Continental Clothing launches UK's first low carbon fashion label

We've had carbon labels on smoothies, shampoo, crisps, orange juice, and even paving tiles, but now consumers can find out the carbon footprint of their clothes after ethical fashion designer Continental Clothing launched a new range featuring the Carbon Trust-backed Carbon Label.

The new label features a range of low carbon T-shirts and sweatshirts that have been produced by the company using organic cotton and manufactured at a facility in India – powered using the company's own wind turbine.

Speaking to BusinessGreen.com, the company's product manager Mariusz Stochaj said that using renewable energy and various low carbon manufacturing techniques had reduced the carbon footprint from the production stages by 90 per cent compared with conventional methods.

However, the carbon footprinting study also found that over half the full lifecycle emissions result from the garment being washed, tumble dried and ironed. Consequently, the label advises consumers to avoid ironing and tumble drying where possible.

The clothes will initially be sold through the green fashion website Adili.com, but Continental is also looking for mainstream high-street retailers to carry the T-shirts.

"For this to work and make a real contribution to cutting emissions it has to be done at scale," explained Stochaj. "We have produced 1.5 million plain T-shirts with the label that high-street retailers can then add their own designs to. We will then handle the printing of their design for them using our organic printing process."

The launch comes just weeks after the government launched its Sustainable Clothing Action Plan at London Fashion Week, securing a number of high-profile commitments from retailers such as Tesco, Sainsbury's and M&S to reduce the environmental footprint of their clothing ranges.

Lord Hunt, minister for sustainable development and energy innovation, welcomed the launch of the new Continental Range, arguing that it would "give consumers clear information about the environmental impact of their clothes throughout their lifecycle".

The carbon label could become a common feature on new garments over the next five years, according to Stochaj. "We have already had MPs saying this week they want to see the label on more products, and what our pilot shows is that the clothing industry can do this relatively easily and at reasonably low expense."