Nowadays, everyone seems to be throwing around the word sustainable like it’s going out of style (which would be ironic, right?). Every major clothing, soft drink and even energy company has some kind of initiative that is sure to make the world a better place all while creating the products we love to consume.

Last year, Gallant International started partnering with college campuses to spread more awareness (and our awesome totes!)  with younger consumers. We started this outreach because we are passionate for ethical businesses and believe in the power of conscious consumerism amongst all ages

What most consumers don’t know about this fluffy crop is that the production of cotton is extremely taxing on water and land resources--it can take more than 5000 gallons of water to produce 1kg of cotton:

That is equal to a single T-shirt and pair of jeans.

When most people think of organic, things like apples, coffee and lip balm come to mind. Other key words like expensive, premium and Wholefoods probably pop up somewhere in that grouping as well.

Have you ever thought about the person that made the clothing you’re wearing? How about the communities that weave, dye and package the bags you carry, the sweater that keeps you warm or the blanket that wraps you up before you fall asleep at night?

Well, let’s think for a second...where do all those plastic bags go after we finish using them (and usually only 1 time)?

Are you surprised? The average American goes through six shopping bags per week. With a population of roughly 323 million, that means almost 2 billion bags are used and discarded in America every week!

What exactly is Fair Trade, and why do we believe in it so much? It’s a term that gets thrown around a lot and can be controversial at times, with many critics saying that it doesn’t actually benefit workers. Because the Fair Trade economic model is at the heart of our mission as a social enterprise, we wanted to give you a history of the movement, why we chose to become Fair Trade certified, and how Fair Trade actually does make a difference in the lives of millions of cotton farmers in India.