Support the Environment. Support the Economy. Make A STATEMENT!



OUR COMPANY

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECYCLE ME®  is a green business that offers an alternative to conventional cotton by designing and selling 100% organic cotton t-shirts made with environmentally friendly dyes and inks. The t-shirts are printed with simple, catchy, environmentally inspired phrases and it's all done in the USA.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RECYCLE ME® aim's to keep it green from using recycled paper for daily office printing needs, to having our information sheets and business cards printed on 100% or high content recycled paper with soy and vegetable based inks. We start locally when we look for our green office supplies and any other items we need to run smooth and light. We reuse, reduce, and recycle whatever we can. We've also adopted a "three day a week" shipping practice that takes into account our Carbon Footprint.  The RECYCLE ME® team strive's for perfection and continually looks to improve its green business practices.

RECYCLE ME®  is interested in what our customer's have to say. That is why we always welcome your questions, comments and suggestions. We will continue to expand our line of organic products based on your desires. So PLEASE remember, your opinion matters and every choice counts. Please visit the Contact Us page and let us know what you think about organic cotton, our products, and how we can serve you better.

OUR STORY

In February of 2008 the four of us, Alix, Kim, Mike and Hector, friends who grew up together in the Chicago neighborhood of Andersonville, got together to talk about how we could spend more time with family and work for ourselves.

What we came up with was a great green business! That first night, Alix, the "greenie" of the group, had a vision: design and sell 100% organic cotton t-shirts with simple, catchy environmental phrases. The idea was to sell at local Chicago fests, meet fellow Chicagoans and talk to them about organic cotton, developing a lasting relationship that will lead to a greener Chicago and a successful green business. In this way, we thought, we can do something good for ourselves, our families, our city, and the environment.

We did some research, pooled our resources, and six weeks later we opened for business at the first outdoor festival of the season: Earth Day! That was a very special moment for us, to officially begin on such an important day. And how cool it was to find organic cotton grown in the USA.

And what a ride it has been! We have learned so much and have more to learn. And we want to share what we have learned with you. We are excited to offer t-shirts we really feel good about and we want to expand our line and grow our business. This is just the beginning. We sincerely hope you join us along the way.

Thank you for your interest and support.





READ BELOW for more information on Cotton T-Shirts.


Why Organic Cotton?

The U.S. grows about 14 million acres of cotton, 20% of the world's supply.  Next to corn, cotton is the largest agricultural product in the United States.  Why should you care?  In 2000, farmers in the main USA cotton growing state used over 75 million pounds of pesticides!  That's going into your soil, your air, and your water supply.

World wide cotton fields account for 10% of all pesticide use and 25% of all insecticide use.  Each year nearly $2.6 billion worth of pesticides are applied to cotton fields worldwide.  The World Heath Organization estimates that 20,000 cotton workers die each year from contamination.

The Environmental Protection Agency considers seven of the top 15 pesticides used on cotton in 2000 in the United States as "possible," "likely," "probable," or "known" human carcinogens (acephate, dichloropropene, diuron, fluometuron, pendimethalin, tribufos, and trifluralin).

Conventional cotton requires intensive irrigation  (it's very thirsty), synthetic fertilizers are applied, and the process depletes the quality of the soil due to its mono crop nature.  But remember if you switch to synthetics they can be spun with solidified petroleum - fossil fuels or pesticides on your skin. Not much of a choice.

Organic Cotton builds strong soil, retains water more efficiently and does not use synthetic pesticides, fungicides, or insecticides. It is ecologically sustainable - good for you and the planet. 


Why Environmentally Friendly dyes and Inks?

It's the next step in ensuring you are wearing an environmentally friendly t-shirt.  Your bright shirts with teals and hot pinks are frequently dyed with heavy metals like chrome, copper, zinc, and nickel.  The most common inks used for silk-screened logos are plastisols, a form of polyvinyl chloride.  The production and disposal of PVCs release carcinogenic, hormone-disrupting toxins. Even natural dyes can use toxic chemicals to maintain color fastness.

Why in the USA?

The more we can get our organic cotton grown, spun, sewn and printed in the U.S.A. the more we minimize our carbon footprint by reducing the amount and distance of shipping. We also support our economy by being an all U.S.A. based business. We believe in the statement "think globally, act locally." When you can support yourself you are then free to truly support others. Finally, we are confident in the safety and welfare of the persons who are employed by the U.S. companies we use because of the Fair Labor Standards Act and our close relationships with the employers and employees.


You have the choice - choose organic - demand organic!

"A t-shirt you can feel good about!"
                                           OWNERS
Alix Gnoske  ·  Kimberly Fong
 Mike Lindberg  ·  Hector Davila      

 

 

 

 



*Sometimes a vendor may switch their source to someone outside the US, but we continually strive to make sure everything is done in the U.S.A.

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