T-shirt Consumption of Student Groups on the Cornell Campus. Nora Barlow Chelsea Clarke Stephanie Wege

Transcription

1 T-shirt Consumption of Student Groups on the Cornell Campus Nora Barlow Chelsea Clarke Stephanie Wege

2 Background Environmental Impacts of Conventional Cotton Conventional cotton is the most toxin-intensive fiber in the world. It uses 25% of the world's agricultural pesticides and herbicides but only uses 2.4% of the farmland. 46 insecticides and acaricides (used to control ticks and mites) make up 90% of all pesticides used on cotton. Of these, five are classified as extremely hazardous, eight as highly hazardous and 20 as moderately hazardous. Conventional cotton requires 1/3 of a pound of pesticides and herbicides to produce enough for a typical t-shirt and 3/4 of a pound for a pair of jeans! Water and soil downstream from cotton fields are contaminated with pesticide and herbicide runoff. This pollution affects the biodiversity in the downstream area. Human health is also compromised for farm workers and local populations because of the high use of pesticides. It is estimated that 20,000 people are killed and three million are poisoned annually from pesticide use. The major environmental impacts of conventional cotton are habitat conversion, soil erosion and degradation, agrochemical use and water use and contamination. Only three percent of cotton is grown organically but even this does not necessarily address excessive use of water and other resource issues. Resource issues can be seen on the consumption side of t-shirt production as well. Americans throw away about 70 pounds of clothes a year, 80% of which ends up in landfills. The sheer amount of waste calls for a behavior change from the throw-away mentality to reduce consumption and encourage reuse. Social Impacts of Sweatshops From the view of Western society, the idea of sweatshops is ethically unacceptable. However, in poor, developing countries there are few occupational alternatives to sweatshop employment. T- shirts are commonly produced in poor Central American countries such as Honduras and El Salvador. The working conditions in these sweatshops are hazardous; filled with dust, lint, and noisy machinery; and are overcrowded. An assembly line of 15 workers may be required to produce 15 shirts every 3 minutes. This has the potential to generate about 3,400 shirts daily. The workers are paid an average of US $7 a day, which means that each shirt is valued at only 3 cents. The average annual wage in these countries is less than US $2,500 (SewGreen, World Wildlife Federation). 1

3 T-shirt Purchasing Practices at Cornell: Survey Survey Statement Cotton farming is one of the most environmentally destructive agriculture methods due to the large amount of pesticides and other agricultural toxins used, which become absorbed into soil and nearby water sources. In addition, many of the cheap cotton t-shirts are produced by exploited men, women, and children working in sweatshops in developing countries. Once the clothing is made, it is often packed and shipped large distances, requiring large amounts of fossil fuel, from place of manufacture to retail outlets. The purpose of this survey is to gather information on t-shirt ordering practices of student groups at Cornell University. This project is being conducted in association with the department of City and Regional Planning and SewGreen, a local Ithaca community not-for-profit organization that promotes sustainability and responsible consumerism. The results will be used to determine the extent of group purchasing of t-shirts on campus and to provide groups with more sustainable options for purchasing t-shirts in the future. Your participation in this survey is voluntary, and the information will only be linked to your student organization, and not to any individuals within the student group. This information will not be published. This is a brief survey consisting of 14 questions. Please answer these questions to the best of your knowledge. Questions 1. Name of your organization. 2. How many students are in your organization? 3. What is the approximate number of t-shirt typically ordered in a year by your organization? How many events per year do you order t-shirts for?

4 5+ 5. Where do you purchase the majority of your t-shirts from? 3. What is the intended us of your t-shirts? For group member use For giveaways/promotion Other: 3. Each year, approximately how many shirts are never used or distributed by your organization? If applicable, what is the preferred disposal method for unused shirts? Dump and Run Salvation Army/Goodwill Trash Reuse of t-shirt material for fabric Hand-me-down Other: 3. What are the primary considerations when ordering t-shirts? Low Cost Environmentally Sustainable Fabrics and Inks (organic cotton, recycled materials, natural dyes) Fair Labor Practices (no sweatshops, workers paid a living wage) Other 10. Before this survey, were you aware of the associated environmental and social (labor) consequences? 11. Have you ever purchased environmentally friendly organic cotton t-shirts instead of conventional t- shirts? 12. Have you ever considered other sustainable promotional items such as tote bags made from recycled materials? 13. If an equally priced alternative option such as environmentally friendly t-shirts or fair trade products were available, would you purchase them? 3. If this alternative option were more expensive is it likely that you would still purchase them? No Unlikely Likely Highly Likely Definitely 3

5 Groups Targeted We tried to target a fairly representative sample in terms of categories of student groups: fraternities/sororities, club sports, acapella groups, dance groups, fundraising groups, residential organizations, etc. s were sent to representatives from the following groups: Table 1 Fraternities/Sororities Interfraternity Council Psi Upsilon Pi Delta Psi Pan-Hellenic Association Seal and Serpent Sigma Gamma Rho Multicultural Greek Letter Sigma Alpha Epsilon Sigma Lambda Upsilon Council Sigma Alpha Mu Alpha Chi Omega ACACIA Sigma Chi Alpha Epsilon Phi Alpha Delta Phi Sigma Chi Delta Alpha Phi Alpha Epsilon Pi Sigma Nu Alpha Xi Delta Alpha Gamma Rho Sigma Phi Delta Delta Delta Alpha Sigma Phi Sigma Phi Epsilon Delta Gamma Alpha Tau Omega Tau Epsilon Phi Kappa Alpha Theta Alpha Zeta Tau Kappa Epsilon Kappa Delta Beta Theta Pi Theta Delta Chi Kappa Kappa Gamma Chi Phi Theta Xi Pi Beta Phi Chi Psi Zeta Beta Tau Sigma Delta Tau Delta Chi Zeta Psi Delta Kappa Epsilon Alpha Kappa Alpha Delta Phi Alpha Kappa Delta Phi Delta Tau Delta Alpha Phi Alpha Delta Upsilon Delta Sigma Theta Kappa Alpha Iota Phi Theta Kappa Delta Rho Kappa Alpha Psi Kappa Sigma Kappa Phi Lambda Lambda Chi Alpha Lambda Phi Epsilon Phi Delta Theta Lambda Pi Chi Phi Gamma Delta Lambda Theta Alpha Phi Kappa Psi Lambda Theta Phi Phi Kappa Tau Lambda Upsilon Lambda Phi Sigma Kappa Omega Phi Beta Pi Kappa Alpha Phi Beta Sigma Pi Kappa Phi 4

6 Large Organizations March of Dimes Collegiate Council Welcome Weekend Big Red Relief CU Tonight Commission Class of 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 Dorms Carl Becker House Alice Cook House Hans Bethe House William Keeton House Sports Intramural Sports Council Club Sport Council Men s Club Lacrosse Sailing Club Ski and Snowboard Club Squash Club Dance/ Music The Touchtones BASE Productions Amber Dance Troupe Beketsev Israeli Dance Caribbean Students Association Dance Ensemble Impact Dance Troupe On Tap Dance Troupe Pandora Dance Troupe Shadows Dance Troupe Teszia Belly Dance Troupe Other Americans for Informed Democracy Cornell Health International Cornell Design League Groups Responses Of the groups targeted, we received only 21 responses from student groups on campus. This is significant when one considers that there are currently 688 fully registered student groups at Cornell, with 136 groups currently in the process of being registered. This figure does not include fraternities or sororities, of which there are approximately 70. 5

7 Results Figure 1 One of the primary focuses of our project was to determine which student groups purchase the highest quantities of t-shirts. To do this, we grouped similar student groups into categories based on organization type. While our survey only includes 21 student organizations, this information can be extrapolated to make estimates about t-shirt purchasing practices of many student organizations. On average, large student organizations, those that typically buy t-shirts for promotion or giveaway at well-publicized events open to all Cornell students, buy the most t-shirts per year with an estimated number of 325 t-shirts ordered per year*. In addition, sports groups, varsity, club, and intramural, may consume the second highest amount at about 238 t-shirts per year. Fraternities and Sororities purchase about 175 t-shirts per year for member-use at various events. Our survey targeted West Campus dorms, however, this data can be extrapolated to North Campus dorms. With our findings of an average of 175 t-shirts per year purchased by each West Campus dorm, we conclude that overall residence hall t-shirt purchases constitute a large amount of the total t-shirt consumption on the Cornell Campus. Dance groups and groups in our Other category that consisted of smaller interest-based organizations purchase fewer t-shirts, but with 688 registered student groups, these groups could also represent substantial consumers of t-shirts at Cornell. *This number may be significantly larger due to the ambiguity of our survey question. For organizations that answered in the 301+ range of t-shirts, we have no way of knowing the average number of t-shirts ordered per year. For consistency, we used 400 as the average number for answers in the 301+ range. 6

8 Figure 2 Considering the amounts of t-shirts purchased per year by student organizations, we were curious as to how many events these numbers of t-shirts represents. Typically, student organization order for one or two events. Many smaller groups such as dance troupes order t-shirts once per year, but large organizations that exist to host one event per year also order t-shirts solely for this one event. Many sports groups, fraternities, and dorms order for two events per year. Our results show that organizations ordering for 5 or more events include sororities or large organizations. Many fraternities and sororities order t-shirts for events such as Slope Day and as advertisements for group fundraising events. However, the use of t-shirts as advertisements may be achieved through other more sustainable means. 7

9 Figure 3 The majority of respondents used t-shirts for group or individual use (within organization). Only the large student organizations (fundraising and promotional groups) did not use any t-shirts for member use within the organization. 8

10 Figure 4 Most of our respondents do not use t-shirts for giveaways and promotional use. As is shown from the previous graph, some organizations use t-shirts for both giveaways and member use. These organizations using t-shirts as giveaways include large organizations and dorms*. The question wording may have been vague, causing Yes responses to be slightly higher than the actual percentage. *One dance organization responded Yes to the question, but we speculate that this is due to the wording of the question. 9

11 Figure 5 Another primary concern of our project was the amount of unused or wasted t-shirts by each organization per year. We found that the organizations using t-shirts for promotional use or giveaways had the highest number of unused t-shirts (large organizations and dorms). Organizations in the Other category had the third highest average of unused t-shirts, but this number is not representative with such a small sample size, and will vary widely from group to group with a larger sample. Fraternities and sororities, sports groups, and dance groups had few unused t-shirts. This result is most likely due to their practices of ordering for member use and for those members that have requested a shirt. 10

12 Figure 6 Five of the 21 groups surveyed stated that they donate unused t-shirts to Salvation Army and/or Goodwill. Three stated that they reused the fabric for other events. Nine groups gave others the leftover t-shirts as hand-me downs. In the Other category, two groups said that other members from their group would wear the unused shirts. Four groups said that they would save the shirts and use them next year. Three groups responded that all of their shirts were used, so no disposal method is needed. Surprisingly, no student group surveyed stated that they threw unused t-shirts into the trash. This is a positive sign as it implies that groups would rather reuse or recycle t-shirts rather than throw them away. 11

13 Figure 7 The overwhelming majority of groups surveyed, 18 out of 21, stated that their primary concern when purchasing t-shirts was the affordable cost. Only one group surveyed stated that environmental concerns influenced their t-shirt purchasing behavior. Three groups were influenced by labor practices and social costs. Of the six groups that responded Other, some stated such combinations as: Awesome looking/good fit/comfortable, Design and comfort, Used clothing, Buying locally, and Value- cost, quality, aesthetics. Since more than one concern could be chosen, there were more than 21 responses given for this question. 12

14 Figure 8 Approximately 12 groups responded that they were not aware of environmental and social ills of t-shirt production while the remaining nine stated that they were. Approximately 13 of the groups surveyed stated that they have never before purchased environmentally-friendly organic cotton t-shirts while about 8 responded that they have. However, those that have purchased environmentally-friendly t-shirts may have done so for personal rather than group use. It is difficult to determine if the purchase was made for group-use given the general wording of the question. Approximately 12 groups surveyed have considered using alternative sustainable items for promotional purposes, while about 9 have not. An overwhelming majority, 20 out of 21 of the student groups surveyed stated that they would purchase a sustainable alternative if the option were available to them at an equal price to conventional t-shirts. 13

15 Figure 9 A majority of the groups surveyed, 52%, stated that they would be unlikely to purchase an alternative item if it was more expensive that a conventionally priced item. Twenty-nine percent said that they would be likely to purchase an alternative item that was more expensive. Fourteen-percent stated that they would be highly likely to purchase a more expensive alternative item. Only 5% said they would not purchase such an item. There were no groups that stated that they would purchase such an item for sure. Interestingly, the West campus residential units stated that they would be likely to purchase an alternative that was more expensive while most of the student groups tended to side on the unlikely side. This discrepancy might be due to the financial power that the house deans of the West campus residential units hold and their rather stable funds. In comparison, student groups rely more on fluctuating funds from fundraising and so cost may be more of a concern. 14

16 Place of Purchase Table 2 Custom Ink 8 PSP Unlimited 4 American Apparel 3 Adminders 2 Cayuga Press 1 Various Places 2 Unsure 2 Online* 1 Used clothing stores to silk-screen our own 1 shirts *Vague specification of place of purchase by one respondent Custom Ink is an online company most likely chosen for its reliability and user-friendly website. They offer a few environmentally and socially sustainable options to customers, for a higher cost. They boast such t-shirt options as: edun LIVE organic, American Apparel, American Apparel organic, Anvil organic, as well as organic totes. PSP Unlimited is a local company, based in Ithaca. They specialize in screen-printing, embroidery, and promotional products. The company caters to New York s collegiate and scholastic institutions and many businesses. The company s clients include: Cornell University, Cornell Athletics, Corning Museum of Glass, Ithaca Coffee, Purity Ice Cream, Welliver Maguire, The Grass Roots Festival, Ithaca College, Hartwick College Athletics, The LPGA Corning Classic, as well as several emergency service departments, restaurants, and school districts. Based on the information available on the website, the company does not offer sustainable fabric options, but organizations can bring their own shirts to the company for screen-printing. Adminders is a local promotional products distributor. They offer many environmentally friendly items such as a bamboo USB flash drive, recycled denim pencils, recycled totes and bags, Anvil and UltraClub organic t-shirts, and bamboo baseball hats. They supply products for many Cornell Organizations including Cornell Cooperative Extension, the ILR School, Cornell Law School, and ecornell. Cayuga Press is also local, located on East Hill Plaza, Ithaca, N.Y. The company offers copy center services, screen-printing, embroidery, full color printing, and promotional items. They claim: Your local solution for eco-friendly and green alternative products. To back up this statement, the company offers organic and recycled totes and different varieties of organic t-shirts and other clothing items. An environmental organization on the Cornell campus, the Science of Natural and Environmental Systems (SNES) student group specified that they buy t-shirts from used clothing stores to silk screen their own shirts at events for group member use. Perhaps the opportunity exists for SNES to collaborate with local organizations and student groups to provide silk-screening on campus. This would add convenience and possibly reduce cost for sustainably made t-shirts. 15

17 Recommendations for Future Sampling For future surveys, a representative sample might be achieved through the use of a random number generator, which assigns a number to each student organization and then randomly draws numbers or groups to be surveyed. Random samples generate results that are more widely applicable to the entirety of a sample. A stratified random sample might be used as well. In this research design, each organization could be stratified by type of student group and then a random sample could be taken from within each stratum. We attempted a modified version of a stratified random sample, but it degenerated somewhat into a convenience sample in which we ended up targeting groups that we had contact with and groups that our contacts had connections to (a snowball sample). A note on low-response rate In the future, better responses might be elicited if we exploit social networks such as facebook. If a group had been created on facebook, we could have sent a notice to our friends with an invitation to join in our efforts and to take the survey. A note might have also been made to have members invite individuals that they know in student groups in a snowball design. Obviously with more time, we might have elicited more responses as well. 16

18 Case Study: edun LIVE on Campus Edun LIVE on Campus (ELOC) is a socially conscious t-shirt distribution program that provides sustainable employment in sub-saharan Africa. The project, managed by students, targets campus organizations that use t-shirts because students are socially aware, and they buy a lot of t-shirts. Students within these organizations can support the cause by ordering customized t-shirts from ELOC. The project was established in 2006 at Miami University by a faculty member, Brett Smith, with a team of 15 undergraduate students. Within the first few weeks of operation, the team filled 24 orders and sold about 2600 t-shirt. Currently, the team handles 8-15 orders per month and has sold over 6,000 t-shirts in total. The team is expanding, adding 17 new members in order to keep up with the increasing demand (ELOC 2008). Not only do students work to sell these shirts, but also student graphic designers work on the project to ensure aesthetic appeal (Peters 2008). It is currently only operating on Miami University s Campus, with a goal to expand ELOC to 40 or more campuses by Ohio State was the first university to sign on this year. Among the others are Gonzaga University, Tufts, University, and Simmons College. "It's nice if we sell 10,000 or 20,000 here. But multiply that by 100 campuses and that's social change," Smith said. (Baverman 2008) Not only does edun LIVE support sustainable socioeconomic development, but they value environmental conservation by using 100 percent certified organic cotton t-shirts and encouraging farmers to transition from conventional cotton farming to organic farming through a partnership with the Wildlife Conservations Society called the Conservation Cotton Initiative (Edun LIVE 2008). ELOC has many other partners that make its reach of impact broad and contribute to its successes. Zazzle, a website allowing customers to customize blank t-shirts and other items. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Organic Exchange Many African organizations Distributors Screen Printers Promotional Websites for advertisement This study of edun LIVE brings hope to the situation on the Cornell campus and may be a successful solution if the program was implemented at Cornell University. 17

19 Suggestions for Individual and Group T-shirt Use from SewGreen Consider whether t-shirts are really needed. Would the intended recipients be just as happy with a group photo, a gift certificate, or a good meal? Would an alternative, such as a reusable tote made from recycled materials, be a good substitute? If shirts are needed to identify staff at an event, set up a way for them to be returned, laundered, and reused Still need shirts? Order from a source that will provide organic cotton shirts printed with nontoxic inks Remember your purchase and distribution of t-shirts is only part of the entire product life cycle. Order only as many shirts as you need and have a plan for responsible disposal of any leftovers. Before you order, contact the vendor and ask for product information, for example: Are the shirts 100 % certified organic cotton? Are the dyes non-toxic? Is the ink used for printing non-toxic? If not, ask if the shirts can be shipped directly to a nontoxic printer. Ask what recycled means. Is the product 100 percent recycled? Where is the product made? Are the workers adults who are paid fairly and treated with respect for their health and wellbeing? How far must the products be shipped? If you have a choice, consider using a vendor that is closer to you. Go for quality over quantity. Buy classic styles that will always look good regardless of shortlived fashion trends. Buy vintage, second-hand, and refashioned clothing. Check the labels for organic and earth-friendly fabrics, Fair Trade, and union-made clothing. Do you own refashioning and reuse sewing. Make small repairs that will keep an article of clothing wearable longer. Find a seamstress or tailor you like and have good-quality apparel custom-made or altered to fit. Pass on clothes you no longer want by having a clothing swap, donating them to thrift and charity shops, or selling on consignment. 18

20 Alternative fabrics for clothing and other items The results of this investigation into campus t-shirt use can be applied to the purchasing of any clothing item in our everyday lives. When evaluating the sustainability of clothing fabric, the life cycle of the fabric should be considered since environmental damage can occur at all stages of the apparel supply chain. For example, production of polyester, a popular fabric in the apparel industry, requires high-energy inputs and produces emissions (Global Warming Focus 2008). Detailing textiles requires high water and energy inputs and produces effluent (Global Warming Focus 2008). Qualities that influence life cycle such as stain and odor resistance should also be considered. Cotton produced through conventional means leads to limited life-cycle items. However, more sustainable fabrics include: Merino wool is a fabric that is breathable and therefore whisks away perspiration and resists odors. Merino is biodegradable. Merino Wool- Hemp- Hemp does not require the use of pesticides for high-yields. It also holds color rather easily. Because hemp fiber is not changed structurally, it easily degrades. It has been used by Emporio Armani. Linen Linen production requires half of the water and a fifth of the pesticide inputs that conventional cotton does. Linen is biodegradable and can be recycled as well. Whereas other fabrics must be chemically altered for use as clothing, linen only needs to be physically amended. Tencel - Tencel is derived from eucalyptus wood. It does not harm the environment because its production process is closed-loop (does not create waste). Modal Modal, though it is chemically processed, it has minimal environmental impacts in terms of emissions and water usage. It is also biodegradable. 19

21 Sorona Sorona is comprised of 40% renewable materials and is derived from corn sugar. It fully absorbs color at the boiling point of water without requiring heat or pressure inputs. Soy Soybeans can be produced with smaller amounts of pesticides than required by cotton. As a fabric, soy has UV protection and whisks away moisture. Bamboo- Bamboo is known for its fast-growth and regeneration. As a fabric it is breathable and has antibacterial properties. (Chang 2007) Web-based resources for responsible clothing purchasing:

22 References Anonymous, (2008, March 3). Research and Markets; Organic Cotton is Being Adopted by High Profile Companies such as C&A, Coop, Nike, Wal-Mart, and Woolworth s - Green Textiles and Apparel. Global Warming Focus, Retrieved December 1st, Baverman, Laura. (2008, February 22). Miami University students, humble T-shirt take on world. Business Courier of Cincinnati. Retrieved December 4, 2008 from Chang, Jenni (2007, April 2). Environmental Friends; Eleven Fabrics at the Forefront of the Eco- Revolution. DNR. 37: 26. Edun LIVE. (2008). EDUN LIVE Mission Statement. Retrieved December 4, 2008 from ELOC. (2008). Edun LIVE on Campus. Retrieved December 4, 2008 from Peters, Alison. (2008, November 11). Give a man a T-shirt and you clothe him for a day. Teach a man to make a T-shirt and he s clothed for a lifetime: What s next for EDUN Live on Campus. The Miami Student. Retrieved December 4, 2008 from A.Man.A.TShirt.And.You.Clothe.Him.For.A.Day.Teach.A.Man.To.Make.A.TShirt.A shtml SewGreen. (2008). Ethical Shopping - Sew Green. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from World Wildlife Federation. (2008, August 8). WWF-Cotton. Retrieved December 3, 2008, from on/index.cfm 21