I really dont think threadless is very green at all, the tee shirts are made in bangladesh, shipped to chicago, printed then distributed globally.

The problem is being ecological is very expensive, in an idea world threadless would have 4 distributions centres. The main office, the west coast, east cost and europe. Each distribution centre would use locally made tee shirts and print them locally so the tee shirts would travel a shorter distance.

But to have 4 offices and employ the staff needed would cost a fortune.

Its something that can be address when the company enjoys greater economies of scale. I'm sure it's something they think about. Jeff and Jake seem like the ethical sort.

yeah that too. I don't know if shipping by boat is that bad but I guess transporting with airplanes ain't gonna help with the global warming.

According the inc article they were thinking of setting up a european distribution centre and that will reduce the enviromental impact.

But there are alot of practical things threadless can do to improve things now such as using enviromentally friendly electronics and making the building energy effeicent. But again its a high investment cost but over time they will save money.

does anyone know about the shirts they use? these new threadless custom tees.

Not really mate, threadless have been pretty quite about it so far.

go check out howies.co.uk for some answers on how shirts can be resposibly made mikko, they're really big on being eco friendly, from the inks to the shirts to the presses and packaging. they even encourage you to send old shirts and shorts back to them so they can recycle the fabrics correctly.

Sadly, in terms of the global economy, now is the worst time to try to implement this kind of business change

aled you're right but in my opinion we've had it too good for too long. steven, thanks for the link, I'll look into that. sounds like a fresh business plan.

I completely agree. I would be a fantastic move. And one that might actually pay for itself in good publicity.

yep how about a 'threadless loves earth'? the winning shirt could be printed on organic cotton.

there's already a ton of nature themed designs in circulation every week, so why not a loves comp for that.

it's getting big business now actually, with a lot of companies adopting at least a section of their output into an eco-friendly line. fenchurch, burton, even highstreet chains are getting involved.

a threadless eco-line would be cool. they could release one or two a week like selects.

The thing about being organic is that it's not necessarily that great for the environment. Since it's so expensive, not all farmers opt to go that route. Because of that, there is a much higher cost of production and shipping. Think of how great big rig diesel trucks are for the environment. Now keep in mind that these types of trucks are needed to carry the products over farther distances because not so many farms are organic.

If the green-friendly trend continues to rise, then perhaps more farms will switch over to organic produce simply due to the demand. That still doesn't really solve the problem of growing enough for everybody though. And not everyone is willing to pay more for it. I'm still in debate if organic is the way to go just yet... I usually only buy it if it's convenient.

"a threadless eco-line would be cool. they could release one or two a week like selects."

yes. and they could try bamboo too. I'm not sure how well the screenprinting works on the material though.

I'd wear bamboo tees!

So, should we start officially lobbying Threadless?

I'm judging all of you

except priscilla

Id agree to that but Id like like tosee i hreadless was offsetting their carbon emissions.

aled, yes we should. I was hoping they would notice this thread and make a comment. but I can send them an email...fingers crossed that they reply.

maybe we should all send emails. mitch, get with the program.

haha. I'd love to, mikko! but this is totally teh ghey.

maybe when I'm done offsetting my LG Shine's carbon emissions though

Now that Threadless is making their own tees, would it be easier or more difficult for them to make environmentally friendly shirts? Also, would buyers be willing to pay more for shirts like that?

I searched for some info on bamboo shirts, here's what I found

- most bamboo shirt manufacturers use a mixture of bamboo and organic cotton to get the best result (about 70 % bamboo, 30 % cotton)
- bamboo shirts feel incredibly soft, almost like cashmere or silk
- the material is naturally anti-bacterial
- it would probably be a little bit more expensive, but would be good for a select

and from the bamboosa faq:

q. - does the bamboo fabric work for screen printing?
a. - yes, bamboo fabric prints beautifully, although we do recommend that you use waterbase inks - this fabric is too beautiful and natural to put the chemically laden plastisol inks on it.

http://www.sitv.com/blogs/whatshot/wp-content/uploads/GREEN.NEW.K.jpg
bamboo

V&V - If Threadless for example - only had 3 tee colours in 'eco-fabric' (whatever it end up being) then they can include them in the template and designers can state whether the design is meant for the eco-fabric tees and people can vote on them, knowing that if they are printed, they may cost a little more... perhaps? It would have to start as a division of the current line. It would be too big a change to make overnight.

Plus - why do I instinctively imagine an eco-tee is going to be itchy like a burlap sack? :|

hmm because recycled paper isn't quite first grade? I don't think it would be the case with organic cotton or bamboo.

Does anyone know how much more the bamboo shirts would cost than a regular shirt? I took a quick look at AA's site and the sustainable tees are $3 more.

I'm still wondering if it's even in the realm of possibility for Threadless to make bamboo shirts with their own brand of tees.

Threadless DEF seems like the kind of place that will become more GREEN as soon as possible for them economically.

I'd love it if this was economically viable and actually environmentally beneficial. It would only be a realistic business option if they could pass the cost onto the customer without losing custom. Threadless tees are still dirt cheap (By UK standards) so paying more for an eco-rad tee would be cool by me.

Bamboo shirts!? Are you crazy? Like the panda isn't endangered enough without you stealing it's food to make your so called 'eco' shirts.

I would pay more for a more eco-friendly product. and I don't mean they would have to change all of their products at once.

Says fatheed who will never have to pay for a shirt, ever.

Ever.

tonteau, organic cotton then?

this is sort of in response to vv on how its not exactly eco friendly because a lot of farmers arent because of the expense.

I guess the idea would be the more companies that decide to go green, or even just add an eco friendly line, the more demand there will be and the more likely that other farms will go that way as well. So although it may not be completely eco-friendly at the moment, hopefully it will be a push in the right direction.

lol 4 rlz @ "eco-rad"

What's worse for the environment... growing cotton or shipping over a crapload of bamboo to make shirts? What kind of processes do they use to make bamboo a nice material for fabric? Are those processes detrimental to the environment at all?

Don't get me wrong... I'm all for protecting the environment. But I feel more strongly about supporting local farmers and buying locally than I do about using or not using cotton.

Yet again the internet fails me in its communication of my facetiousness.

I'm sure the bamboo they use is farmed sustainably or something.
What about hemp shirts are they any cop?

priscilla, I'm sure there are good and bad qualities to both materials. I'm not an expert on the matter. however, it would be nice if threadless looked into - for example - organic cotton, and if it's possible for them to make a test run with it.

and eco-rad is a cool term.

try to stop bamboo from growing.. Bamboo is an invasive plant..

I'm still judging all of you

except priscilla

Yeah, I see your point. If it's something that's feasible, cost efficient and in the long run better for the environment then it would be great if they looked into it. Does anyone know how much of a difference it would make for the environment if Threadless went that route though?

©Eco-Rad

Also, if you consider the processes of producing a shirt, the screen printing and all of the shipping involved, isn't a t-shirt, even with organic cotton, still bad for the environment?

@ Tont - I did think about that after I typed it... But it's a principal thing :P

If it's any consolation, I've paid through the nose for customs charges!

yeah, it is. we should all be buying used.. but well if we arent we should do what we can i guess

Here's the thing... I really admire your spirit and the fact that this is such a noble cause. I just think there are better, more feasible and more impacting ways to be kind to the environment.

i posted this in another blog and i don't know if it is still pertainant this far into the conversation...


readymade magazine

"Here's the thing... I really admire your spirit and the fact that this is such a noble cause. I just think there are better, more feasible and more impacting ways to be kind to the environment."

I'm not sure if you're adressing this to me but anyways...the point for me is to get a positive message across, to get the ball moving. unlike many other multi-million companies, threadless actually listens to its clients. at least if we get enough users behind one cause. so if we want threadless to act a little bit green, maybe they will listen.

and even if we don't save the planet with this, it's still worth doing. you know, it's the little things that count. threadless has thousands upon thousands of users and I believe they really can affect peoples opinions. not to mention most of the user base is in the right age to make a substantial change.

it's not about saving the rainforests by switching to organic cotton but to make people think greener.

That's true... even if it just raises awareness then maybe that is benefit enough. Have you tried contacting one of the staff members to see if this is something they would be interested in doing?