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Sharkah Chakra claims to have launched the first ever Fairtrade, organic luxury jeans. The company have a thorough green approach, that includes carbon-offsetting, recycled packaging and using a green energy provider to power their offices.
Whilst some high street stores will produce a pair of jeans in six weeks, Sharkah Chakra (which means ‘hand make life’) takes a reassuringly lengthy six months. It begins in Mali where the organic cotton is handpicked, before it goes to rural Southern India to be handwoven. The weaver even signs each pair of jeans -- to create 'a connection between the wearer and the maker'. By recruiting hand weavers, Sharkah Chakra say they are providing vital employment in rural areas -- it also means that no electricity is needed to power the hand looms.
The denim is dyed using natural plant extract of indigofera. Sharkah Charka say they are the only denim brand in the world to use this to make all of its denim. The dying process takes a month per batch, and fabric is dried by the sun. All the dye waste from the jeans is also recycled and being natural is not harmful to the environment. The fabric is then sent to Italy to be stitched and given finishing touches like the part recycled, 9ct gold plated buttons.
In terms of packaging, the company's green credentials are pretty impressive. The brown paper is recycled and the tissue paper is non toxic, biodegradable and sourced from a sustainable forest. Raffia ties are made from the bark of sustainable trees, labels and brochures are printed using vegetable dyes, while the paper is made from 50 per cent recycled waste and 50 per cent FSC-certified wood sourced nearby. The peacock feathers 'gift' customers receive may not be entirely necessary -- or welcome to supersticious folk -- but at least they're collected during the bird's malting season.
Throughout their production, the jeans do seem to rack up more air miles than a BA frequent flyer, but Sharkah Chakra do use green power from ecotricity to power its offices and also offset the emissions produced in the transportation and manufacture of the jeans through co2balance who support sustainable energy projects such as providing the Masai Mara region in Kenya with free energy efficient light bulbs.
The jeans cost £195 and are available to buy only on Sharkah Chakra's website or at Harvey Nicholls.
13 December 2007 10:31pm
Shame they use Ecotricity who have proved themselves to act UNETHICAL - just take a look at the whichgreen.org website which has a league of the green tariffs where Ecotricity are at the top - not surprising considering they run the website. What a joke! Go with Good Energy - 100% renewable & they act ethically.
14 December 2007 03:10pm
Hi Neil - I've got to jump in here wearing my personal hat rather than work one. I'm on an Ecotricity New Energy Plus tariff and I like what they do. I also like what Good Energy do. I agree that launching Whichgreen and tucking Ecotricity's name away on the About Us page was a bad call, but that's modern marketing - I think calling them unethical's too strong. A better comparison of the green tariffs is on Energywatch's site (http://www.energywatch.org.uk/help_and_advice/green_tariffs/tariff_types.asp)
15 December 2007 04:49pm
Hi Adam - I also got to see a representative from Ecotricity at the Organic & Natural Products Exhibition in London this year at one of the Soil Association's seminars. When asked about supporting individuals generating renewable energy, they dismissed the good work that Good Energy are doing in this area. I also don't think 'modern marketing' is a decent excuse for their behaviour, its not like Good Energy have gone out to make them look bad.
Thanks for the link, its a good and easy to use table/information they have there.
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