Jack Elton-Walters, Rapanui

1. www.rapanuiclothing.com
wholesaleorganicclothing.net

2.  Clothing is everywhere. (Hopefully)

3.  Power to influence trend: Bowie

4.  Fashion ishigh input, short use, frontline of
consumerism
 Bad ethical, environmental and carbon reputation

5. Suits vs child labour?
 Not just high street fashion: Business clothing too
 Where did your suit come from? Bad model

6.  Solution: Rapanui - change whole thing.
 Est. 2008 by two brothers: graduates of
Renewable Energy and Business. ‘if you can’t find
a job, make one’ approach.
 It’s not that people don’t care (about
sustainability, it’s just they don’t know) – make
eco cool, get people on board.
 What if Bowie was an ecowarrior?

7.  Organic / eco textiles
 Ethical accreditation
 Low carbon supply chain
 Easy bit. Not about the product – get thinking, take
more responsibility for whole life cycle…
 It’s about demand and supply: we need consumer-led
change

8.  Engagement fun and interesting.
Offering full transparency on our key lines, from
seed to shop – no PR disaster

9.  Communication, on their terms.
 Open source contribution. No profit.
Takes all the information about the sustainability
of the clothing and presents it in an easy-to-use
eco-label. (EU)

10.  Work for no profit? Or just different rewards:
 Accolades, awards – reputation, value PR.
 National Features: Advertising spend so far: £0
Transparency, eco product = Very loyal customers
 Prices: no different
 Outcomes: business success (300% YOY)

11.  Traceability & Ecolabelling: engaging consumers
with the supply chain, inform, inspire: change
 Sustainability transcends clothing:
Rapanui Roast Coffee
Retail outlet on the Isle of Wight
 Profit &growth (sustainability in business works).
 Pattern: good sustainability aligns with
economies, not compromise.

12.  £200 each…. Really
 1 box of t-shirts, organic growth, now a fast growing SME
(~10 employees, 300% Y.O.Y.) – it took a while…
 Focus on youth employment, IT, innovation.
 Reduced carbon by around 80% at product level (Carbon
Trust study)
 Wind power wholesale PPA (India), RE supplier for offices
and warehouse (Good Energy) plus organic co2 – snowball.
 If two unemployed graduates in a shed can do it…
 Attitude: Most businesses use sustainability as a vehicle to
make money. We think of money as a vehicle to make
sustainability.
 From day one, we’ve been a wind turbine development
company by proxy.

13.  Not static, open to change
 Product & process weren’t perfect
 Not 1 100% change. 100 1% changes.
 Little add ons / replacements for our business

14.  Empower people from our business? Or empower
businesses to empower their people....
 There’s more to clothing than fashion.
 There’s more to carbon than electricity.
 Staffwear: A small change, a big difference:
 Promotional / staff clothing can be cheap & nasty.
 80% carbon reduction (product level) – low
hanging fruit.
 We set up to make t-shirts, polos, staff uniforms
for other companies in sustainable supply chain.

15.  BESPOKE B2B CLOTHING SUPPLY
 Measurable carbon reduction
 Traceable (no exposes!)
 PR points.
 Feels great:
 Bowie factor: If they engage, will they behave
differently? Turn off your lights?
Are sustainable staff the 21st Century BMS?
 Wear what you believe: sustainable clothing =
sustainable people.

17. wholesaleorganicclothing.net
www.rapanuiclothing.com
@rapanuibespoke