TFN Talks with White & Green
TFN Talks sat down with White & Green, Ireland’s first 100% certified organic Fair Trade bedding company, owned by Sari, Rebecca and Danielle Winckworth to talk all things cotton, and how their company is pioneering positive and much needed change in an industry infamous for its human rights violations.
Where did the idea to start White & Green come from, and what is the philosophy behind your company?
We are a mother and daughter team originally from the countryside near Dublin, Ireland and our individual endeavours have taken us to living in India, London, Sydney and Colombia among others. Sari is a talented Interior Designer (and an inspirational entrepreneurial Mum) who has always been passionate about great sleep, she found it really difficult to source high quality bedding that was also sustainable for her clients and saw an opportunity in the market. We are proud to be pioneers in the field of sustainable bedding. We are still the only 100% Organic and Fairtrade certified brand in Ireland and one of a minority in the UK, that means, we don’t just have one line of sustainable products within a whole collection, we actually founded this company based on a very clear ethical mission.
I (Rebecca) read International Business, but also managed a career as a professional singer throughout my studies. When I finished university, I went on to travel the world as lead vocalist with major touring shows including Anúna and Celtic Woman. I became intrigued by patterns of unfair trade and how current systems benefit some people over others. I decided to live and work in Delhi, India for sometime and gained a major insight into the garment and textile industries there. I then returned to London and completed a MSc in Development Studies at LSE.
Danielle also juggled two lives as an international supermodel from the age of 14 whilst completing her secondary school studies. She walked in the world’s biggest shows such as NYC and London Fashion Weeks and was the face of global campaigns such as L’Oréal and Swarovski. However, her true passion always steered her towards the design and creation side of the fashion business, which was invaluable when we decided to come together to create White & Green.
So, back in 2015, when Sari pitched the idea to come together as a family and to revolutionise the bed linen industry, we set off around India together to learn the trade and to find the right suppliers- we studied everything from the farming cooperatives, right down to the mills and factories, and finally found our perfect GOTS and Fairtrade certified suppliers. I subsequently went back for an extended period to Orissa, India, to learn more about sustainable farming practices and how our business could change our producers’ lives for the better.
I watched a behind the scenes video where Sari speaks about how in the past linen was such beautiful quality that you passed it down from generation to generation. Many modern day products are no longer made to last but to be used and replaced within a season or two. I realize that this is done so businesses can turn a profit. How do you balance your ideals with running a successful and profitable business?
It's actually becoming easier now as people understand that ethical production can also mean high quality and affordability. When we launched a few years ago, it was a little tougher as people though that Organic and Fairtrade certification meant poor designs and higher prices. Now, as awareness grows, consumers understand they can buy ethical produce that is as good or better as their previous purchases and not necessarily more expensive.
Can you explain the idea behind fair trade practices and how your company specifically implements these practices in production?
Unfortunately, the cotton industry is renowned for human rights abuses including slavery and child labour. We don’t want to play a part in this cycle of poverty, in fact, we want to revolutionise it! We ensure there is NEVER any child labour in our supply chain, we ensure safe working conditions, and fair wages for fair work. In fact, our workers are paid the highest wages of all local textile factories. They receive pensions, medical insurance for their entire family, rent allowance and sponsored meals. We also give them a Fairtrade premium, which they spend on community projects such as healthcare and education.
Why is it so important to you to use organic cotton in your brand?
We simply could not use non-organic cotton, knowing what we know and how damaging it is for our planet which is now more than ever in such danger! Non-organic cotton production is hugely damaging for both the people who handle the crop and the environment around it. It is responsible for the release of US$2 billion worth of chemical pesticides and accounts for 25% of world pesticide use. At least 1 million farmworkers are hospitalised every year due to pesticide poisoning, often resulting in death. These chemicals also seep into local eco-systems, indirectly poisoning nearby communities. Farmers often suffer from shortness of breath, skin disease, migraines, depression and even cancer as a result of these toxic inputs. In fact, we have interviewed several cotton farmers in Orissa, and they all had the same stories of ill health before converting to organic.
That's why we work with a wonderful cooperative in India, which supports farmers in switching back to organic production. Organic farming uses non-genetically-modified seeds, cutting out the middlemen and the need for expensive inputs. By removing chemical pesticides, fertilisers or dyes, organic farming eliminates the risk of poisoning for workers and reduces environmental impact. It is indeed more labour intensive, but there are always willing people looking for employment in these marginalised communities. Plus, organic cotton attains a higher price at the market (10-15% above).
What makes good quality bed linen and how do you guarantee the consistency in the quality of White & Green?
So there is a common myth in bed linen that higher thread count means higher quality, but that is not 100% true.
Thread count simply measures the number of threads woven into each square inch of material. For example, 300 thread count comprises 150 vertical and 150 horizontal threads. At some point, it becomes difficult to fit anymore in. So, as a marketing ploy, companies might create their long threads by twisting shorter, poor-quality fibres together (like braiding your hair). Suddenly, a 300 thread count sheet becomes 600 thread count because it is made from multiple-ply threads.
Whilst this looks great on the labels, the customer ends up paying more money for a poorly made sheet. After a wash, the ends of fibres will come loose and pill (creating small balls of loose cotton) that irritate the skin. This multiple-ply, bad quality cotton also creates a thick texture to the sheets, which can block the natural airflow and cause your body temperature to overheat while you sleep.
So people should really look for long-staple, single-ply cotton, woven into genuine thread count products. Longer fibres create finer yarn, which in turn creates stronger and smoother sheets.
At White & Green, we’ve found the perfect blend of luxury and durability using a 300 thread count single-ply weave. We use only the finest long-staple, handpicked cotton. On top of this, from seed to sheet our cotton is 100% Organic and Fairtrade.
In India cotton is known as ‘white gold’. India is the world’s second largest textile producer, the industry supports over 150 million Indian people. The cotton industry is renowned for human rights abuses including slavery and child labor. How do you come into a system which is plagued by injustices and create change?
It's pretty horrendous if you look into the industry and that's why we spent a long time researching and actually travelling around India to find the right suppliers who are certified by these external international bodies who can 100% say they are doing good and following all the best practices stipulated by GOTS and Fairtrade. From there, we pay a fee each year to these organised who continuously audit the factories and supply chain to ensure everything is in order.
Your company is a family owned, operation - run by a mother and her daughters. How special is it to be able to create a conscious family business? What are the benefits and challenges of running a family business?
It's a pleasure working as a family. We have each other's backs, we trust each other implicitly and we cut each other slack where it's needed. A family blond is literally as thick as blood so we are always going to be here for each other. That said, sometimes we are too close for comfort and there is no break from talking about work....however, the positives outweigh the negatives by far!
Running a company, especially one that is founded and built on ethics is a huge undertaking. I know Rebecca is a singer like myself, and Danielle is a fashion model. Do the girls still have time to pursue their passions outside the business?
Absolutely, we do have time and still pursue these areas too! I am running Citizens of Song- www.citizensofsong.org which is an organisation to promote peace and unity through music around the world. Of course, live music jobs are few and far between but I am still writing music and recording for other projects remotely. We have to keep on doing what we can to keep the industry alive at this challenging time! Danielle has taken a little time out of modelling for the moment but does some work now and again and Sari still operates as an Interior Designer for special projects.
Can you share with us some of the challenges you have had to overcome in creating White & Green and ensuring that your company does things different and better than your predecessors in the linen business?
We were one of the first companies selling bed linen online in Ireland and the UK and we found a very slow uptake of people in shopping for textiles online, as they still like to touch and feel. However, due to Covid-19, we have found a lot more older people willing to shop online now that they cannot visit physical stores.
Aside from that, the online world can be very expensive in terms of marketing. Facebook ads are colossally expensive! But again, with years of experience and practice, we have managed to do it very well.
Really, the company is a pleasure to run, the customers are wonderful and they love their products so there are no returns except for if someone ordered a wrong size by mistake. So, its a handsfree company for the most part!
How does it feel to be a women owned business making a sizeable positive impact on an industry notorious for its human rights violations?
We are really proud of our work but we feel we need to do more. We are joining One Per Cent For The Planet now and are pledging to donate an extra 1% of sales to charity. Aside from that, we will create a scholarship to help vulnerable students study- that is our Mum's idea- the trailblazer and visionary of the company!
What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who wish to create a sustainable, conscious fair trade business?
Do it! The world needs more conscious beings and people want to shop ethically but they find it hard to find good options. The more of us creating ethical products, the easier it is for consumers!
What’s next for White & Green, where do you hope to take the brand in the next five to ten years?
We are hoping to launch in the USA within the next year. We just hope that the country finds peace and good health soon, so we will wait with our fingers crossed before launching anything officially!
‘TFN Talks’ In Partnership with Tropical Nomad Coworking Space