Vivienne Westwood and Anvil Knitwear Collaborate on Sustainable T-shirt to Stop Deforestation

Anvil Knitwear Inc., N.Y., recently announced it is partnering with British fashion designer Vivienne Westwood to create a sustainable T-shirt to help raise awareness about deforestation of South America's rainforests.
Deforestation is responsible for approximately 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, more than all the world's cars and trucks combined. Despite the rainforest's great value to the environment—absorbing carbon, purifying water and playing home to millions of species—deforestation continues.

"We are truly honored to have Vivienne and Anvil supporting the rainforest cause," said Kevin Conrad, executive director of Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN), N.Y., and Papua New Guinea's special envoy and ambassador for environment and climate change. "We hope that the launch of these fabulous T-shirts will help draw more attention to deforestation and the plight of our citizens who are now on the frontline in the battle against climate change."

The CfRN wants to right this situation at the climate summit in Copenhagen by initiating a mechanism known as Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+). Through REDD+, the United Nations will issue carbon credits for each hectare of living rainforest. These in turn could be traded on the world's commodity markets to countries, such as the United Kingdom, that need to reduce their emissions at low cost. The proceeds would go to poor landowners who today have no option today but to log their trees.

"I am so glad to have had the opportunity to do this tiny, tiny thing—design a T-shirt—every little bit helps," said Westwood. "Act fast/slow down and stop climate change. That's the message. We must all commit ourselves. Say yes to the rainforest."

Anvil Knitwear provided eco-friendly T-shirts from its AnvilSustainable collection. Each shirt is made with a blend of recycled polyester, derived from approximately three recycled plastic bottles, and transitional cotton that comes from farms that are converting to organic farming methods, a three-year process required for receiving organic certification. Eco-friendly printing for the shirts was provided by New Buffalo Shirt Factory, Clarence, N.Y.