Most students have drawers containing — if not overflowing with — T-shirts from some on-campus organization. These shirts often promote good causes or are used as a way to raise money for a deserving non-profit organization. So the more people have, the better, right?
Not necessarily. They may be supporting a good cause, but the origins of the shirts themselves might be less than commendable.
Edun LIVE on Campus (ELOC) illuminates the production of T-shirts from start to finish for students at Tufts. A socially conscious custom T-shirt business, Edun LIVE sells shirts that are 100 percent made in sub-Saharan Africa. There is no outsourcing of any kind — everything from growing the cotton to making the fabric to creating the shirts is done by people in the region.
Edun LIVE strongly supports the idea that increasing trade rather than humanitarian aid to the area is the key to helping the sub-Saharan community. The ultimate goal is to break the poverty cycle by creating sustainable employment opportunities.
"Some companies do not have excellent working conditions. At the Edun LIVE factories, workers receive health benefits, even for HIV/AIDS victims, and a good working environment," Charlotte Harrison, co-president of ELOC Tufts said. "The cotton farms are pesticide-free, and the farmers are being taught sustainable agricultural practices."
ELOC is a subset of the larger Edun LIVE company, which focuses solely on selling T-shirts to campus organizations for customization. ELOC currently has eight chapters on college campuses across the country, each of which is completely student-run. Harrison and Alex Watling head the Tufts chapter, currently in its second year. Started in Sept. 2008 by Sarah Ullman, the business is quickly growing. They have received orders from over 10 groups this semester alone but are still hoping to expand.
"We try to double our order amount each semester," Watling said. And the group hopes that with a little more publicity, that won't be a hard goal to achieve. Edun LIVE foresees a large potential customer base in the Tufts community, as many students consider themselves socially aware and are eager to do their part.
"We throw around the term ‘active citizenship' a lot here at Tufts," Harrison said. "Through us, students and student groups can actually be active citizens, taking a proactive role in making sure their shirts are made ethically. Edun LIVE practices social corporate responsibility."
Watling agreed. "We are really giving the student community the opportunity to exert proper consumer power," he said.
Harrison and Watling's business doesn't stop at Edun T-shirts though. They also use Artists for Humanity, a Boston silk screening company with a charitable mission, to print the shirts.
Much like ELOC, Artists for Humanity's believes in providing employment as a way to help those in need. Their mission is to provide underprivileged youth with paid employment in the arts. They give participants the skills, education and experience needed to enhance their artistic talents as well as opportunities to make money from them. Ultimately, they hope to allow their members to become self-sufficient workers in the arts.
Some students groups have already heard about ELOC Tufts and are eagerly supporting it with their business. Sophomore Lina Stolyar ordered T-shirts from ELOC last year for the 3Ps First Year Show and was so satisfied that she ordered from them again this fall.
"I like the quality of the shirts, and I love that the money goes towards a good cause," Stolyar said. "I have already recommended them to other people and will continue to do so."
Stolyar also pointed out another benefit of ordering from ELOC Tufts — it's a business that is run right on campus. Harrison and Watling are available and easy to contact.
"I liked knowing there was an actual person on campus whom I could contact if I had any questions or concerns," she said. "I could go talk to Alex or Charlotte and work things out immediately as opposed to waiting forever for someone at some random Web site to get back to me."
Harrison and Watling have also provided shirts for Tufts Film Series, as well as the class of 2012's orientation. Currently, they are looking into planning an event.
"We are going to do a T-shirt making event next semester," Watling said. "We want it to be a fun, hands-on way to get people excited about ordering T-shirts with us."
ELOC Tufts is still very small, but has a lot planned for the future. With a core group of six now running the whole operation, Harrison and Watling are always looking for new people. Anyone interested in either ordering shirts or learning more about the business should contact eloctufts@gmail.com.
"As we wrap up this semester and plan for the next, we look forward to providing Tufts with the opportunity to outfit its student groups in a socially responsible fashion," Watling said.
