S.F. Co. Offers Sustainable Sourcing in Africa
Brands looking for organic, sustainable and fair-trade sourcing have a new option this month. Sustainable Global Sourcing, a new San Francisco–based social venture, has opened its first apparel factory in Liberia and is ready to take orders for organic-cotton garments. The company, which purchases organic-cotton grown in Africa and runs its own spinning and sewing facility in Liberia, has planted its own organic-cotton crops and expects to be a fully vertical operation by 2012. “We call it ’dirt to shirt,’” said Dana Castro, Sustainable Global Sourcing’s chief marketing officer.
The 2,000-square-foot factory is small, currently employing 50 Liberian women, but is expected to grow to meet manufacturing needs, Castro said. Eventually the company hopes to employ upwards of 350 women. Sustainable Global Sourcing, which is dedicated to eradicating extreme poverty in Africa, also contributes to the local economy by fueling its factory generators with palm oil, a locally produced bio-diesel, Castro said.
Environmentally friendly production can be tricky, Castro said. “Often, brands buy their fabric from one part of the world and ship it to another part of the world for sewing,” she said. “You end up going all over the map.” Sustainable Global Sourcing’s vertical model helps eliminate the carbon footprint associated with that kind of production, she said.
Prana, the Vista, Calif.–based yoga-apparel maker, is Sustainable Global Sourcing’s first client. Castro said she hopes similar brands will opt to produce sustainably. “Any brand looking for brand enhancement [is a potential client]. We can be a stepping stone,” she said. For more information, visit www.sustainableglobal.org.—Erin Barajas
