Ethix Merch aspires to be much more than a provider of ethical, custom-printed merchandise.
Also high on our list of goals are:
-Building a web community of "Citizen Buyers" who keep each other informed about ethical merchandising and motivated to keep cleaning up the global supply chain.
-Working directly with the non-profit sector - through pro bono consulting and internet partnerships - to keep the Sweatshop Free movement powerful and coordinated.
And, perhaps most importantly, we plan to revolutionize our industry so that ethical manufacturers can compete with those who habitually put their work force and the environment at risk in order to maximize profit.
Toward that end, we are working toward a 2010 launch of the Solidarity eXchange. Solidarity eXchange will be a nationwide, grassroots sales force equipped to connect every socially-conscious organization in America with ethically-made apparel. (A natural connection, wouldn't you say?)
At first, this sales force will depend on organizations to stretch their budgets to accommodate the extra 5-15% cost associated with ethical manufacturing, and to work with longer lead-times and a somewhat more limited selection of products.
Ultimately, however, when this grassroots "family" of ethical consumers and manufacturers grows large enough, the wave of ethical consumerism will start to crest! At that point, ethical factories will be humming, new ethical product lines will emerge to compete against one another, and ethical manufacturing will be the rule, and not the exception!
As Solidarity eXchange moves toward its launch, we will keep this page updated with our progress. Meanwhile, if you have any questions or helpful suggestions, please let us know.
-The Ethix Merch Team
