About Ten Tree Apparel

EST

2012

T E N T R E E I N T ER NATION AL A SEED OF INNOVATION PDF

For every piece of apparel purchased, Ten Tree International plants ten trees in order to keep our air clean, and give us a better world to play on.

OUR STORY The beautiful landscape we know and love is fast disappearing. At Ten Tree, we believe that we can inspire a new group of consumers to tackle the environmental issues we are now faced with. By planting ten trees and ensuring that all our clothing is produced responsibly we allow each and every customer to make a difference. Our commitment to the environment isn’t just a catchy hook to drive sales. It is something we fundamentally believe in, that will have an enormous impact on our environment going forward. It’s your world, your life, your playground. Let’s protect it – together, we can build forests.

Tree planting is a way of restoring the environment, maintaining ecosystems, and making our world a healthier place to live. This isn’t new; but what is new, is how we have used the concept of planting trees to inspire entrepreneurship, build sustainable communities, provide shelter and generally increase quality of life. The founders of Ten Tree have years of experience in the tree planting industry and have used this to create a business model that ensures trees are planted sustainably and in a way that will have the greatest impact. Some of the many benefits of planting trees include: • • • •

Creating and restoring bio-diversity Removing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere Creating bio-precipitation Building sustainable and resilient natural ecosystems

THE TREES Ten Tree ensures that all trees planted are among the local species that grow in the area and will not have an adverse effect on the local environment. Whether this means planting sugar cane and moringa trees in Haiti to prevent sheet water erosion or the Juniper trees of Ethiopia, Ten Tree has ensured that with each site, the utmost care has been taken to plant local, sustainable species.

Because of the precautions taken, these trees will grow strong and healthy long into the future. In order to ensure that only local trees are planted, local nurseries are often used to grow select species that will thrive in the native environment. Below is a list of select species and what regions they are planted in:

PLANTING PROJECTS Tree planting is not an easy process. In many locations, labour is difficult to come by, the native plant species are dying out, environmental conditions are harsh, and close care must be taken to ensure the survival of the trees. Ten Tree employs experts in forestry and has partnered with several organizations that have local expertise in order to take part in some of the most innovative planting projects in the world. These projects do not simply plant trees; they provide long-term employment, restore ailing eco-systems, support sustainable communities and provide the local population with independence. Below is a description of some of the many planting projects Ten Tree is involved with:

BRAZIL Brazil features one of the most diverse and endangered tropical rainforests on the planet. However, there has been a shift in the area as subsistence farming transitions towards sustainable rainforest enterprises. Ten Tree works with local farmers in the area to harvest rainforest seeds, create nurseries, and maintain this gorgeous and unique rainforest.

C A N A DA Canada is home to some of the most diverse forest in the world. Over the past decades, this land has faced many challenges such as clear cutting, forest fires, pine beetle and more. Ten Tree engages in reforestation projects across Canada and has also pursued agro-forestry initiatives in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

HAITI In 1923, over 60% of Haitian land was forested. As of 2007, less than 1% of Haiti’s forests remained. This is primarily due to soil erosion, a problem that was further exacerbated by the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010. With 12 tree nurseries and the ability to plant millions of seedlings, Ten Tree hopes to return Haiti to the forested land it once was. Ten Tree customers help to support over 300 Haitian families as they find work in the tree nurseries and planting projects.

HONDURAS Throughout Honduras, harsh farming practices have led to the continual degradation of mangrove ecosystems and surrounding habitats. 75% of salt water species such as fish, crabs and shrimp live in mangroves during their life. Our project plants 15 different native Mangrove trees and works to educate the local population on the importance of maintaining this vast and unique habitat.

ETHIOPIA

INDIA

Many of the primary causes of poverty in Ethiopia are directly related to the loss of forest cover over the past decades. The loss of forest has led to arid, unsustainable conditions that have made planting extremely difficult. With 80% of Ethiopians dependent on agriculture as their main livelihood, Ten Tree’s focus has been to restore these vital forest ecosystems.

India has one of the largest, most dense populations on the planet. With the expansion of farmland and the rapid urbanization, India has seen deforestation happening at an alarming rate. The Sirumalai hills are an area of southern India which is in dire need. Ten Tree’s project aims to initially plant just 85,000 trees which will provide 40 jobs and will help to restore the ecological balance in the area.

K E N YA Kenya’s forests are rapidly declining due to the rapid population growth and destructive farming practices. Kenya was once a land that was covered with trees. Today, only 2% forest cover remains. This has led to soil degradation and has placed a significant amount of stress on the land. Ten Tree hopes to continue planting trees in Kenya to help restore these forests.

SENEGAL Senegal, much like Honduras, has seen an incredible amount of degradation in the mangrove population. Population growth and desertification have caused 24% of the mangrove ecosystem to be lost. This project aims to help restore these vital ecosystems.

M A DAG A S C A R Madagascar used to feature one of the most beautiful and diverse mangroves in the world. Over the last 20 years overfishing, rice farming, rural development and erosion has begun to threaten this incredible ecosystem. Ten Tree plants the native species of mangroves, which will reinvigorate the local ecosystem and help sustain the fishing communities that depend on this unique environment. Thanks to the support of Ten Tree customers, over 115,000 trees were planted along the coast of Madagascar in 2012! Planting in Madagascar has significantly changed the lives of many villagers by providing them with consistent cashpaying jobs that allow them to continue working as small-scale fisherman and provide for their families. Solar ovens and fuel-efficient dry wood stoves have been introduced, reducing the need to cut down living trees, and providing a cheaper, more efficient way for families to prepare meals.

PHILIPPINES The Malungon are of the Sarangani province, was once one of the richest forest areas in the world. Today, all that remains are small, fragmented areas of growth that are under constant threat of illegal deforestation and degradation. This project works with local tribe leaders to educate locals on the damage that is being done to the forest. The ultimate aim is to plant approximately 10 million trees which will result in the area being well on its way to being fully restored.

TA N Z A N I A

ZAMBIA

Mara, a beautiful, semi-arid region in Tanzania has seen rapid deforestation as the local population cuts the trees to satisfy their need for charcoal and wood. The tree cutting and destruction of natural forest is reaching a point where the survival of rural communities and native wildlife is threatened. While we are not involved in tree planting in Tanzania, Ten Tree helps to pursue an environmental stewardship initiative which aims to educate the local communities to prevent further forest degradation. We support WeForest in their initiatives such as:

The Zambia project is a unique project in that the planting is done at the Kamfinsa Prison. This prison was built in 1960, with a capacity of 1000 inmates and now faces a severe lack of funding and hosts up to 1800 inmates and their children. The Kamfinsa project provides the inmates with jobs and brings the prison income by planting fruit and vegetables that can be sold to those outside the prison.

promoting solar cooking, developing sustainable building practices, and various tree planting projects, to help reduce their need for charcoal and wood and assist in the reduction of deforestation. Proceeds from Ten Tree products help to train families on caring for their environment and supply each of those families with over 200 trees, including trees for fruit, medicinal needs, nitrogen fixing, and timber. Proceeds also provide one tree per child for all the local schools, over 1,400 trees!

WEFOREST We are proud to be partnered with WeForest in an effort to make the earth cooler. They’re ability to access and hire locals in developing countries has contributed to the success of Ten Tree and restoring communities in need. We encourage you to check them out at www.weforest.org.

WeForest is an international organization dedicated to sustainable reforestation. Our main objective is to participate in countering global warming and promote the international movement to recover part of the forests, which have disappeared. We are an international non-profit organization established as a Belgian ASBL/VZW (# 0826.151.968) and incorporated as a 501(c)3 in the USA (#61-1662313), with a team in the UK, Netherlands and France. We believe that in order to have a sustainable impact, the local communities need be involved and directly benefit from our planting activities. We train them in understanding the value of growing and protecting diverse forests. Our projects directly empower people to operate entrepreneurially by providing them with long term jobs and better living conditions. Our goal is to change the way that business is done by inspiring and leading the way for other companies to move towards a greener world.

CWF represents 300,000 members and supporters that work from coast to coast to maintain something very important — a bright future for Canada’s wildlife. CWF empowers Canadians to help protect wild species and the spaces they call home through beautiful publications, award-winning programs and a balanced approach to wildlife issues. Since our inception in 1962, we’ve become a household name because of our leadership in conservation education, awareness and outreach. The Canadian Wildlife Federation is dedicated to ensuring an appreciation of our natural world and a lasting legacy of healthy wildlife and habitats.

C A N A D I A N W I L D L I F E F E D E R AT I O N As a major partner of Ten Tree, the Canadian Wildlife Federation’s mission is to educate people about wildlife, motivate people to get outdoors, and together we believe we can do that. Check out their site at http://www.cwf-fcf. org/ The Canadian Wildlife Federation is a charitable organization that works with Canadians to make a difference to the kind of legacy we leave behind … not just for wildlife, but also for our children.

C W F : I N F O R M , I N S P I R E , E D U C AT E We spread the word about wildlife by producing all kinds of materials, many of which are beautifully designed free resources. We inspire Canadians to take action and help wildlife. Some of our supporters choose to help by donating, subscribing to our publications or even shopping in the name of our wild creatures in need. Others choose to assist by helping us spread the word through engaging pictures, stories of wildlife encounters or by participating in our many education and awareness programs. We run a variety of education and awareness programs that open people’s minds to the wonderful world of wildlife and the value of healthy habitats. We also run funding and awards programs too that give financial aid to schools, academic researchers and local groups involved in conservation. We also advocate for wildlife by following and sharing our views on national issues that could affect the health and well-being of floral and faunal populations countrywide. And when necessary, we recommend legislative changes on behalf of species at risk.

At CWF we focus our attention on national issues that impact Canada’s wildlife populations. We want to ensure that wildlife populations and their habitats in all areas of Canada, both on land and in the water, are conserved in a sustainable manner to be enjoyed by future generations. We focus our efforts on six key areas: • • • • • •

Wildlife Management Habitat Stewardship Freshwater Conservation Marine Conservation Endangered Species Climate Change

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY At Ten Tree, we hold our factories to the highest ethical and environmental standards. Our factories are annually inspected by a non-affiliated third party auditing company. Our suppliers make numerous unannounced visits to our factories throughout the year where we strive to meet all WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production) standards. WRAP is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to the certification of lawful, humane and ethical manufacturing throughout the world. The objective of the Apparel Certification Program is to independently monitor and certify compliance with the following standards, ensuring that a given factory produces sewn goods under lawful, humane and ethical conditions.

PRODUCTION All Ten Tree garments are sourced from manufacturers worldwide. All of our manufacturing, sourcing, shipping, customer service and creative aspects of our business support our local economy, our neighbors and our ecosystem. These garments are made from a variety of materials including cotton, recycled polyester, hemp, rayon and spandex. All organic materials are Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS) Certified and GMO-free. However, they are not all grown and spun domestically. Our organics consist of California and North Carolina-grown cotton as well as 100% unprocessed non-toxic hemp.

1. Compliance with Laws & Workplace Regulations 2. Prohibition of Forced Labor 3. Prohibition of Child Labor 4. Prohibition of Harassment or Abuse 5. Compensation & Benefits 6. Hours of Work 7. Prohibition of Discrimination

8. Health and Safety 9. Freedom of Association & Collective Bargaining 10. Environment 11. Customs Compliance 12. Security

Innovative and Creative Reuse If you would like to learn more about WRAP and its accredited auditing companies, please visit their website at www.wrapapparel.org. We have made it a point from the beginning that our factories be vertical. This means that Ten Tree suppliers not only own the factories that produce the material but they also create the product. Knitting, dying, cutting, sewing, washing, embellishing and all packing and finishing are done on site. Recycling We strive to be as efficient as possible, creating as little waste as we can. Scrap fabric is turned into yarn for new garments when possible or used by our custodial team for cleaning. Our knit and dye houses participate alongside our warehouse headquarters to divert remaining fabric and yarn scraps, paper, plastic, wooden pallets, cardboard tubes and cones, as well as metal and electronic waste from landfills.

We love putting creative ideas into practice. Our LA manufacturer donates truckloads of safe excess materials to Trash for Teaching (TFT), a non-profit organization. TFT educates over 100 LA schools about resource management at the manufacturing level. Students make crafts from excess materials, while learning why reuse is the first step to sustainable practice. At the warehouse, we take notes on note pads made from old advertising and display materials, as well as the clean paper waste from offices and our Graphics Department. Our cardboard boxes are collected and reused as many times as possible rather than processed into pulp, saving energy and chemical inputs. Also, our catalogs are printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with non-toxic inks. We also use recycled fiber yarns, made from our own fabric scrap, and put them back into our product lines. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy We executed a full retrofit of light fixtures in our factory and implemented daylightharvesting technology, a move that saves over a million kilowatt hours of energy each year. Our manufacturer in LA has a stateof-the-art solar panel installation on the roof of their factory. This system generates 150 kilowatts of clean, renewable power, contributing 15% of our energy needs.

Transportation One of our manufacturers has enacted a bike lending program. They have recently increased the number of bicycles, helmets and locks that are on hand, assuring that there is a free service accessible to their employees. They also provide a subsidized bus pass program available to employees. Organic Style Our manufacturers try to do everything possible to minimize our ecological footprint. By creating organic products, our business minimizes its impact on the environment, while maintaining comfort and style. Our Organic Collection is a selection of our most popular styles made from 100% USDA Certified Organic and pesticide-free cotton. We source a number of our organic materials from Mexico due to their high quality. Currently, our manufacturers are beginning to incorporate sustainable fabrics such as bamboo and recycled polyester into our products. We are always looking for more ecologically sound materials and services to integrate into our main line.

Dyeing Process Our low-impact dyeing process eliminates chemical waste, providing both environmental and health benefits. We use a low impact fiber reactive process to dye our organic cotton. This process uses the least amount of water when compared with all other dye processes available and the cotton absorbs over 70% of the dye. The dye forms a direct linkage to the cotton fiber resulting in superior colorfastness and minimal run-off.

Cleaner Cotton Campaign Our manufacturer has joined the Cleaner Cotton Campaign by buying 30,000 pounds of Cleaner Cotton (also known as B.A.S.I.C. cotton) to incorporate into our non-organic line. The Cleaner Cotton Campaign, led by the Sustainable Cotton Project, was created to offer farmers profitable strategies for reducing chemical use in cotton cultivation. The program also avoids the use of genetically modified seeds. In 2007, the California Environmental Protection Agency reported that 2,000 acres of Cleaner Cotton were grown, preventing 7,000 pounds of chemicals from infiltrating our environment.

Dyeing Standards Our Organic Collection color T-shirts are dyed with low impact dye which meet industry standards for organics. It is not a requirement to label organic fibers, unlike organic foods. However, legitimacy is extremely important within the organic community. Subcommittees have formed out of already established certifying groups, mostly associated with agriculture communities. These subcommittees work together to maintain a credible level of checks and balances for companies interested in meeting a set standard and offer a guarantee the consumer can trust. Our colored organics are created within the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS).

Water Based Inks Water based inks have improved greatly in recent years, partially due to economic incentive from consumers looking for more environmentally friendly methods of production. Water based inks work best on lighter colored garments that are 100% cotton. They also have a softer feel to them. You can cover a large area without getting the “raincoat effect” you may have noticed in some other shirts. Our printer, Oregon Screen Impressions, has the ability to offer color matching in water based inks.

Discharge Inks: Sometimes newer water based inks can be used on darker colored fabrics with acceptable results if the design lends itself to a particular look. Other times a discharge base is used to leach the dye out of the fabric, returning it to its natural off-white state. When a discharge base is added to a water based ink with a color, you can get an opaque result, even on a black shirt. Because the base is added to our regular water based ink system, we can offer color matching on discharge inks too. There’s no getting around the fact that the screen printing process requires chemicals. Which chemicals and how they are used depends on the individual company. Oregon Screen Impressions invited the EPA to inspect their process when they were the first T-shirt printer in the United States to automate their reclaim process in 2000. Their machine segregates each step allowing them to contain the process and recycle the material before it moves to the next step. The final rinse is the only thing that goes to the drain, but this water is filtered first. All of this was voluntary and was driven by their commitment to the environment at any cost.

T E N T R E E .O R G