Environmental Justice Foundation

Over the years I have had the pleasure of working with the lovely model Max Rogers (you may recognise him from the recent Tommy Hilfiger campaign). I recently worked with Max at the Birmingham Clothes Show and I noticed a t-shirt he was wearing in the finale. This shirt was actually in support of a charity he has been working with, the Environmental Justice Foundation.

  "From my point of view I feel that as a model it is ultimately my business to sell products and in particular clothing, therefore I feel that to campaign for the cause of the ethical trading and manufacture of that clothing is a good way to use what I do for a living in a positive way." Max Rogers

As a consumer we can all help directly by simply considering the source of our purchases and how they were brought to market. EJF is committed to eradicating child labour and the deadliest pesticides from cotton production and promoting organic alternatives.

Over two thirds of the world’s cotton is grown in developing countries and the former Soviet Union (including Uzbekistan). Valued at over $32 billion every year, global cotton production should be improving lives, but although some progress is being made, the unsustainable, inequitable and abusive conditions under which much of the world’s cotton is produced, continues.

Pesticides - Pesticides are hazardous by design — these are chemicals manufactured with the aim of killing, repelling or inhibiting the growth of living organisms.Cotton grows on 2.4% of the world’s arable land, yet it is responsible for the release of over US$ 2 billion of chemical pesticides each year. Nearly half of these are considered toxic enough to be classified as 'hazardous' by the World Health Organisation. Endosulfan is one the worst deadly chemicals used in cotton production.

EJF is campaigning for a global ban to end the wide spread of Endosulfan. Up until now, a growing number of countries have instituted national bans preventing the manufacture or use of this deadly pesticide.