The global garment industry is unsustainable, and every year, it produces 24 million tons of new cotton, 400 billion square metres of fabric. Each year, it uses 1 trillion kW hours of electricity, 9 trillion litres of water.
95% of textiles are recyclable, but only 15% is currently recycled. Every year, 3,5 tons of cotton is thrown away, and 400 million metres of denim is tossed. We are over-consuming.
We got all these facts from Pure Waste, who is our manufacturing partner for Népra lazywear. Pure Waste is an innovative garment company both in what it comes to the ethics and environment.
Pure Waste factory is located in Tamil Nadu, India, where they provide fair, safe and legal working conditions. They use 90% renewable energy and 100% recycled materials but zero harmful chemicals. Pure Waste's fantastic innovation is to use cutting waste as their raw material, as the textile waste after cutting items is 10-25%.
In Tamal Nadu, the water level is going down every year because of the lack of rain. It is crucial to save water for the future because there is not store water in the region and, otherwise, there won’t be enough drinking water in the future. Every Pure Waste t-shirt saves 2700l water, which is as much as one single person drinks in three years.
Our previous Népra blog article was all about the wonderful ladies behind your Népra activewear at Kamilla in Tallinn. This time, you'll learn, how Pure Waste manufactures your Népra lazywear according to the highest ethical and environmental standards, and UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights principles in India. Pure Waste makes sure that the standards are not just fulfilled, but surpassed.
How many people work in the factory?
80 people.
How is the typical workday at the Pure Waste Factory?
The work starts at 8:30 in the factory. All workers have half an hour lunch break at 13:00. Then, they work from 13:30 until 17:00 and have a tee break. The factory is closed at 19:30.
Usual working hours are 9 hours per day including the lunch break and two tea breaks. In India, it is normal to work 6 days a week, and Sunday is a mandatory holiday. At Pure Waste, overtime is voluntary and paid.
How is the salary determined?
All the employees have work contracts, and they have a monthly salary.
Pure Waste covers social expenses and provides light food. The company also provides commotion and transportation for those who need it. Some employees work only seasonally because they come from further away such as Nepal and northern parts of India. For them, Pure Waste organises commotion at the factory area. All seasonal garment workers take at least one month break to visit their families.
How is the factory?
The factory and its surroundings are planned in a way that it keeps cool in the heat. The roof has special material, and there are 120 coconut trees on the yard to offer shade. The factory uses 90% renewable energy, and the fence surrounding the factory is made of 56 000 recycled plastic bottles.
The employees, who don’t come from the region, have little rooms on the factory yard to live in. Some workers commute by bus provided by Pure Waste.
Wellbeing at workplace
People feel happy to work at Pure Waste, and they find their co-workers friendly. The employees get longer breaks than generally in the garment industry in India, and they have time to refresh themselves. The stress levels are reported to be very low.
Freetime
One worker explains in the Pure Waste video that he spends time with his kids and teaches them lessons after his workday. On Sundays, the whole family spends time together and watch movies.
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Write to us if you learn something new about your Népra lazywear. Share the article with friends who love wearing our free time items and should know about the origin of Népra.
Love,
Ama & Essi
All videos & photos provided by Pure Waste
