Impact
Build Back Fairer
World Fair Trade Day is an inclusive worldwide celebration of fair trade’s contribution to the fight against poverty, exploitation and climate change. This year, it takes place on May 13. Fair Trade matters in this moment more than ever. Why? Fair Trade companies do everything they can to keep paying makers around the world whose governments don’t have safety nets in place to provide for them. The world is ailing due to inequality and environmental degradation. The pandemic has shown us that we can work together to flatten the contagion curves, support each other through hardships, and celebrate victories. We can channel that same energy to bring about transformations in our economies and trading practices for a fair and sustainable future. Fair Trade companies focus on making the world a better place every day. Today, we celebrate these four specific focus areas: PROTECT Fair Trade means a lot of things, to a lot of different people. But if we get down to the nitty gritty, it means “better”. Better standards, better treatment, better pay, better conditions, just better. Member’s of the Fair Trade Federation seek to do “better” as they follow principle #6: Support Safe and Empowering Working Conditions. We are committed to protecting livelihoods and ensuring every maker can meet their basic needs. When you make the commitment to ensure that your workplace has an empowering environment you are doing more than running a business. You are nurturing a place of growth, sustainability, and progress. Those who work hard should always have the means to lift themselves up. RESTART In order to ensure that true advancement occurs, we must diversify the decision making panels. Our workers and customers contribute directly to our success. It’s not the numbers on a graph or projections in a report. It’s about making connections and doing the right thing. We don’t spend money on PR ads telling you how good we are. Instead we invite you to see for yourself. When you visit either facility, you’re encouraged to talk with employees and get a better understanding of how we support the people who make your clothes. Transparency is only one of the ways we seek to do better in everything we do. RESOURCE We are doing our part to uphold the pillars of Fair Trade including “Cultivate Environmental Stewardship”. For us, this means not only using recycled components or fabrics but also joining in conversations about environmental justice and equality. Environmental equity describes a society in which no single group or community faces disadvantages in dealing with environmental hazards, disasters, or pollution. It involves fair treatment from a region's authority and meaningful involvement with its constituents. It includes ethical practices that amplify better from seed to stitch REDESIGN Comfortable, sustainable apparel is wonderful and our mission is even better. The fact remains true: we’re a nonprofit organization. After costs to sustainably produce premium eco-friendly apparel and provide livable wage jobs, all GOEX profit — every bit of it — goes to fund projects set in motion by The Global Orphan Project. The Global Orphan Project exists to break the orphan cycle and one of the biggest contributors to the orphan cycle is poverty. That’s where we come in! We exist to create and sustain fair wage jobs that empower employees to care for their families. On average, one of our workers earning a fair wage supports six family members. GOEX exists to improve the lives of the workers and the communities we touch and one way we’re making good on that promise by providing fair wages to our workers in Kansas City and Haiti. Our profits go directly back to people. Our practices profit the planet. The need for commerce to invest in people over profits has never been more clear. The World Fair Trade Organization says, “We cannot simply go back to the old normal. The old normal left millions behind and was destroying our planet. We have now/today the opportunity to reboot our economies so it is equitable and sustainable.” Learn more about their #BuildBackFairer vision. We exist to do good so the world can feel good. Thank you for choosing to care for others and our world through the power of your purchase. We are committed to every person who plays a role in producing your t-shirts, committed to the children and families who benefit from 100% of profit, and committed to providing you with complete transparency and a product you’re proud to wear. Follow the story. We strive to be bold with our words and represent the ideals we believe. If you like what we stand for, we want to share more! Stay in the loop by signing up to receive our newsletters and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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Real Talk: Disparity In Green Spaces Part II
Environmental Justice is an important conversation but on that can’t be reserved only for board rooms or government contracts. When moving towards greener more sustainable practices it is vital that we include all who are involved. Two more pillars of Fair Trade respecting cultural identity and create transparent & accountable relationships. Anything done to a community from the top down is in violation of these values. Any new initiatives must include the community. If a company or organization chooses to change the way it operates there are numerous factors to consider. Who does this impact? How much should be invested in education and training? Will this create jobs or eliminate them? The value of diversity is unmeasurable These decisions can not be made on the word of the board members alone. We must include the organization as a whole. There is no one better qualified to provide insight to matters than those who are directly impacted by them. Artisans, logistic operators, managers, interns all have valuable knowledge and experience that can contribute to an equitable evolution of an organization. Consider the example below. Over 20 years ago, scientist Esteban González Burchard discovered that a mutation of small protein that is key in cell signaling was linked to asthma severity. He also found that this mutation was common in African-Americas. From his previous work, he knew that Puerto Ricans had deeper African ancestry than most people realized. Thus he was able to make the connection between the gene mutation and the asthma risk in Puerto Rican communities. Before González, this was a problem that was being explored, and had he, a Mexican American, not had personal experience to draw from, the research wouldn’t have moved in the right direction. This is the value of diversity. Bringing diversity is so much more than scratching off an item on a to-do list. In order to ensure that true advancement occurs, we must diversify the decision making panels. Our workers and customers contribute directly to our success. It’s not the numbers on a graph or projections in a report. It’s about making connections and doing the right thing. We don’t spend money on PR ads telling you how good we are. Instead we invite you to see for yourself. When you visit either facility, you’re encouraged to talk with employees and get a better understanding of how we support the people who make your clothes. Transparency is only one of the ways we seek to do better in everything we do. We exist to make an impact As one of the elite few who have passed the Fair Trade Federation’s (FTF) rigorous screening, GOEX is dedicated to following the nine FTF principles established to maintain integrity: create opportunities, develop transparent & accountable relationships, build capacity, promote fair trade, pay promptly and fairly, support safe & empowering working conditions, ensure the rights of children, cultivate environmental stewardship, and respect cultural identity. These principles hold us accountable to serve for all hands that touch our garments. Honestly, it goes beyond accountability. It’s our dogma. We don’t do what we do so you’ll like us and buy shirts from us. We exist to make an impact - to create jobs, to heal the planet, and to do good. Environmental justice is the right of the entire population to be protected against environmental pollution and to live in a clean and healthful environment. This is a basic human right whose necessity arose from our destructive impact on the planet. We are all created equal and we have the undeniable right to a clean, healthy living environment yet many are completely omitted from these ideals. As ethical and sustainable producers, movers, and shakers we need to have an open conversation about disproportionality in green spaces. For too long there has been disparity between what could be and what needs to be. Follow the story We strive to be bold with our words and represent the ideals we believe. If you like what we stand for, we want to share more! Stay in the loop by signing up to receive our newsletters and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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Happy International Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality. As members of the Fair Trade Federation, GOEX advocates for women’s rights, equality, and gender justice. We celebrate women who create opportunities, overcome barriers, support communities, and set an example. “The day serves as a reminder both of how far we’ve come and how far we still have to go in creating true equality, especially in the developing world. It also reminds me of what employment really means to women around the world who work for GOEX as well as other fair trade or ethical brands. A job means freedom and opportunity – the work we do to support families, especially single moms, is critical,” says GOEX Executive Director, Jessica Ray. Today, the women of GOEX are celebrating by reflecting on what it means to woman up and advocate for equality in the 21st century. For Product Manager Meghann Wheelock, the message of International Women’s Day is, “Recognition and celebration of the unique challenges women face in our day to day lives and the incredible things we have and can accomplish.” This celebration is also actively being passed on to the next generation. She plans to celebrate, “By reading my daughter’s favorite book “ABC What Can She Be” with her. It’s got some really great representation and inspiration for the future!” Market Advocate, Amber Solomon, believes that International Women’s Day is a day of inspiration and an encouraging reminder to keep going. “For me, completely dedicating a day to the trials and triumphs of women is a great reason to reflect AND to get inspired! It feels wonderful to think we’ve come this far and I am ready to empower those around me to go even further. There’s no limit to what we can achieve.” International Women’s Day is about togetherness. It’s about feeling good and doing good. Here are ways you can celebrate with us: Reflect on women’s equality and achievements Fundraise for a local female focused nonprofit Watch films directed by women Call your mother/sister/aunt/friend Say thank you Follow the story. We strive to be bold with our words and represent the ideals we believe. If you like what we stand for, we want to share more! Stay in the loop by signing up to receive our newsletters and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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Real Talk: Disparity in Green Spaces Part I
Caring for the planet is caring for people. At GOEX Apparel, our purpose is to use a simple tee to connect the customer and the maker because our customers sustain the fair wage jobs that empower our workers in their families and their communities. So, we often get asked why we also talk so much about sustainability. If our purpose is people, why focus on the planet? The answer is simple – caring for the planet is caring for people. Having a clean, healthy environment provides a variety of benefits primarily around health and wellness. Why does this matter to us specifically? Many communities, and most of those where we serve here in the US and internationally, have been negatively affected by environmental disproportionality. This is the reality that communities in urban or rural ‘poverty pockets’ as well as in third world countries face some of the worst environmental devastation in the world. These communities have fewer trees and green spaces, more industrial pollution and waste and less access to resources. This affects low-income black and brown communities at greater rates than other groups contributing to health issues such as asthma, diabetes, heart conditions and obesity. In the US, this came to the forefront during this pandemic where we saw higher death rates in these communities because of these underlying health conditions. And so, GOEX is doing our part to uphold the pillars of Fair Trade including “Cultivate Environmental Stewardship”. For us, this means not only using recycled components or fabrics but also joining in conversations about environmental justice and equity. Environmental equity involves fair treatment and coming together as a community Environmental equity describes a society in which no single group or community faces disadvantages in dealing with environmental hazards, disasters, or pollution. It involves fair treatment from a region’s authority and meaningful involvement with its constituents. And none of this is easy but we can all do our part. Here are a couple of examples of things we’ve done to reduce our impact on the environment & improve conditions for our employees in Haiti: One of the biggest pollutants around Port au Prince is Styrofoam. If you’ve ever visited you’ve seen roadsides carpeted in Styrofoam food containers. When we started providing lunches to our employees last spring, we knew we didn’t want to add to the problem. So, we purchased reusable food containers and pay more for each meal so our vendor can wash and reuse the containers. This provides additional work to our food supplier and eliminates daily waste at the factory creating a win-win. Our factory is not located in an industrial park but instead is in the middle of an undeveloped piece of land and surrounded by trees, grass, wildlife and fresh air. Our employees walk to work through the trees and enjoy fresh air breezing through the building. This isn’t the case for employees in other apparel manufacturing facilities. We make garments or accessories out of as much scrap fabric as possible to decrease waste going into landfills. (Check out our blog about our rib collection here.) We exist to make an impact As one of the elite few who have passed the Fair Trade Federation’s (FTF) rigorous screening, GOEX is dedicated to following the nine FTF principles established to maintain integrity: create opportunities, develop transparent & accountable relationships, build capacity, promote fair trade, pay promptly and fairly, support safe & empowering working conditions, ensure the rights of children, cultivate environmental stewardship, and respect cultural identity. These principles hold us accountable to serve for all hands that touch our garments. Honestly, it goes beyond accountability. It’s our dogma. We don’t do what we do so you’ll like us and buy shirts from us. We exist to make an impact – to create jobs, to heal the planet, and to do good. Follow the story We strive to be bold with our words and represent the ideals we believe. If you like what we stand for, we want to share more! Stay in the loop by signing up to receive our newsletters and following us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.
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10 Things to Know About The Screenprinting Process
Glasses on, pencils out. It’s time for a little screenprinting 101. Here are ten quick, digestible facts that will make you that much closer to being a screenprinting expert. Or maybe they will just help you on Jeopardy someday. Screenprinting is the most common type of garment printing. Modern day techniques were born from ancient Chinese silk-screening techniques. Now, giant automatic presses can do the work that’s been done manually for centuries. Although, plenty of people still print on manual presses. Screenprinting is called screen printing because it literally pushes ink through screens. If you have a multi-color print job, each color requires a separate screen. This is why there’s a limit to the number of colors and why the cost increases with each color. Not all garments print the same. Different inks or techniques are better on different fabrics. Talk with your printer about how best to print on a certain garment. GOEX tees are fabricated to be great quality and to provide great prints! Different looks can be achieved based on how the art is created or with the specific mesh of the screen used to print the graphic or with the type of ink. All of these elements factor into the overall look and feel of the print. There are different types of inks. Plastisol ink lasts in gel form forever, limiting waste. Water-based inks dry out quickly so they have to be opened/mixed right before the shirts go on press so printers have to know how much ink they’ll need in order to avoid waste. After the ink has been transferred onto the shirt, the shirt must be “cured” — a fancy way to say the shirt needs to dry. Our conveyor belt oven is about 40 feet long and it takes shirts around a minute and a half to get from one end to the other. Did you know screenprinting can be a recyclable process? Screens can be reclaimed, meaning that the emulsion, ink, and design stencil are removed, using a power sprayer and diluting solution. Then, the screens can be prepped again for a new design. Screenprinting is an art, not a science. Printers learn the best combination of art, ink type, screen type, squeegee pressure, etc. to achieve an optimal print quality and look. Try your hand at it. We have an open door policy! Swing by our Kansas City office anytime. We may even let you take a spin on the hand press — see if you have the squeegee-skills to push the ink onto a tee. YInterested in pursuing printmaking as a hobby or a fun new side hustle? You can also watch this short video from our friends at Ryonet on how to print tees in your own home. OR check out this article by Maria Jose Meneses on setting up a home printmaking studio!
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A Complete Outfit From Recycled Plastics
The abundance of single use plastics in our daily lives is becoming an issue severely impacting our environment that we can no longer ignore. One million plastic bottles are purchased around the world every minute, but what happens to them after they’re used? While most plastic bottles are unfortunately not recycled, some companies have stepped up to reuse the bottles in sustainable fashion. We’ve put together a list of some of our favorite brands reinventing what recycled fashion means – enough to make a complete, sustainable outfit! Check it out below. Shirt At GOEX, we are committed to a high standard of quality. Quality of worker experience, quality of fabric and quality of material. Better t-shirts start with better raw materials. Our eco-triblend tees are made from U.S. cotton, recycled polyester and rayon. Every eco-triblend shirt contains the equivalent of approximately five plastic water bottles! Jacket Patagonia has been making recycled polyester for their clothing from plastic bottles since 1993. Now their recycled polyester fibers are made from a blend of soda bottles, manufacturing waste and worn-out apparel. Recycled polyester can be found in a wide range of Patagonia’s products. We think their jackets are a staple in every sustainable fashionista’s wardrobe! Pants Aeropostale’s line of eco-friendly jeans is made from recycled polyester and comes in more than 6 fits, 4 rises and 21 washes. You’re sure to find your new favorite pair of jeans. Underwear Marc Skid offers premium, eco-friendly organic cotton underwear with one recycled plastic water bottle used in every waistband. For every pair of underwear sold, Marc Skid donates $4 to nine 4-star charities dedicated to Curing, Feeding and Saving the World. Socks Maggies Organics provides fair trade, socially conscious, organic cotton socks. Their socks have been made in the USA since 1992 and offer soft, long-lasting comfort that is so good you won’t want to take them off. Shoes Adidas offers a wide variety of stylish, sustainable sneakers. This year, over half of the polyester in its products is from recycled plastic waste, with plans to use only recycled polyester by 2024. Approximately, 15-20 million pairs of Adidas sneakers will be created in 2020 with plastic waste collected from beaches and coastal regions. The next time you decide to place an online order to refresh your wardrobe, we hope you choose sustainable, ethical choices. The purchase you make has the opportunity to change the world, one recycled and reused water bottle at a time. Shop graphic tees you can feel good about wearing. Our tees are one of the best, comfiest tees on the market made at the highest standard. Shop our graphic tee collection to find the perfect statement tee to add to your wardrobe that does good for the environment and its makers!
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Lebanon Travel Diary | Executive Director, Jessica Ray
Lebanon has been making headlines for it’s devastating explosion and economic crisis, so we wanted to take a moment to highlight it’s beauty. Our Executive Director, Jessica Ray, traveled to the Middle East last year and reflects on the incredible trip below and shares how you can help kids in crisis in Lebanon. I was thinking again this week about how much has changed in a few short months. A year ago my husband and I were preparing for a trip to the Middle East with The Global Orphan Project where we would see the church serving families in Jordan and Lebanon. The trip was amazing! I will never forget the experience as long as I live. Many friends and family members were quite concerned when we told them where we were going. We met amazing people while there and experienced unsurpassed beauty and hospitality. And we were so honored to spend time with our team members and see the way they serve those around them. They do so humbly but also with a strong sense of pride in their communities and countries. As if that wasn’t enough, walking in places where Jesus walked only made the trip that much sweeter. Little did I know riots would break in Beirut only hours after we left. That would be followed by a global pandemic which halted all travel and then an explosion second only to a nuclear bomb would tear apart the Beirut harbor. I had no idea that flight home to Kansas City would be my last for more than a year. We’re all experiencing loss and grief right now in varying ways and depths. But we’re also seeing people pull together and care for one another in unprecedented ways. Whether here at home or with our team in Haiti or on the other side of the world where clean up reconstruction in Beirut will last years, communities are finding ways to support one another and create moments of joy. Purchasing our new Lebanon tee is a great way to give to our efforts there to care for kids and families in crisis. We hope when you wear it, it won’t be a symbol of sadness but instead of joy and hope. The team in Lebanon is connecting with more families than ever before and serving them well. Regardless of how hard this moment is, there is always hope for a brighter future and joy in good memories. Thanks for letting me share one of my favorites! Follow the story. We strive to be bold with our words and represent the ideals we believe. If you like what we stand for, we want to share more! Stay in the loop by signing up to receive our newsletters, following us on Instagram or liking our Facebook page.
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GOEX is Better Work Certified
GOEX, the brand that cares for kids, is proud to be a Better Work certified organization. What does that mean? It means that our partner production facility — LIFE S.A.— goes above and beyond the highest labor standards internationally. The Better Work certification is one of the most difficult certifications to obtain. “Our vision is a global garment industry that lifts millions of people out of poverty by providing decent work, empowering women, driving business competitiveness and promoting inclusive economic growth.” —Better Work Meet Olivier. A little over a year ago during LIFE S.A.’s annual audit, Olivier Desire, a Better Work auditor, fell in love with GOEX. He now serves full time as our operations manager in Haiti. “When I came here, I really liked the ambiance, but the story really blew my mind. I was amazed by the mission of GOEX and LIFE S.A. What I like most about the GOEX team is really the people, because we’re not just making t-shirts. I feel so proud to be part of the team.” When you purchase any GOEX product, not only does 100% of the profit go to help care for kids through The Global Orphan Project, but you also create living wage jobs and help keep families together. You can be confident that you are partnering for the welfare of kids and families around the world. A t-shirt never felt so good.
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Supporting Safe and Empowering Working Conditions
Fair Trade means a lot of things, to a lot of different people. But if we get down to the nitty gritty, it means “better”. Better standards, better treatment, better pay, better conditions, just better. Member’s of the Fair Trade Federation seek to do “better” as they follow principle #6: Support Safe and Empowering Working Conditions. "Fair Trade means a safe and healthy working environment free of forced labor. Throughout the trading chain, Members cultivate workplaces that empower people to participate in the decisions that affect them. Members seek to eliminate discrimination based on race, caste, national origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union membership, political affiliation, age, marital, or health status. Members support workplaces free from physical, sexual, psychological, or verbal harassment or abuse.” — Fair Trade Federation Empowering Workers Our first priority is our workers — they are the reason we exist. When major changes are necessary due to adjustments in government labor policies, we update our rules to comply and then meet with employees to educate them on those updates. Our urgent priority is to make sure we have engaged with all questions or concerns. Employees are invited to work on strategizing and implementing key business objects. This requires regular team meetings to get input on specific business needs or decisions, as well as overall strategic direction. Both in Haiti and in Kansas City, all employees are hired and retained based on skill regardless of race, sex, union affiliation, religion or any other factors. And Keeping Them Safe For our producers at LIFE in Haiti, we regularly participate in audits or reviews of our workplace and policies. This is done through third party companies like BetterWorks Haiti and the Fair Trade Federation. At our printshop in Kansas City, we practice similar disciplines in working with our employees. We update policies annually and review with employees. We pay attention to industry standards and requirements for workplace safety for both warehousing and screenprinting. See for yourself. You play a big role in keeping us accountable — so come visit our facilities first hand! We know Haiti isn’t a “drop everything and head down next weekend” kind of destination for everyone, so start planning now. Check out our trips calendar, find a week that works for you, and then say “yes!”. Travel with us to meet the makers of your tees and see their facility conditions in person. We promise to let you have the aisle seat on the plane.
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