Is your underwear carbon neutral?

The Copenhagen summit for climate change is making the world question whether Barack Obama's "new deal" was any different from Bush's where it concerns climate, and hope of sealing a full climate treaty is dwindling. In contrast, the world of fashion is dotted with individuals and initiatives that could teach the leaders of developed economies a stylish lesson or two, says Shweta Shiware

In Sri Lanka
Their undergarments are 100% carbon neutral
The brand: Marks & Spencer (M&S)
Category: Innerwear
Factory in: Thurulie
Dotted with paradoxes, Sri Lanka has quickly dusted off its war-torn image to transform into a country where traffic jams appear around colossal and calm streetside statues of the Buddha. As part of the Sri Lanka Design Festival, held earlier this month, a handful of journalists were able to witness the initiatives taken on by the local apparel industry to put the island firmly on the sustainable development map. The delegates were packed off in a bus to Thurulie, a two-hour drive from Colombo, where the world's first green factory stands. It's here that 2,00,000 bras and underwear are manufactured every year. A household name in innerwear the world over, including India, high-street chain Marks & Spencer (M&S) built this carbon-neutral lingerie manufacturing plant in partnership with MAS Intimates, a local manufacturing company in 2008.u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0u00a0
Al Gore inspired Plan A
The terrifying and immediate impact of global warming depicted in Al Gore's grim documentary, An Inconvenient Truth left the world squirming in shock. M&S's executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose watched it too, and walked out of the screening with the decision to launch Plan A. It's called this because the company believes "there is no Plan B". Announced in 2007, Plan A is a u00a3200 million, five-year plan to make the company carbon-neutral. One of the commitments charted within it, is to support the development of green factories in tandem with suppliers. The factory in Thurulie figures at number 22 on the list of Plan A's 100-point initiatives to take on the pioneering role of environmental and ethical protection.
M&S has also tied up with Brandix Casual Clothing (located 22 kms from Colombo, at Seeduwa) to create bottoms for men and women, and has managed to earn green points there too. In a span of just two years, it has become the first factory in the world to receive an LEED platinum statusu00a0-- the top-level certification for energy efficiency and overall environmental impact awarded by the US Green Building Council.

How they made Thurulie factory 100% carbon neutral, 100% green, 100% ethical
Nestled in lush greenery, with a lake for extra visual appeal, the factory's architectural plan makes it possible to pass it off as a weekend resort. Spread over 150-acres, the fabric complex is centred around the solitary statue of Gautam Buddha.
>> The industrial approach is attained with the use of compressed bricks made out of 90% local soil and just 10% cement. High windows allow unrestricted flow of natural sunlight and keep the heat out.
>> The primary power source at the factory is renewable energy brought in through the national grid, supplemented by on-site solar panels. These supply 10% of the energy.
>> Rainwater harvesting and low-flow fixtures aim to reduce water usage in the factory by around 50%.
>> Low-maintenanceu00a0 grass and medicinal plants on the roof-top reduce the heat that penetrates the walls of the factory.
>> Electricity-guzzling air conditioning units are missing. Instead, they use "evaporative cooling", a technique that uses 75% less energy.
>> Nearly all waste is separated and sorted for recycling, with anaerobic digestion being processed to produce bio-gas for the kitchens.
>> Energy-efficient lighting and LED based task lights reduce energy usage.
>> Trees planted in the courtyards between buildings, are positioned to cut down heat and act as climate modifiers.
>> Part of the construction stands on stilts. This helps avoid any future digging of the earth, and aids natural rain flow.
>> A combination of the above features has helped them use 40% less electricity than a standard unit of a similar scale.

In India
Their laptop bags are tanned with vegetables
The brand: Hidesign
Category: Leather goods for men & women
Factory in: Pondicherry
There is a green-revolution stirring quietly in the spiritually-charged Southern Union Territory of Pondicherry. Hidesign, the brand that started off as a one-man run workshop in 1978, is now based in a factory that has an ecological model as its basis. Asbestos is missing in Dilip Kapur's factory, with only solid raw bricks fired from local earth by Ray Meeker, well-known low cost ecological building expert, being used.
>> The leaders in leather use a process of vegetable tanning unlike most other manufacturers whose products are chrome-tanned and coated by heavy finishes; the worst polluters of the environment.
>> All waste-water from the factory undergoes a filtration process, and is reused.
>> Waste material from the factory is separated and reused, or sold for reuse. The brand does not burn any waste material.
>> Their leather products are created from extracts of local forest produce like the Myrobalam and Wattle trees. This is beneficial for the user's health since it protects the user from harmful effects of chromium, and the finish of the product is long-lasting.
>> The brand has discontinued the use of plastic bags.
Hidesign products are available in all Indian metros at their standalone stores, and at counters at major retail chains

Their scarves are made from bamboo fibre
The brand: Tee Wallah Etc
Category: T-shirts for men, women & kids
Factory in: New Delhi
It all originated with a simple tea bag. Its anti-oxidant properties was the inspiration behind starting Tee Wallah Etc, an indie tee-shirt company focused on India-centric concepts. Expats from Singapore and France, Sheikha Mattar-Jacob and Noelline Besson are two teetotaler friends who met in Delhi over a cup of tea to concoct and brew the Masala Tee collection. "They are not just run-of-the-mill tees with set, boxy fits. We have positioned them as fashion items with a conscience; these tees are designed and form-fitted to flatter the wearer's figure, using organic base material," says Sheikha over the phone from Delhi.
Apart from funky tees, the brand also designs scarves made from
organic bamboo fibre, lending them purity and softness. Everything about this brand is endearingly kitschy. Most of their tees carry delicious face-prints christened Divya, Pia, Sapna, Sitara and Maya. "All fictional names, of course," Sheikha laughs.
Having lived abroad for years, the two landed in India to realise that organic fashion was missing in this country. "It's not a way of life here, like it is abroad. Organic cotton isn't easily available, making it valuable and escalating the price point of products. But with awareness and education, we believe perception will change. Just like tea drinking is a community activity, the idea is to make Masala Tee a relationship brand."
Available at Bombay Electric, 1 Reay Road, Colaba. Log on to ebook.masalateecollection.com to find out where Masala Tee garments are available in your city