IT’S TIME TO MEET YOUR (FAVOURITE BRAND’S) MAKER…

It seems like with every generation, we become incrementally more aware of our impact on our environment. Not only that, but older generations too — are being educated about their carbon footprint by their kids, or grandkids… which is definitely a good thing. Gone are the days where we’d mindlessly purchase throw-away products without at least for a minute, considering what it cost the earth to make. And brands are ‘cotton-ing’ on-to (this is a hilariously relevant pun, which you’ll get if you read on…) the benefits of including traceability into their production line and messaging. 

Whether you grow your own fruit and vegetables and wear only up-cycled clothes, or whether you’re just beginning to have an inquiry into the origin of your food, wardrobe and household goods — we’re on this journey together — and we could all use a little guidance when it comes to choosing the best brands for our families and our planet. So, here are a few of our favourites, hero-ing both families in business AND traceability of product! 

GOOD EARTH COTTON 

Fashions and personal styles change like the wind. Keeping up with both generally means a trip to the nearest Westfield, or an online shopping spree one Friday night (usually for us, after a few glasses of wine…) every few months — to nab the best bargains around. And thanks to the ‘fast-fashion’ movement, one can basically re-invent their entire ‘look’ for a manageable financial hit. The problem is, a lot of these ‘affordable’ brands may be sustainable for our bank accounts, but they aren’t for the environment. Those super cheap singlets, jumpers and jeans are cheap for a reason… probably not one you want to face either. Often, huge franchise brands will cut costs by producing their clothes in countries with lower ethical worker-standards with below minimum wages and they’ll buy the fabrics from un-traceable sources. 

Why should we care? Well basically, when you don’t know where the materials your clothes are made from have been sourced, you don’t know if they were grown in an environmentally sustainable way. Fabrics like cotton are made from something that at one point, sprouted from our actual earth’s ground and had to be tended to by farmers. With zero traceability of where the cottons come from, comes zero ACCOUNTABILITY for the way they are produced. This is where Good Earth Cotton comes in. With a focus on traceability and minimisation of carbon footprints, Good Earth Cotton is a pioneer in this space, offering a 100% guarantee to fashion-industry-buyer-ey types that the cottons they purchase through them — have been grown by farmers with a passion for sustainability. And, have been ethically produced in a way that has caused absolutely minimal disruption to the environment. YAY. 

The story they tell is that traditionally farmers sell their cotton through auctions. Fashion houses then buy the cotton from the auction purchaser. The issue arises when the cottons of higher standard, are mixed in with and diluted by cottons from other sources with no traceability. Making it impossible to know if the clothes on your back have caused environmental devastation in their creation, or were made consciously. To truly know we’re looking out for our planet, we have to know the cotton that makes up the clothes we choose to buy is sustainably sourced. Enter; Good Earth Cotton. And they aren’t mucking around. By using FibreTrace technology, they’re able to disrupt this unsustainable practice and trace cottons from ‘seed to shelf’. 

So, when you’re next frantically scaling your wardrobe for something new and cool to wear — and you find nothing. Instead of racing to the nearest giant chain store to pick up some ‘cute and cheap’ options, spend a little more time researching clothing brands. Go on, do it for the planet. See if they’ve used Good Earth Cotton in their production line, or at least just see if they talk about being aware of traceable cottons on their website. It might take a little longer, it might cost a little more — but the time it will save and the damage it won’t cost our planet, is more important than ‘cheap and easy’. 

• 

• 

• 

WE THE WILD 

From clothing to cleaning, let’s get right into the next one. 

Hands up if you’ve ever been gifted a beautiful house or garden plant, only to have to shamefully hide it months later when it’s inevitably dead (or dying) and the gifter has come to visit… come on, you’ve all done it. Well lucky for you guys, we’ve gone ahead and found a way to solve that little conundrum. The solution is; We The Wild. Founded by a fabulous couple, this family business is helping us take care of our plants AND Australia’s plants too. They’ve gone to an insurmountable level of care to ensure their products are: 

• Fully certified organic (NASAA approved and everything)
• Australian made
• Housed in environmentally friendly, recyclable packaging
• And most importantly, sustainably sourced with FULLY traceable ingredients. 

Not only are their formulas scientifically proven to actually work, but they also promise that “every ingredient, in every drop or grain can be traced back to the patch of dirt from which it came.” We LOVE. 

So, for those of you whose gardening or plantcare skills are a little (or a lot) lacklustre. Get onto We The Wild. They’ve even got an ‘essential care kit’ for the super hopeless of us who don’t even know where to start (that’s us), full of plant-loving bacteria, enzymes and nutrients that are safe and healthy for your plants! And for every product you buy, they plant a tree to help rebuild some of the most fragile ecosystems in the world — including our very own bushfire devastation zones. 

• 

• 

• 

THE AUSTRALIAN SUPERFOOD CO

Last but certainly not least, we’d like to chat about The Australian Superfood Co. Founded by Certified Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist Hayley Blieden in 2015, The Australian Superfood Co celebrates native Australian ingredients and the Indigenous communities producing them. 

We’ve all heard of the ‘superfood’ movement, and this is what sparked Hayley’s interest in the benefits of such ingredients for nutritional healing. But, she took it a step further and became consumed in learning about and understanding specifically AUSTRALIAN superfoods. The journey took her to Alice Springs, where she immersed herself in Indigenous culture, and experienced the taste and benefits of these ingredients that have sustained Indigneous communities for so long. Hayley’s mission has been to influence us to include her superfood powders, teas and dried fruits in our everyday life. Both inside, and outside of our bodies. 

Bush apple, Davidson Plum, Desert lime, Finger lime, Kakadu plum… are just some of the incredibly unique ingredients found in Hayley’s products. And they obviously work, because since the brand’s inception — it’s amassed over 20k followers on social media and found a permanent place on hit-show Masterchef Australia and can also be found in a number of natural cosmetic lines. Now that we’ve rattled off for a while about how great these products are — let’s get into the reason we’re all here… to discuss the SOURCE. One thing The Australian Superfood Co does that really sets them apart, is the thing we’re all about this month — they trace their product. They’re fully transparent about the growers, their farms and where absolutely every ingredient comes from. You can even meet the growers on their website, most of which are hard working Aussie families (which you know we also love). So really, what’s NOT to love about this brand? Nothing. The answer is nothing, we love everything about them and we’re confident you will to — go check them out. 

• 

• 

• 

Learn more about Good Earth Cotton, We The Wild and The Australian Superfood Co.