Our Shirts

At Lucky Sprout, our tee shirts are created with our Be a Good Seed message in mind. The desire to create high quality goods that have a positive impact on people and the planet informs every decision we make. Lucky Sprout is committed to producing organic apparel that is environmentally friendly, sustainable and ethically made.

Lucky Sprout tee shirts are soft, durable and crafted to become one of those favorite clothing hand-me-downs. Our shirts do cost more to produce than less expensive conventional cotton tee shirts made entirely overseas with environmentally unsound dyeing and printing techniques. However, we believe the price of sustainability is worth the added expense.

Each Lucky Sprout tee shirt is the product of a team effort. To offer people and planet friendly tees, we work together with Edun Live and T.S. Designs. Below you may learn more about these innovative companies and why choosing sustainably produced clothing when possible is so important.

Why organic cotton?

Responsibly produced, organic cotton is better for the planet and for people who either grow cotton or live in cotton growing areas. Conventional cotton relies on agricultural practices that are often unhealthy for humans and the environment. In fact, cotton is the number one chemically treated agricultural product in the world. Cotton cultivation has been estimated to consume 11% of the world's pesticides while it is grown on only 2.4% of the world's arable land. Insecticides used in cotton cultivation represent 25% of the global consumption. The use of sustainable, organic cotton production practices helps reduce the amount of harmful chemicals released into the environment. That's progress we're happy to get behind.

Lucky Sprout tees are made in Uganda from 100% combed, ring-spun, ECOCERT certified organic cotton. The whole spinning, knitting and manufacturing chain has been certified. ECOCERT is acknowledged in Europe, America and Japan and is accredited in these regions by COFRAC (Comité Français d'Accréditation – the French Committee for Accreditation), USDA for NOP (National Organic Program), NAPP for JAS (Japan Agricultural Standard).

Where can I learn more about organic cotton?
Organic Exchange - Making Informed Choices
Sustainable Cotton Project
Global Organic Cotton Community Platform

Why Edun Live blank tees?

Lucky Sprout works with Edun Live because they make beautiful, organic tees. We share an understanding that a commitment to the production of sustainable and ethically-produced clothing doesn't have to come at the cost of superior quality and style.

We are drawn to Edun Live's commitment to sustainable economic development in sub-Saharan Africa. Edun Live's mission is to drive sustainable employment in sub-Saharan Africa through high-volume sales of blank tee shirts to the wholesale market. Their orders for tees support factories in impoverished regions of Africa. From the African cotton they source, to the spinning and knitting process, all the way to the manufacturer, Edun Live's blank tee shirts are 100% African - or as they like to say, “grower-to-sewer” African. Theirs is a special position, as very few, if any, other businesses are doing the same.

In 2007, in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society, Edun Live founded the Conservation Cotton Initiative which helps farmers in sub-Saharan Africa transition from conventional cotton farming to organic farming. The project's aim is to increase the production of organic cotton and raise farmer's incomes while protecting wildlife and the beauty of African landscapes.

You may learn more about Edun Live and the Conservation Cotton Initiative at the links below:
Edun Live
Conservation Cotton Initiative

Why water-based inks?

The images and text on Lucky Sprout tees are produced with REHANCE - a unique water-based printing technology created by TS Designs. Conventional screen printers generally use plastisol inks containing PVC and pthalates, which are harmful to the environment and result in plastic print that is not breathable. Water-based inks do not contain PVC or pthalates making them better for environment.

What is low impact dye?

Lucky Sprout tees are garment-dyed with Ciba bi-functional, low impact reactive dyes which meet the European Oeko-tex standard and the GOTS (global organic textile standards). These dyes require less salt in the dye process, lower water temperatures (meaning less energy usage), and do not contain any heavy metals, a chief environmental concern of most textile dyes. The Ciba dyes are not natural, but they are the best garment dyes that technology has to offer that can meet our quality requirements while maintaining the smallest environmental footprint.

What is Fair Trade and why is it important?

We believe everyone who works hard should receive a just wage for their labor whether they live in the United States or Uganda. As consumers, we often have the opportunity to impact the standard of living and working conditions of the people who make the things we need by choosing to purchase products produced according to fair trade principles.

Fair Trade is the term used to represent trading partnerships that seek greater equity in the rules and practices of international trade. In addition to paying a fair price to producers and workers for their goods and services, organizations and consumers acting according to Fair Trade principles have a clear commitment to helping people in the world's most marginalised communities secure their rights, escape poverty and promote sustainability.

What is a Fair Trade certification mark and why don't Lucky Sprout tee display one?
A Fair Trade Certification Mark is an independent certification mark that guarantees a very rigorous process of certifying products as complying with international Fair Trade standards set by Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO.) FLO, a consortium of Fair Trade groups in Japan, Canada, the United States and 17 European countries, is the leading standard setting and certification organization for products labeled Fair Trade. In the United States, TransFair USA is the only independent, third-party certifier of Fair Trade products.

Lucky Sprout apparel does not display a Fair Trade certification mark. While clothing receives the official Fair Trade label in other countries, it is not yet possible for apparel to be certified as Fair Trade in the United States. Currently, TransFair USA only certifies agricultural products, including coffee, tea and a few tropical fruits.

Where can I learn more about Fair Trade?
TransFair USA, certifies and promotes Fair Trade products in the United States.

Washing and Drying

Lucky Sprout tees are fully pre-shrunk during the production process. To keep your tee looking its best and save energy, we recommend you wash your tee in cold water and hang it up to dry. If hang drying isn't an option, then tumble dry with low heat.

Colors

We have made every effort to display as accurately as possible the colors of our products that appear at the Site. However, we cannot guarantee that your monitor's display of any color will be accurate as the actual colors you see depend on your computer monitor.