Where do our clothes come from?
Our clothes are hand made from start to finish in India – This enables us not only to support the fading traditions in west India, in the state of Gujarat, but also to tell precisely the details regarding manufacture processes of our clothes.
Our collaborator in Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat, is a company called MORALFIBRE. The company increases employment among local handicraftsmen, pays attention to human rights and brings forth to the sustainable development in the textile industry.
MORALFIBRE is helping us to supervise the production chain and it also links different work steps together. Our collaborator is part of the Green people of India - network, which puts various ventures and research regarding sustainable development, into practice. The network also spreads knowledge about ecological production possibilities and contributes women to find employment.
Cotton, from fields to professional handicraftsmen
India is the second-largest cotton producer in the world and its share of the global cotton production is circa 20%. In 2008 half of the worlds organic cotton came from India. Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andra Pradesh are the largest states where the cotton is produced in India.
In the cultivation of organic cotton no hazardous pesticides, which noxiously affect employee’s health, farmer’s farmland as well as the groundwater, are not used. Genetically engineered seeds are extensively used worldwide these days but in the cultivation of organic cotton it is forbidden. The whole plant of organic cotton can be utilized, as the parts of the stems are used, for example to feed animals. The fact that there aren’t any hazardous pesticides spreading to the environment enables the cultivation of food that is suitable for human, in the same or nearby fields.
A research carried out by Greenpeace showed that the producers of organic cotton in India are more organized than anywhere else in the world and that they also share knowhow with each other. This increases community and makes farmers more dependent on each other, than on an expensive bag of seeds. In the international market the price of organic cotton is higher than in India and this has a positive effect on farmers net income. In conclusion, organic cotton has a positive impact on the whole community.
The cotton we use is cultivated organic. As a company we don’t only want to support the sustainable development of cotton industry but also to pay fair price for the purchased materials. By buying organic cotton we support the sustainable development. The cotton we use in our products comes mainly from Gujarat area’s cotton plantations.
Spinning and weaving
The production of textiles in India has started already 3000 years BCE. The state of Gujarat is especially known for hand-woven Khadi-fabrics. The government of India has helped to revive the traditional handicraft professions by supporting the exportation and by creating handicraft cooperatives and development centers.
The city of Gondal is located 300 km from Ahmedabad. There are many rural villages outside of Gondal where there live many traditional handicraftsmen. In the villages the cotton is spun into yarn and woven further into a ready fabric.
The fabrics we use come from Gondal. Spinning and weaving are hand made and this helps people living on the countryside to find employment. Yarns and fabrics that are hand made have less strain on the environment.
Our collaborator has three mills in Gondal and the fourth one is under construction. Our collaborator works closely together with 34 handicraft villages. The company manufactures spinning and weaving machines in one of their mills. In the other mills yarns are being spun and fabrics woven. They also have a spot where people from the villages can come to sell their homemade yarns and fabrics. In February 2015 we visited all of their mills, also the one that is under construction, and some of the handicraft villages. We were very impressed about many things in their actions, like for example, about the fact that the energy of the fourth mill will be obtained from solar panels in the future.
Handicraftsmen who work for the company are offered a free transportation from villages to mills. When visiting these mills, we had an opportunity to examine closely different manufacturing stages of the fabric. Our collaborator offers employment for many local women living in the surrounding areas of Gondal. They have circa 1700 women and 300 men working on their payroll.
Sewing
Sewing gets probably the most attention what it comes to manufacturing of a cloth. In our sewing process we pay a lot attention to the cooperation between local sewers, local designer and the designer at Finland’s end. For us it is important to understand and adapt the local working habits and to be flexible with scheduling if needed.
The small sewing factory is located in Ahmedabad and its employees are mainly women who live in the neighborhood. According to the local head designer it is worthless to hire people from greater distance when there are many skilled unemployed people in the city. Short distance also gives employees the opportunity to pop home to take care of everyday chores in between the working day. When visiting the factory we were glad to see a good working atmosphere where employees enjoyed their work. Working hours are reasonable and the salary level is much higher compared to the minimum salary in India.
Dyeing and processing of textile
Several different natural and synthetic substances are added to fabrics in order to improve the quality and durability. Different substances are there to give color, to finish the coloring process, to give flame retardant, to avoid fabric from wrinkling and to give fabric a dirt-repellent surface.
Many of these substances are harmful for people and for the environment. When dangerous substances are used in the process chain of different products, besides the fact that they exposure nature and consumer to toxins, it causes serious harm for people working in the process chain.
We visited one of the factories in Ahmedabad where fabrics are hand-dyed by using wooden stamp weights, the process is called as hand block printing. Fabrics are highly appreciated by the locals. The ventilation was really good and that is why the dying substances didn’t smell in the factory. The government had given the factory a permission to use the water from the close-by river to rinse the fabric. After using the water, factory is obliged to clean it and then to return it to the river. The government gives financial support for the cleaning process of the water.
Caption: Before the yarn is ready to be woven into a fabric, it is treated with flour-water solution in the craft villages. In our naturaldyed materials there are iron and alum to help fabric to maintain its color. Some of the fabrics are dyed with Azo-free colors, which are approved in dying of organic cotton. These colors are safe both for the environment and for people’s health.
Who is responsible in the garment production?
There are many things to be research before finding a right collaborator. It takes time and continuous communication to build a mutual trust and to find compatible ways of working. We have seen different production phases and met employees. We have also seen good ways to handle the compulsion of having a bank account where the salary is paid.
Even a small company can work responsible, without expensive and complicated certification processes. When we, as a company, know our production chain through out, the responsibility is guaranteed. In the end, we can all affect the responsible development of garment industry by making responsible purchase decisions.