The truck arrives!

loaded with close to 900 cases of our 14 styles of Repair the World® clothing to our fulfillment center in Northside (Cincinnati) Ohio. I must admit that it has been a pretty long time since I’ve been a warehouseman and didn’t know how my body would hold out to unloading, checking inventory, and organizing the inventory on this a very hot, humid late July day. To make a long story short, I’m still here and able to tell the story. Thanks to Jim and Patrick

Lots to Store!

at our fulfillment center (Brand Evolutions) in Northside (Cincinnati) Ohio for their patience during my counts and re-counts. My wife Richie and mother-in-law Cora

Cora and Richie

did a great job pulling and checking those hundreds of cases of our clothing for quality, and setting aside sample lines. And, thanks to Rosie, our fashion designer, for checking hundreds of garments for quality, construction and specifications on this initial shipment.

Some of Our Product Line

We talk a lot here about our journey and this is the end of the beginning…next, the landing!

Not only was the size of the outer box extremely large, it contained yet another smaller box that was surrounded by a very large strip of bubble wrap. Inside of the smaller box, we finally found the Fizzies, surrounded by 3 large pieces of scrunched up heavy brown paper.

Photo of packing in which the Fizzies came (soda can added for scale)

So why am I telling this story anyway? At Repair the World®, we make every effort to be as minimalist as possible with every resource. When we ship your order, we will avoid at every opportunity unnecessary packaging to both save resources and save you money. If it so happens that your order is damaged in shipment, we stand behind our service commitment to you.

“This garment was made using eco friendly materials and processing during it’s production cycle. With your purchase you are joining in the fight against pollution and waste. By purchasing it, you are promoting a better, healthier earth. Love the environment!”

Sounds great…right? Well…the only thing about it is, the only “eco friendly” material is the recycled paper that the hangtag is printed on (if this is even true). The products containing these labels were made of either 100% conventional cotton or 95% conventional cotton/5% spandex. Their website has NO information regarding the processes or materials used in their products that make them eco friendly and no information that supports the claims they make on their label. The hangtag label also says, “We would love to hear from you”…what would you like to say to this company?

Some information on cotton, chemical, and water usage:

Considered one of the most chemically dependent crops in the world, conventional cotton uses 10 percent of all agricultural chemicals and 25 percent of the world’s insecticides—in the U.S., one-third of a pound of chemicals are needed just to grow enough conventional cotton for a regular T-shirt, which only contains about 1/3 – 1/2 lb. of cotton per shirt.

Although there are many widely ranging statistics, there is broad consensus that cotton is one of the most water intensive crops. The intensity of water usage creates many other problems. Water is by far the most critical natural resource on earth.

See the below article for a discussion about water:

http://www.forbes.com/2008/06/19/water-food-trade-tech-water08-cx_fp_0619virtual.html

In addition, we were fortunate to spend time with 2 NGO’s that we will support with our give back commitment. We spent time with Mayan Families, an organization that is involved in many areas of sustainable development with  indigenous communities in Guatemala as well as Friendship Bridge, an organization involved in microfinance and education for this same constituency. We witnessed the power of both these organizations in empowering people and providing tools and resources that build the framework for self sufficiency.

Mayan Family instructor working with student at sewing class in San Jorge, Guatemala

Friendship Bridge Trust Bank Women's Group from Concepción, Guatemala

What does “transparency” mean to you? Please provide us some examples of companies acting as good models for corporate social responsibility and transparency.

We formed our company on the premise of sustainability…of people, of the planet, and of profits (a triple bottom line) that will support this vision. This triple bottom line, each carrying equal weight and importance, helps us as a company to focus on social justice (people), environmental quality (planet), and economic prosperity (profit). This has led us on quite a journey so far. In an effort to be fully transparent in our business practices and fully accountable for all that we do, we have found it necessary to ask many questions, and work very hard in our research so that:

1. We substantiate all claims we make about our products
2. Insure that communities are impacted fairly and positively

All of this to make sure that Tulong and our Repair the World^® brand of apparel is authentic, transparent, and represents the comfort, quality, and performance attributes that you are looking for. We are working hard to build trust in us as a company and in our products. So, we have begun this journey, and I say journey because it is not a perfect world and things change and we will always strive to improve what we do and what we offer. We hope that you will join us on this journey, as we look via education, research, curiosity and commitment to continually improve in all that we do. How can you join? Be a part of our community and tell us what you like and don’t like…be blunt and direct with us and help build momentum to a more sustainable future.