Ecouterre

15 Major Retailers That Haven't Signed the Bangladesh Safety Agreement

by Jasmin Malik Chua , 05/29/13 filed under: Eco-Fashion Brands, Features, Walmart, Worker Rights

Ukrainian Carpenter Carves Functioning Watches Entirely From Wood

by Helen Morgan , 05/29/13 filed under: Eco-Friendly Accessories, Featured

Site Seeing

Béyonce Puts a Ring on Collaborative Consumption at Rent the Runway

by Jasmin Malik Chua , 05/28/13 filed under: Eco-Celebrities, Eco-Fashion News, Site Seeing

Hey Dudes, Men's Personal-Care Products Contain Toxic Chemicals, Too

by Lori Zimmer , 05/28/13 filed under: Eco-Fashion News, Eco-Friendly Beauty

Photo by Shutterstock

Ladies aren’t the only ones who should be weary of cancer-linked chemicals in personal care products. A new study by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has shown that many men’s products are just as unsafe. The analysis found that a slew of men’s products- from fragrances to shampoos- contain serious chemicals that are linked to cancer, infertility and allergies.

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE:6 Eco-Friendly Grooming Tips for Men

Contests

Win a Pair of $84 Roma Rubber Rain Boots (And Help a Child in Need)

by Jasmin Malik Chua , 05/27/13 filed under: Contests

Roma’s slick rubber rain boots aren’t your typical puddle-stompers. Fairly made in China from 100 percent natural latex rubber, each $84 boot includes a lining of quick-drying cotton to keep your toes nice and toasty, plus a multilayer cushioned insole for splashing around in comfort. Even better? For every purchase, Roma donates a pair of galoshes to a child in need. We’re hooking up one lucky reader with a pair of boots to call your own, in your choice of size, color, and finish (choices include gloss plum, gloss navy, matte brown, matte gray, and matte taupe). Enter now to win!

TO ENTER THIS FABULOUS GIVEAWAY

1. SIGN UP FOR THE ECOUTERRE NEWSLETTER. (This is important because we’ll be announcing our winner there.)

2. LEAVE A COMMENT BY JUNE 4 and tell us your favorite rainy-day activity. Although it doesn’t hurt to get fancy, we’ll be picking a winner at random.

Note: This contest is only open only to residents of the United States.

A Haunting Embrace Amid the Rubble of the Bangladesh Building Collapse

by Jasmin Malik Chua , 05/27/13 filed under: Featured, Worker Rights

Photo by Taslima Akhter

“I have been asked many questions about the photograph of the couple embracing in the aftermath of the [Rana Plaza building] collapse [in Bangladesh]. I have tried desperately, but have yet to find any clues about them…Every time I look back to this photo, I feel uncomfortable—it haunts me. It’s as if they are saying to me, we are not a number—not only cheap labor and cheap lives. We are human beings like you. Our life is precious like yours, and our dreams are precious, too.

They are witnesses in this cruel history of workers being killed. The death toll is now more than [1,127]. What a harsh situation we are in, where human beings are treated only as numbers.

This photo is haunting me all the time. If the people responsible don’t receive the highest level of punishment, we will see this type of tragedy again. There will be no relief from these horrific feelings. I’ve felt a tremendous pressure and pain over the past two weeks surrounded by dead bodies. As a witness to this cruelty, I feel the urge to share this pain with everyone. That’s why I want this photo to be seen.”

—Taslima Akhter, a Bangladeshi photographer and activist, writing in the May 8, 2013 edition of Time.

Fabrictionary

Orange Fiber: A High-Fashion Textile Derived From Citrus Waste

by Lea Stewart , 05/24/13 filed under: Fabrictionary

ORANGE FIBER \ˈôrənj ˈfībər\

n 1 a: A textile fiber made by extracting cellulose from citrus fruits. b: Said to release vitamins A, C, and E upon contact with skin, a result of natural citrus oils that are embedded in the fabric. c: A solution to the growing problem of citrus-waste disposal in southern Italy. 2 a: Developed by a trio of student-entrepreneurs in collaboration with Polytechnic University of Milan. b: One of the 10 projects selected for the Changemakers Expo Milano 2015. 3 a: The primary material used in fashion designer Adriana Santanocito’s Fall/Winter 2012 collection.

[Via C.L.A.S.S]

Here's the Shocking Video the Fur Industry Doesn't Want You to See

by Jasmin Malik Chua , 05/24/13 filed under: Animal Cruelty

Got fur? Chances are the hapless critter was raised and slaughtered on a fur farm in China, where cheap labor and lax or nonexistent regulations translate into fatter profit margins. On an undercover tour of facilities in the Hebei Province, investigators from Swiss Animal Protection, the largest animal-rights group in Switzerland, found horrors “beyond [their] worst imaginings.” “Conditions on Chinese fur farms make a mockery of the most elementary animal welfare standards,” they said. “In their lives and their unspeakable deaths, these animals have been denied even the simplest acts of kindness.” Above, the Chinese fur trade exposed in 60 seconds. (We can’t unsee this bloodcurdling gif, either.)

PREVIOUSLY ON ECOUTERRE: Raccoon Dogs Skinned Alive to Make Knockoff UGG Boots

Myrrhia's Fine Knitwear is Crafted in California From Organic Cotton

by Morgana Matus , 05/23/13 filed under: Features, Spring/Summer 2013, Women's Eco-Fashion

Photos by Emily Sandifer

This spring and summer, celebrate the warm weather with sustainable, lightweight knitwear from Myrrhia Fine Knitwear. Created from sustainable merino wool, cotton, and tencel by Oakland, California designer Myrrhia Resneck, each piece uses only fibers grown and spun in the USA. Self-admittedly obsessed with efficiency and carbon footprint, Resneck believes in the notions of nationalism and protectionism by establishing a domestic supply chain.