Clothing manufacture
All our clothing is manufactured by Continental Clothing Limited and is from either their Earth Positive or Fair Share ranges as indicated on the product information.
Earth Positive
Organic, Ethical, Climate Neutral
The most progressive sustainable clothing on Earth
100% organic products
EarthPositive® is produced exclusively from organic Indian cotton, and the entire production process is controlled and certified in accordance with the latest version of GOTS. All products are labelled as Organic.
Continental Clothing Company has been licensed under the Global Organic Standard (GOTS) since 2007. For the past five years the Company has been the largest organic textile licensee of the Soil Association.
Verified Ethical Manufacture
100% of the EarthPositive® production undergoes annual audits to comply with the FWF Code of Labour Practices in accordance with the International Labour Organisation’s conventions.
Continental Clothing Company has been a member of Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) since 2006.
90% Reduced Carbon Footprint
EarthPositive® is made in manufacturing facilities powered by green renewable energy, from low-impact raw materials. The carbon footprint of EarthPositive® products has been reduced by some 90% and the calculations were certified under the PAS2050 standard by the Carbon Trust in the UK between 2007-2009.
The Factory
This vertically integrated garment factory in Tamil Nadu, Southern India, is the primary manufacturing facility of Continental Clothing Co.
The state-of-the-art technology and ultra-modern infrastructure provide the setting for the textile industry’s leading showcase of socially and environmentally responsible production.
Fair Share
A living wage is a human right
Products showing the Fair Share label carry a small price premium that is passed directly on to the garment workers in India towards their Living Wage.
Adding as little as 10p to the price of a T-shirt, or 54p to the price of a hoody, will result in a 50% increase in the wages of the poorest workers at Continental Clothing’s factory in India.
Continental Clothing Co, working together with the Fair Fashion Network and BSD Consulting, has implemented a scheme that aims to deliver a LIVING WAGE for the garment workers at its factory in India. The first stage of the wage increase has come into effect from 1st January 2016 and covers the entire workforce.
A benchmark was calculated for minimum earnings required to provide a decent living for a typical family in the area. The difference between the current wages and the living wage was then converted into the additional amount that needs to be paid for each garment produced at the factory. The premium that has been added to the cost of each garment is documented as a separate item and goes directly to the workers with their monthly wages.
Workers testimonials
(collected in April 2016 after having received the FAIR SHARE premium for 3 months)
“I’m very happy about Fair Share, it helps me pay for my daughter’s school.”
“I use the extra money to pay for medications.”
“With the additional wage I can repay my debts.”
“I can save for my daughter’s marriage.”
The FAIR SHARE living wage benchmark
In the absence of an existing calculation that would reliably reflect the realities of living and working in the garment industry in Tirupur in India (where the factory is located), Continental Clothing commenced the project by defining the living wage benchmark specifically in relation to the factory workforce.
Based on the adopted definition of the living wage and primary research results, a round of discussions was held with representatives from a local NGO, the management and the workers of the factory, to put accurate figures on all the elements of the living costs.
The result was a net monthly requirement of 12,116 Indian Rupees (INR) set in December 2015. This equates to a standard shift rate of 466 INR “net money in hand”. This figure was then grossed up to allow for the statutory deductions of 13.75% from the pay slip.
Consequently, the FAIR SHARE living wage benchmark for the Tirupur area as of December 2015 was set at 14,048 INR per month (£141 or €191). This benchmark should be reviewed annually to keep track of the changing costs of living.
The actual earnings at the factory
The lowest net wage at the factory for an 8-hour shift was 307 INR after deductions, including guaranteed bonuses but excluding any overtime. At the time of the survey, there were 14 workers (13 helpers and 1 sweeper) on the lowest wage. The highest shift wages were 574 for cutters and 523 for tailors. The average net shift wage was 393 INR.
In order to reach the set living wage of 466 INR, the lowest grade wage of 307 INR would have to be increased by 159 rupees in net terms. Of course, with the changing minimum wage levels and any possible variations in the living wage benchmark, this should be re-evaluated annually.
Paying the FAIR SHARE living wage premium to the workers
Even though the current production covered by the FAIR SHARE scheme would be only 5-10% of the factory’s output in the first year, it was decided that all the factory workers should benefit from the increase in wages rather than only those actively involved, and it should be paid through the monthly pay roll rather than as a one-off bonus, every month, on a permanent basis.
The initial orders in the first year would not generate sufficient funds to reach the target living wage level in full, and therefore it was agreed that the available funds should be shared equally amongst all the workers through the pay grades, even if some top earners were already above that level. Giving every worker the same net increase was acceptable to all parties, and it was deemed as an equitable way of distributing the funds. In effect, it means the lowest earners would receive the highest increase in percentage terms.
Considering the amount of money the scheme would generate in the first year, the size of the workforce, and in order to ensure adequate provision of funds for every month, the additional amount to be paid to every worker was calculated at 25 rupees per shift, giving a monthly wage increase to every worker of 650 INR.
Continental Clothing guaranteed that this additional monthly wage payment would not decrease or stop for as long as the company has a trading relationship with the factory, regardless of the volume of future orders.
The scheme will be independently audited by Fair Wear Foundation three months after commencement.
Continental Clothing will absorb the cost of initiating the project, defining the methodology and the benchmark, carrying out the research, implementing, reporting, marketing and auditing. The factory will absorb the cost of administering the scheme and covering the additional statutory employer’s contributions to the provident fund.
Any further funds generated as a result of increased production volumes would be accumulated in a fund to further increase the wages in the following months until the living wage level is reached for all employees.
The future of the FAIR SHARE project
The longer-term aim of this project is to reach the full living wage for all workers by covering 100% of the factory’s production within the scheme. This objective, however, will depend on the response from the market and the willingness of the retailers and consumers to pay the additional premium. Continental Clothing has committed to fully support the communication and marketing of the scheme in order to achieve a high take up rate for products carrying the premium. The company will also encourage other brands sourcing from the same supply chain to participate in the programme.
A more detailed report of the project has been produced by Mark Starmanns of BSD Consulting / Fair Fashion Network and is available here.
Two Fifteen Limited’s Ethical Policy
Our dropshipping partner Two Fifteen Limited is committed to ensuring they operate ethically and that their partners and suppliers in turn do so too.
They have committed to never knowingly affiliating themselves with another brand/company that did not operate in this way.
All the clothing we offer with the Sober Positive branding is from the Earth Positive and Fair Share ranges from Continental Clothing. Two Fifteen are aiming to improve their organic options throughout 2019 to give customers a wider choice when it comes to ethically sourced products and we will update our products accordingly.
As of November 2018 Two Fifteen Limited have committed to donate any clothing that isn’t suitable to be shipped out to customers to be donated to charities within their local community in Lancashire, UK. This reduces waste but also makes a difference in their local area and helps those who need it most.
Two Fifteen Limited’s Environmental Policy
Improving the impact their products have on the environment is a key focus for Two Fifteen Limited going into 2019.
Their DTG printers use ink that’s OEKO-TEX certified, which means they contain no chemicals which negatively impact or harm the environment. The inks are water-based and because they use DTG there is less waste than other garment printing methods. From November 2018 they also donate all garments that don’t pass quality control to charity, which as well as helping their local community does reduce the amount of waste they dispose of.
Their mailing bags are made from 100% recycled materials. They have reduced their plastic consumption over the last 6 months and have also committed in 2019 to further reduce the amount of plastic they use in our packaging. The use of bubble-wrap/garment bags are necessary to prevent in transit damages in some cases, to ensure the product reaches customers in the condition we expect. However, they are continuously looking at improving this further with more environmentally friendly solutions.
All clothing with the Sober Positive logo is manufactured by Continental Clothing, which has been GOTS (Global Organic Standard) certified since 2007. We only offer products from their EP (Earth Positive range) which is made from 100% organic Indian cotton and their FS range (Fair Share) which has been running since 2016 and aim is to provide a living wage to the workers in its factory in India; a percentage of the garment price is allocated to go directly to these workers in their monthly wages.
Any excess waste Two Fifteen does have in cardboard and paper is recycled; where possible they reduce the amount they use but some paper waste is unavoidable and they do all they can to prevent this having a negative impact on the environment.
