Ethical Fashion

Rapanui is an Eco-Fashion company from the Isle of Wight, that makes Organic, Ethical clothing using Renewable Energy with award-winning traceability. Rapanui is about making eco-fashion cool.

Rapanui Eco Latest

Ethical Fashion

Fairtrade

Environental Policy Statement

The Trouble with cotton

Carbon in Clothing

The Carbon Footprint of a product is the total amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases that are emitted as part of its manufacture, distribution, use and disposal. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are so called because they trap heat in the Earth's atmosphere and keep the planet warm: too much GHG in the atmosphere causes climate change.

CO2 emissions

The main greenhouse gases are carbon dioxide (CO2), methane and nitrous oxide. In response to climate change, we've reduced our CO2 emissions on key lines by 80% since 2008. Our products are organic and ethically made, but crucially, manufactured solely using sustainable energy generated from wind and solar power.

Carbon foot printing can be a pretty confusing subject. Luckily for us, a co-founder of our company is one of only a handful of people in the UK to have studied at the Renewable Energy Engineering School at University of Exeter’s Cornwall campus: This is a research base that develops and researches next-generation renewable energy technologies and projects such as the 'wave hub.' This specific carbon-reduction expertise has been put to good use in sourcing products from factories with valid and real carbon reduction strategies in place. The result is that Rapanui products have a carbon footprint 80% lower than a standard high-street alternative.

This is how we did it.

Low Impact Farming
Synthetic fibres and processed natural fibres need energy to be put in for processing, which can sometimes be intensive. Natural textiles plants t hemselves are carbon neutral, as the plant captures carbon during photosynthesis. This is then released during decomposition - in the Carbon Cycle – and this cycle can then repeat.

In conventional cotton farming, Nitrogen fertiliser is a key source of emissions. To produce just one tonne of nitrogen fertiliser takes one tonne of oil, seven tonnes of greenhouse gasses and one hundred tonnes of water. Organic farmers work with nature to feed the soil and control pests. By choosing organic cotton, low impact farming, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint.

We have specifically chosen to work in regions where organic cotton is planted and harvested by hand, without mechanization, and because organic farming does not use petroleum based chemical fertilizer, pesticide or herbicide, it is less reliant on fossil fuels and has a lower carbon footprint.

Energy profile of a t-shirt

Renewable Energy Power
The vast majority of Rapanui apparel is made in carbon neutral manufacturing facilities in India that is powered by 30 Vestas V52 Wind turbines on a wholesale power purchase agreement. Some of our clothing is made in Turkey in a factory that sources some of its energy needs from solar photovoltaics. 95% of our apparel by volume is distributed through carbon neutral warehouses and offices that use electricity from renewable resources. Rapanui offices on the Isle of Wight are supplied by our electricity partner, Good Energy.

Rapanui organic cotton t-shirts and sweatshirts have a reduced carbon footprint of up to 90% when compared to a base-case example on the high street. However, consumers require an independent verification process - the Carbon Trust is trialling such a carbon reduction label and this carbon reduction verification process was trialled to verify key facilities in the Rapanui supply chain. The Carbon Trust has used this report as a case study demonstrating and sharing the R&D that has gone in to the factory we use, and the outstand carbon reductions achieved there.

Cutting out Airfreight
The main sources of carbon emissions in clothing manufacture come from transport. Rapanui® has an ‘anti-Airfreight’ policy. We will not transport our goods by air unless there is no other alterative, instead we use containerised ocean shipping which has a significantly lower emissions rate per Kg/Km.

Post Purchase Emissions
Up to 80% of the environmental impact of a t-shirt occurs post purchase (after you’ve bought it): the water, chemical toxicity, energy use and emissions from washing and drying your clothing. This means that if every clothing manufacturer in the world halved their eco-footprint of their supply chain, it would still only make 10% difference over the whole product life cycle. We may do everything we can to make sure our product life cycle is sustainable, and this must include post purchase. We decided:
Our brand must transcend the product and influence the post-purchase care
• We must inform our customers about the need to Wash Cool, Hang Dry
• And help them choose low-impact wash powders.
And so throughout our marketing, our products, wash care labels and our site, you’ll see our strap line, Wash Cool, Hang Dry.

So what is important about Carbon, and what do we do about it?

There is no doubt in the scientific community that Man-made Carbon and other GHG emissions are changing Earth's climate at a rate that will, if not altered immediately, result in devastating changes to the global ecosystem, of which we are a part. The scientific consensus is that global warming is occurring and was initiated by human activities; this finding is recognized by the national science academies of all the major industrialized countries and is not rejected by any scientific body of national or international standing.

According to a May 2011 study by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the global potential for renewable energy is substantially higher than the current and future projected global demand for energy. In other words, we can develop enough renewable sources to meet most – if not all – of the world’s energy needs.

Also in May 2011, the International Energy Agency (IEA) announced that CO2 emissions in 2010 reached a record 30.6 billion metric tons, which is a 5% increase over the previous record of 29.3 billion metric tons in 2008.

Quite simply, it’s imperative that the world reduce its CO2 emissions. We have the means to do so, yet we’re moving in absolutely the wrong direction. (Global Consumer Wind Study 2011).

Within our own market we’re working hard to offer people a low carbon alternative to clothing, to demonstrate to our competitors that significant carbon reductions are possible and make economic sense, and to influence our customers to consider expanding their demand for low carbon products and services in other areas of their lives.

What we've done about it.

Rapanui reduced its net carbon emissions at product level by over 80% in 18 months through low impact farming, a no air-freight policy and using factories powered by solar and wind power. Overall, Rapanui products have a carbon footprint amongst the lowest in the world for their kind. Taking into account the UK’s very ambitious emissions reductions targets of “80% by 2050” this makes our actions a generation ahead of the targets.