Impact
Cultivating Environmental Stewardship
The ultimate test of man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard. —Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day Cultivating Environmental Stewardship If we work hard to practice Fair Trade principles, but fail to cultivate environmental stewardship, we have missed the mark. If we work hard to make things better for this generation, but in turn, make things harder for the next generation, we have missed the mark. We must value the producers, empower the workers, defend the rights of children, AND be mindful of the earth while doing it. This is the Fair Trade Federation’s 8th key principle. Fair Trade Federation members seek to meet their own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. This requires active consideration of the environmental impact of every decision the company makes and creative adaptations in business practices that advocate responsible stewardship of resources. Simply put, members reduce, reuse, reclaim, and recycle materials wherever possible. There are three key ways GOEX implements healthy environmental practices. 1) Responsible Sourcing: We incorporate sustainably grown materials into our products by sourcing our fabrics from Carolina Cotton Works in South Carolina — they offer a variety of recycled materials. We use Repreve, a recycled polyester yarn and then spin our tri-blend shirts from US-grown cotton, recycled polyester, and rayon. Every tri-blend shirt contains the equivalent of approximately 6 plastic water bottles! 2) Responsible Use: A large part of environmental stewardship is the day-to-day operational practices we have established. Our screen printing facility in Kansas City operates from an environmental and sustainable neutral position. We work with local authorities and agencies to ensure that the disposal of all waste/excess is in accordance with our positive environmental policy. We have an electric car charging station at our office and print shop to encourage electric cars. We recently moved into a new industrial building with large windows and low dividing walls to capitalize on the natural light, thus conserving electricity. The main challenge we face is screen printing effluence. We are currently evaluating a system to capture all of our effluence from printing in tanks and to recirculate them and dispose of them. Attention is given to our suppliers to ensure the types of chemicals included in their products are friendly to the environment. 3) Responsible Waste: When we can, we take extreme care to avoid waste in the first place, but it’s near impossible to be a Zero Waste print shop. Instead, we focus our attention on how we want to responsibly handle the waste we can’t avoid. We go back to the elementary school basics: reduce, reuse, recycle. When it makes sense, we gift extra materials from the production facility in Haiti to the community. For other materials, like plastic, paint, cardboard, etc., we diligently recycle! We also reuse screens, boxes and ink containers in an effort to reduce our overall consumption. Shop tees made with you in mind. We’d love to get you started with a better basic tee today! Choose from our many styles, colors, and fits to make the perfect garment for your next group event — something you can feel proud to wear. Browse our Digital Catalog today!
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What Is Eco-Triblend?
Once you’ve experienced one of our eco-triblend tees, it’s hard to go back to cotton. Read on to learn more about our eco-triblend tees and why we (and our customers) think they’re so amazing. Eco-triblend tees are better for the environment. Triblend was first introduced to the market in 2006. It is a fabric made up of three different materials: cotton, polyester and rayon. At GOEX, our triblend tees are made up of 25% U.S. cotton, 50% recycled polyester and 25% rayon. We define our triblend tees as eco-triblend because they are better for the environment. Each t-shirt contains the equivalent of approximately five plastic water bottles, taking them out of the landfills and repurposing them in your wardrobe. Eco-triblend tees are softer. Our unique blend of yarns creates a luxuriously soft tee with a little bit of a stretch that you’ll want to wear multiple days a week. Eco-triblend tees are more durable. These incredible tees withstand the test of time. They hold up to regular washing and resist pilling, ripping and fading. One of our eco-triblend tees will remain a staple in your closet for years to come. Eco-triblend tees are more moisture-wicking. This fabric breathes like cotton and the polyester content wicks water and doesn’t keep heat trapped between the fabric and your skin. You’ll stay cooler and drier wearing one of our eco-triblend tees, no matter what activities you get up to throughout your day. Eco-triblend tees are more fashionable. Besides being incredibly comfy, these tees come with a vintage heather texture, they’re wrinkle-resistant and have an awesome fit that perfectly hugs all body types. Whether you’re going for a basic or a graphic tee, you’re sure to stand out in the crowd. Shop tees made with you in mind. Our tees are one of the best, comfiest tees on the market made at the highest standard. GOEX is one of the elite few who have passed the Fair Trade Federation’s (FTF) rigorous screening, ensuring members are committed to being fair and responsible in everything they do — socially, economically and environmentally. 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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Respecting Cultural Identity in the Marketplace
Last Fall, we announced our membership into the Fair Trade Federation. With that honor came the commitment to uphold the nine principles on which FTF was founded. Over the following months, we took a deeper look into each of those topics. “Fair Trade” means many things. It means creating opportunities for marginalized producers, developing transparent relationships, cultivating safe & empowering working conditions, ensuring the rights of children, being kind to the earth, and lastly: Respecting Cultural Identity Fair Trade celebrates the cultural diversity of communities, while seeking to create positive and equitable change. Members respect the development of products, practices, and organizational models based on indigenous traditions and techniques to sustain cultures and revitalize traditions. Members balance market needs with producers’ cultural heritage. At GOEX, we share the story of resiliency that runs through Haiti. We champion Haitian culture and desire to take customers to Haiti to experience their culture and see the lives that make their apparel. Along with the product, our main selling point is the story behind the apparel. We do everything we can to amplify who makes the product and how they make the product. We tag our t-shirts with the GOEX label because we want all customers to know where their shirts come from and that they’ve lifted lives through the power of purchase. We exist to champion Haiti. Here are a few examples how: The main form of communication at LIFE is in Creole, Haiti’s official language. Within the facility, we celebrate locally made artisan goods and decorate the grounds with Haitian flags. Haiti is a relationship-driven country, so we allow time for fellowship and community building . All Haitian holidays are recognized to ensure that employees can spend time with their friends and families during special occasions. Open for all! We want everyone to see and know Haitian culture, so we implemented an open door policy. We believe open door policies play a vital role in reforming the industry and creating transparency in the apparel manufacturing sector. GOEX opens the door (literally) to reveal all the things you’ve wanted to know or never even thought to ask.
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Celebrate Earth Day
From backyards to our amazing national parks, the outdoors is one of our greatest gifts. April 22nd is Earth Day. It celebrates the beginning of the environmental movement. The first Earth Day was held in 1970 and since then it has grown to include over 1 billion people and 193 countries. Earth Day focuses on areas such as climate action, science and education, conservation and restoration, activism, plastics and pollution, and bringing communities together. Fair Trade Federation members seek to meet their own needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. This requires active consideration of the environmental impact of every decision the company makes and creative adaptations in business practices that advocate responsible stewardship of resources. Simply put, members reduce, reuse, reclaim, and recycle materials wherever possible. Caring for people means caring for their physical space too. There are three key ways GOEX implements healthy environmental practices. 1) Responsible Sourcing: We incorporate sustainably grown materials into our products by sourcing our fabrics from Carolina Cotton Works in South Carolina — they offer a variety of recycled materials. We use Repreve, a recycled polyester yarn and then spin our tri-blend shirts from US-grown cotton, recycled polyester, and rayon. Every tri-blend shirt contains the equivalent of approximately 6 plastic water bottles. 2) Responsible Use: A large part of environmental stewardship is the day-to-day operational practices we have established. Our screen printing facility in Kansas City operates from an environmental and sustainable neutral position. We work with local authorities and agencies to ensure that the disposal of all waste/excess is in accordance with our positive environmental policy. We have an electric car charging station at our office and print shop to encourage electric cars. We recently moved into a new industrial building with large windows and low dividing walls to capitalize on the natural light, thus conserving electricity. The main challenge we face is screenprinting effluence. We are currently evaluating a system to capture all of our effluence from printing in tanks and to recirculate them and dispose of them. Attention is given to our suppliers to ensure the types of chemicals included in their products are friendly to the environment. 3) Responsible Waste: When we can, we take extreme care to avoid waste in the first place, but it’s near impossible to be a Zero Waste print shop. Instead, we focus our attention on how we want to responsibly handle the waste we can’t avoid. We go back to the elementary school basics: reduce, reuse, recycle. In 2020, we introduced buttons, labels, drawcords, twill tape and packaging made from recycled plastic. We also introduced a line of garments created from remnant fabric diverting waste from landfills – our ladies rib tee, rib tank and rib cardigan are all created from scrap fabric! In 2021, we added zippers to the assortment of components using recycled plastics. When it makes sense, we gift extra materials from the production facility in Haiti to the community. For other materials, like plastic, paint, cardboard, etc., we diligently recycle. We also reuse screens, boxes and ink containers in an effort to reduce our overall consumption. We will also continue to expand our assortment of garments made of eco-triblend fabric diverting more plastic from landfills. And we are reusing boxes that originate in Haiti! Be sure to look for a sticker indicating your box is on its second journey. Celebrate the day. Earth Day commemorates how far we have come. Take the day to smell the air and know that you, as an ethical consumer, have done good. By celebrating and reflecting every single win we can continue to work for progress and for a better world. Feel good. Do good. Shop tees made with you in mind. We’d love to get you started with a better basic tee today! Choose from our many styles, colors, and fits to make the perfect garment for your next group event — something you can feel proud to wear. Browse our Digital Catalog today!
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Fundraise Like A Champion
Raising money for your cause can be overwhelming. There are so many options out there from candy and cookies to raffles and carwashes. GOEX can help! We’ve made fundraising and awareness easy with our custom fair trade tees. We are ready to help your cause succeed. HOW TO FUNDRAISE WITH GOEX: WHY FUNDRAISE WITH GOEX? GOEX is nonprofit. After costs to sustainably produce premium eco-friendly apparel and provide living wage jobs, all GOEX profit — every bit of it — goes to fund projects set in motion by The Global Orphan Project. GOEX is committed to sustainability. Each garment is sustainably made of USA fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail. In 2020, we introduced buttons, labels, drawcords, twill tape and packaging made from recycled plastic. We also introduced a line of garments created from remnant fabric diverting waste from landfills – our ladies rib tee, rib tank and rib cardigan are all created from scrap fabric! In 2021, we added zippers to the assortment of components using recycled plastics. We will also continue to expand our assortment of garments made of eco-triblend fabric diverting more plastic from landfills. And we are reusing boxes that originate in Haiti! Be sure to look for a sticker indicating your box is on its second journey! GOEX is a member of the Fair Trade Federation GOEX exists to improve the lives of the workers and communities we touch. We are proud to say GOEX is one of the elite few who have passed the Fair Trade Federation’s (FTF) rigorous screening! We are dedicated to following the nine FTF principles established to maintain integrity. You can read more about the Fair Trade Federations nine principles here. GOEX is transparent. We use a simple tee to connect the customer and the worker. Your GOEX purchase employs skilled apparel makers who cut and sew premium fabric at a manufacturing facility in Haiti. You support employees at our screen printing and distribution center in the heart of Kansas City. These jobs enable employees to care for their own families through dignified work and we have an open door policy. 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. READY TO START FUNDRAISING? Email us at cs@goex.org. 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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Give Yourself A Little TLC
What we wear says a lot of our personalities. That’s quite a job for a pair of jeans or a t-shirt. After a long day, we all need a little TLC. Your clothes are an extension of you. Give yourself a little self care this year! Not only will you reap the benefits but these small changes can impact the world. Here are some best practices for caring for your sustainable fashions. A Good Cleansing Wash your clothes in cold water. Heat tends to shrink, damage, and fade clothing plus it takes a toll on the environment. This goes the same for your dryer. Favor air drying your clothes if you can or using a cooler setting. You know to separate dark and lighter fabrics, but did you know to separate heavy and light materials too? Heavymaterial will literally fight your delicates in the washer and dryer. Give your lighter, airier fabrics a fighting chance. This will also reduce the capacity in your washer. Stuffing your washer can restrict cleansing. When there is enough space your clothes will have optimized washing/rinsing cycles. Consider how much detergent you are using. Less is more. The cleansing process is caused by motion, water, and soap. It’s a team effort and you don’t need to overwhelm the other team members with products. Try using 40-70% of the recommended dose depending on your fashions’ needs. How often are you washing your fashions? Probably too much. Absorbent clothes like undergarments and exercise clothes should definitely be washed after every use. Your jeans, hoodies, sweaters, and dresses on the other hand have the power to withstand multiple wears without soiling. Trust your eyes and nose. If there is odor or discoloration, in the bin. Otherwise, hang it or nestle it safe and sound in the drawer. On The Mend Small tears? Hemlines coming undone? Loose button? No problem. You don’t need to be an award winning seamstress or even own a sewing machine for a quick fix. There are several quick and easy tutorials online that can show you how to easily repair your garments without breaking the bank or your brain. You’d be surprised what you can do with a needle, thread, and a little patience. Also, make friends with your local alteration service or green dry cleaner. They can provide easy to more complex repairs and can help extend the life of your garments. Plus, you’ll be supporting local business! Don’t know where to go? Ask around. Your friends and neighbors are reliable sources but your local theater groups might have a wardrobe manager with a few suggestions. 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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Celebrate Your Spring Style
Wondering what’s new at GOEX and what staples you should be filling your closet with this spring? Our development team analyzed color trends, created new silhouettes and perfected our garment assortment. Check out our Spring 2021 Trend Report – color and garments edition below. GARMENT TRENDS This season is all about innovation. As many of us venture into the unknown we will do so in inventive, outspoken style. We have so many new pieces releasing this season that are perfect for the job. Flex in one of our outspoken tees, look sharp in a smart triblend polo or build a whole look with our ribbed cardigans over a drop hem tee. “Overall, I’m just really excited about all of the color for spring. We’ve added some really fun pops across all of our styles that will really brighten up your wardrobe. My personal favorite garment is our drop hem tee in Rose. It’s a really comfy silhouette that feels a little more special than your basic tee, and it is really flattering on every body type!” says Product Manager and Design Expert Meghann Wheelock. This year, we’re adding a Grass Green Triblend Tee, a Bubblegum and Marigold Cotton Tee, an Olive polo, and a Drop Hem Tee in Blush, Amber, Olive, and Charcoal. No matter what GOEX pieces you pair together, we know they will make you feel good AND do good for the makers too. 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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A Beautiful Day For A Neighbor
March 20th is Fred Rogers’ birthday. Fred McFeely Rogers was an author, minister, producer, and host of one of the most proud yet simple American television shows, Mister Rogers. Mister Rogers, the man, changed not only American television but the way we approach children and learning. An advocate for humanity and kindness, he revolutionized how we process information and adhere to emotional needs. His influence impacts us daily. When you hear the iconic diddle of the bells you can’t help but sing, “..please won’t you be my neighbor.” Photo by Fotos International/Courtesy of Getty Images One way Mister Rogers has influenced GOEX is in the way he celebrates the integrity and dignity of all professions, from factory workers to astronauts, and his neighbors were effortlessly diverse. No check boxes to tick off, no quota to fill, only unchallenged goodness. To honor Fred Rogers and his incredible legacy, we celebrate Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day not just today but every day. We believe Commerce and Kindness can coexist. At GOEX we don’t aspire to be the best or preferred t-shirt company of the world. Our purpose is compassion – to be neighborly to everyone who touches a garment. How You Can Celebrate Won’t You Be My Neighbor Day: Wear your favorite sweater or cardigan Speak softly to a neighbor Listen to a friend Practice patience even though it ‘s hard Sing Watch an episode of Mister Rogers or Daniel Tiger Be mindful and appreciate everything Talk to your family about managing emotions, prejudice, and acceptance Remember kindness. Share your care. Feel good. Do good. Won’t you be our neighbor? 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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Can You Spare A Rib?
We create styles from piles. One of our goals for 2021 is to continue to grow sustainability efforts. One way we’re doing this is with our collection of rib garments. Rib is the fabric around the neck of a t-shirt – it’s knit a little differently than the body of the tee to make it stretchy. As we produce t-shirts, we collect remnants of the rib trim fabric over time. In many factories, that scrap fabric would end up in landfills but not in ours. We’ve developed a collection of garments utilizing this remnant rib fabric – all of them are limited runs because they’re created from whatever we have on hand. Those created from triblend rib actually divert waste from landfills twice – first the plastic bottles used in the fabric and then the rib fabric again when we use the remnants – it doesn’t get more sustainable than that! Because rib is stretchier than jersey, it’s also more prone to shrinking. All rib garments should be washed on cold and hung or laid flat to dry. Here are the garments currently available in rib. Ladies Racerback Tanks in Premium Cotton & Standard Cotton Ladies Rib Cardigans in Triblend Ladies Rib Tees in Triblend and Premium Cotton Coming soon! GOEX Beanies made from the heavier weight rib used on our fleece collection. Until then you can make your own from our remnant fabric. Download the pattern here. Our continued efforts to do good is what differentiates us from most apparel companies. Over the past decade, our core story has remained the same – we exist to create and sustain fair wage jobs that empower employees to care for their families and to make the planet a healthier place for the next generation. You have the ability to change lives through a simple purchase decision. Perhaps most importantly, your partnership sets an example in the marketplace that ethical commerce can affect systemic change through the dignity of work. When you choose a GOEX rib garment you’re diverting waste, creating fair wage jobs and you’ll look & feel great! 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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