By popular request, we’re now offering recycled hang-tags from our friends at Greenerprinter up in Berkeley.Recycled hang tags are a great way to brand your apparel – as well as pass along important information to customers about the production characteristics of both the garment and the printing process employed to create your beautiful finished product. Drop us a line today at 877.326.2052 to talk about minimums and costs. You can also contact us here.

EcoPrintworks made an appearance at the New Living Expo – a fun, green oriented festival that took place over the weekend in San Francisco’s south of market district.

It’s always good to get out and see what other innovators in the industry are up to. Klean Kanteen, Rainbow Grocery, and Urban Yogis – among others, were out, spreading the word.

Ecoprintworks at New Liviing Expo

The use of organic cotton is up – worldwide production has inceased 153% last year alone – and for good reason.

Organic Cotton Crop

Less than 3% of agricultural land is planted with conventionally grown cotton, but that 3% consumes 20% of all pesticides used and 22% of all insecticides. According to the WWF (pdf), of the 46 chemicals commonly used on cotton, five are considered ‘extremely hazardous, eight ‘highly hazardous’, and 20 ‘moderately hazardous’.

And that’s just not bad for the planet. According to the World Health Organization 20,000 deaths occur each year from pesticide poisoning in developing countries.

A 2000 USDA study revealed that eighty-four million pounds of pesticides were sprayed on cotton in the U.S.A
That adds up to 1/3 of a pound of chemicals to produce enough cotton for a t-shirt, and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans.

Organic cotton not only diminishes the use of these terribly harmful substances, but it uses less water to irrigate, and regenerates the soil with sustainable crop rotation practices.

To read more about organic cotton:
Organic Trade Association
Hae Now

Leave it to Continental to take the next step with the organic tote bag.  For years customers have asked for an organic tote in colors other than natural or black. Ever the pioneer, Continental and their progressive branch ‘Earth Positive’ has just introduced the Organic Fashion Tote (code EP75) in seven exciting colors.

In Continental’s words: The EarthPositive® Organic Fashion Tote (code EP75) is a premium weight, twill weave cotton bag, with quality stitching detail, produced in a range of seven vibrant colours. This product is designed to meet the demand for a bag as a ‘fashion accessory with a conscience’ in a marketplace where the vast majority of similar products are produced in cheap quality raw fabrics of unknown origin.

Click here to get more info and pricing on custom printed organic tote bags from Continental… UPDATE: Earth Positive (Continental) has just ordered new colors for the EP75 organic cotton fashion tote bag – brown, dark violet, hot pink, kelly green & white — and is open to suggestions for more.