organic clothing in our
closet," states Luedge.
