We are honored to announce that hessnatur has been certified as a B Corporation based on our commitment to the highest social and environmental standards.

B Corporations are purpose-driven companies, benefiting employees, the community and the environment as well as shareholders.  In order to be certified, hessnatur was assessed by B Corporation according to their strict legal and performance standards.  In order to meet those standards, the environmental and social practices of hessnatur were rigorously evaluated.  Our long history in caring for the environment and our social responsibility to all whose lives we touch, were examined thoroughly.  Additionally, we had to meet contemporary guidelines of standards and practices.

B Lab, the nonprofit organization that certifies B Corporations, also oversees the evolution of those standards and the auditing of B Corporations.  There are over 300 Certified B Corporations from over 50 industries, representing a diverse multi-billion marketplace.  hessnatur is the first European Union company to become a B Corporation.

We are proud to be in such good companies.

On March 19^th, the Fair Wear Foundation hosted a Members’ Day in Amsterdam.  Every year all the members of the Fair Wear Foundation gather to discuss social standards in the supply chain and share ways to improve our work.

The topic this year was best practices of the FWF member companies.  All 45 members were asked to submit their best practice.  Then the members voted on which one they considered the best of the best.  Since companies were chosen to present their entries, one of which was hessnatur.

Our presentation focused on the computerized management system we created that includes all the data of hessnatur suppliers regarding social standards.  Each supplier is then ranked by its individual performance in implementing findings from the social audits.  This ranking furthers our transparency as it lets us work closely and more effectively with our suppliers to improve and assure the highest social standards.

After the presentations, hessnatur was voted the best of the best!  All members found that hessnatur had created the most impressive way to improve social standards in the supply chain.

We are proud to be a part of the Fair Wear Foundation, working in tandem with other companies that share our goals and our commitment.  To have them chose hessnatur as the best of the best was an honor indeed.

One of the fundamental principles of hessnatur is the transparency of our textile chain.

From growing the fiber to the manufacturing of the finished product, everything we do must fulfill our promise of respect for the earth and its people.  As another sign of this transparency, we’re inviting you to enter our contest to become one of the two first hessnatur ambassadors.

The first winners will travel to Peru in September 2010 for three weeks.  They will work at our production sites there and become acquainted with the local people, the land and the culture.  During their trip the ambassadors will publish daily reports on our blog as well as uploading photos and videos.  They’ll be able to share their experiences worldwide as they become partners in the work of hessnatur, understanding its standards and learning how to create sustainable fashion.

This is an opportunity of a lifetime, to actually experience the work of the pioneering organic and natural clothing brand in the world.

News about the hessnatur ambassadors will be published at www.hessnatur.com/ambassador.

How to apply to become a hessnatur ambassador:

Step 1: Create a video or a photo of the two of you with a short statement about why you want to become a hessnatur ambassador to Peru.

Step 2: Upload your application. Entries will be accepted until June 15th.
Entering with a video statement will probably give your team a better chance of winning, because applicants will be voted on by Internet viewers.

Step 3: Invite your friends to vote for your application.The team with the highest vote totals will win.

All specifics of the trip you’ll find in our trip description. A travel agency is coordinating the trip and will be responsible for the two ambassadors.

I first introduced you to Ouba Montadi from Burkina Faso in my post about our visit to our organic farming project (Visiting the Fields of White Gold).  Ouba is a farmer from the village of Fuanliedi.

Ouba told me, “it’s special that no chemicals are used.  It is an organic field and we do not use any chemical fertilizers.  We use a natural plant-based manure from beginning to end.”

In May, Ouba begins the planting process. It is important to begin putting the seeds in the earth before the first rain.  The rainy season usually begins in June and lasts until September or, at the latest, the beginning of October.  This is the cotton growth season.  The growth is dependent on rain, since there is no artificial watering system in these fields.  During that time, Ouba and the other farmers weed and add organic manure, created from plant extracts.  At the end of the rainy season, the West African sun dries the cotton fields.  “That’s when the cotton plants begin blooming and we start to harvest,” says Ouba.

Ouba and the other farmers – many of them women – pick the mature cotton blossoms. Bunches of the finest raw cotton then dry naturally between the small round houses and compounds inhabited by the farmers and their families.  This is the first step in creating beautiful, sustainable hessnatur apparel.

The hessnatur Scholarship Program at Grameen Shikkha in Bangladesh supports the dreams of children to escape poverty through education.  One of these children, Fatema, recently sent me an email.  And I want to share it with you.

“Hello.  My name is Fatema.  I am from a small village named Bakal in Bangladesh.  Together with my five siblings and my parents Matlab and Monowara I live in a shack made of tin cans.  My father became sick and therefore cannot work anymore.  We do not have an area of land where we could grow some food.  Luckily my mother receives micro loans from the Grameen Bank.

Right now I attend the 7th grade of the Agailjhara M.M. High School in Agailjhara, Barisal.  My last report card was filled with A+’s.  My dream is to become  doctor.  That way I could help my father to recover from his sickness.  Also my three younger siblings are going to school.  My older brothers did not have the chance to go to school.  Fortunately they have good work: one in a hotel as a hotel boy and the other in one of the big garment factories in Dhaka.

Due to my scholarship, Grameen and my brothers my family has a monthly income of 50 to 60USD.  I am proud of being a student and going to school.  My mother made it to high school but had to stop after 6th grade due to financial problems.  Now it is my turn.  Thank you very much!  Best, Fatema”

Last year hessnatur donated 10,000 Euros to Grameen Shikkha. Grameen Shikkha is an initiative in education and part of the Grameen network, founded by 2006 Nobel laureate, Dr. Muhammad Yunus.  The money that hessnatur donates is invested in the Grameen Bank.  The earnings currently support the education of nine Bengali children.  One of them is Fatema.