Worldwide, 20,000 deaths are caused each year by pesticide poisoning, many attributed to the production of non-organic cotton. Jo Spragg, founder of Kite Kids explains why it is so important for her to produce garments that are free of such chemicals.
India sometimes gets a bad name for under-paying, using child labour and living with little regard for the planet, but we’ve found that this reputation is unfair and as far as we’re concerned, unfounded. Everyone involved in the Kite Kids chain, from cotton farmer to garment factory is totally committed to an ethical and environmentally friendly approach. In fact, they could teach the UK a bit about recycling and reusing waste products!
For example, in the factory that makes all of our t-shirts they produce the steam for their press by stoking a boiler with wood and cast off coconut shells.
It is as important to the factory owners as it is to us that factory employees work reasonable hours with proper breaks. And in terms of child labour, this is something that our factories just wouldn’t contemplate. What they point out is that child labour isn’t a possibility because all of their workers need a high degree of skill. The women and men usually join the factory at 18 and are not properly trained up until they are 20 or 21. They are treated well and usually stay with the factory for many years.
The dyeing process is also something that can attract negative comment from an environmental point of view. Ever heard the quote, “did you know it takes 15 litres of water to dye just one t-shirt”? Well, this is true, but the dye house that we use has invested in a state of the art system that recycles 90% of the water used in the process. The water gets cleaned and re-used again and again. This is something we are very proud to be a part of and is just the kind of environmentally positive approach that we look for in our suppliers.
Everyone involved in Kite Kids from the cotton farmers to us here in the UK are committed to a responsible and fair way of doing business. These principles run through the core of our business, but we don’t kid ourselves that our approach is enough to win the hearts and minds of all customers. We know that despite all of the best eco-intentions, parents are still looking for great styles, colours and quality for their children. Therefore, we spend a lot of time developing clothes that both grown-ups and children simply fall in love with – design details, comfort, colours – every aspect gets special attention.
At the end of the day, we want people to buy our clothes because they love the product, not because they are on an eco-crusade. It just so happens that they’ll be making a small but important difference, whatever their views on the planet.
Pictured, Help Save Our Planet T-Shirt, available in sizes up to 11 years, from kite-kids.co.uk for £14.
Melissa Corkhill is the editor of The Green Parent magazine, mother of two and author of the book Green Parenting
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