‘My shirt is my Message.’
Mission
By promoting the products and ethos of MORALFIBRE we hope to offer a real choice for people who want to look good as well as help create a sustainable world.
The global garment industry is one of the most lucrative in the world. In 2007, consumers world-wide spent over US$1 trillion on clothes. Yet the garment industry remains one of the world’s most exploitative sectors, against people and the environment.
Introduction
The making of MORALFIBRE has two aspects to it.
To develop environmentally friendly fabrics and clothing based on hand-spun, hand-woven techniques of fabric making and to make the process of fabric making socio-economically sustainable.
MORALFIBRE is set up to 'promote and sell' the MORALFIBRE label of fabrics, furnishings and clothing, locally and globally in home and health markets. It uses natural materials like cotton, silk and wool, to the highest specifications and quality.
The Environment
There are several things we need to do to create a truly environmentally friendly material.
We believe in a ‘Cradle to Cradle‘ approach of living. Ideally all processes, products and by-products at all stages of production of fabric and clothing should nourish and enhance the environment rather than damage it. There is a great need to explore several aspects of the existing ‘Khadi ‘industry (the hand-spun, hand-woven craft of fabric making, so prominently encouraged by Mahatma Gandhi in India, in the early 1920s.) We need to take this manufacturing process to the next level.
We are involved in research to find and produce the most appropriate organic cotton suitable for our fabrics. We are developing all processes of cloth making, dyeing and processing, free of chemicals that are harmful to the environment.
We hope to set up an R & D centre to improve and develop the existing hand-spinning and -weaving tools & techniques and its testing methods to create various standardised grades of fabrics. Already, we are working with some of the well established organisations who have incorporated 'lab testing' into their production cycle. We are developing a grading system which will certify the MORALFIBRE 'Stamp of Authenticity' for different fabric types.
We are working with designers experienced in working with these fabrics. In due course of time we wish to set up a design studio in order to develop different weaves and create different types of fabrics and clothing. Our aspiration is to set up a Centre of Archiving, Exhibitions and Training for all aspects of organic and sustainable fabric making, from the environmental and social point of view. We hope to include school children of all ages in these activities.
Social Sustainability
To produce clothing in a socio-economically sustainable way, we have adopted a multiple channel approach. We believe, due to the fast moving economy, changing industry models, computerisation and climate change, which impacts on farming practices, a significant part of the community suffer from economic instability. With each change, thousands of people living on the borderline fall into debt and in the poverty trap. Today, there are insufficient opportunities to help and support them and to get them back to living with dignity.
Initially we want to work locally, in Gujarat. The state of Gujarat is one of the main producers of cotton in India and a leader in the field of ginning and other processes. But it is also in Gujarat where Mahatma Gandhi initiated the freedom struggle in 1920s and sowed the seeds of the ‘Khadi’ movement. We plan to work with ‘Khadi’ spinners and weavers. According to a recent Government survey the Khadi industry is in poor shape at present. There is deterioration in the variety of Khadi cloth as well as in its quality. The production in many centres has declined significantly. Spinners and weavers are losing their livelihood. But, we have already started to work with some of the still well-run ‘Khadi’ producing organisations, at the same time applying several development models. We also wish to assist workers in improving their basic needs like clean water, shelter, sanitation, health and education. We hope to develop a prototype model for this particular manufacturing industry. Our measure of success will be in supporting more and more people within this industry.
The World Bank’s current definition of the poverty limit is ‘those who earn less than 2 US Dollar a day’ which is about 80 Rs. In our view this needs to be upgraded to a minimum of at least 2.5 US $, or about 100 Rs. This represents a more realistic and sustainable amount of money and it would encourage the artisans to remain within this industry.
Endorsement
We believe that MORALFIBRE becomes a symbol of enhanced 'moral fibre' of people. Each user/buyer is the broad - value endorser of this moral fibre concept/ideology.
We believe that all these good intentions would mean nothing unless we can get people to accept the ethos of MORALFIBRE.
To reach towards our goals it is important for us to have the most appropriate methods of working at each stage. We are developing innovative ways of communicating with people. We are sending out information to get people thinking and talking about us. Apart from the conventional print media, we need to explore the multimedia, word of mouth marketing, films, documentaries, internet, networking sites and other innovative ways of touching the hearts of people.
Brief Personal History
The seeds of MORALFIBRE were planted in 2006. After living in England for over fifteen years, I moved back home to Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, India. I took the opportunity of some free time to take a fresh look at a few of the organisations I was involved with in the past. The Khadi Shops set up by my late aunt, Smt Indumati Chamanlal, who was a freedom fighter and an ardent supporter of Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘Rachnatmak vikas pravrutti’ (action based programmes), was of particular interest. The first shop was started by her through the formation of a trust, in the 1930s. At that time, ‘Khadi’ was a symbol of swavalamban, (self help) and swatantrya, (freedom) for India and many Indians spun and wore ‘Khadi’ with great pride. During the Indian Independence movement Khadi had a glorious history.
I found that today, the majority of the Khadi Board-supported shops, controlling most of the Khadi sales in the country, have fallen into disrepair and have lost touch with today’s buyers. Huge amounts of unsold stocks are piling up. In recent years thousands of Khadi spinners and weavers have lost work and more are losing them every year. Most of these workers are women living in remote villages in under-developed regions of the subcontinent and they barely survive below the poverty line. There is very little hope of them finding other work.
Despite rapidly losing its reputation, I found that some consumers and designers, both in India and abroad, admire the hand-spun, hand-woven cloth for its rich texture, versatility and wearability. The fact that it is made with almost zero carbon foot-print and is made instead by ‘people’s energy’, makes this fabric unique. When the concerns about Global Warming and Climate Change are growing, our concept would offer a real alternative to the clothing industry worldwide.
With this vision we set up MORALFIBRE in 2007 to re-invent Khadi as the most environmentally friendly and socio-economically sustainable fabric.
‘MORALFIBRE frees the environment from pollution and depletion.
It frees people from poverty.’ |
