about greenfibres
The idea for Greenfibres evolved in the early 1990’s and the first organic cotton t-shirt was sold in 1996. It was started by William and Gabriela Lana for two main reasons:
- To offer you beautiful and useful textile products that are kind to the environment and to our health and well-being,
- To provide meaningful livelihoods for all people who work with, and in, Greenfibres.
Why we do what we do
TO REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF CHEMICALS PRODUCED AND USED
Greenfibres’ organic textiles undergo minimal treatment and processing. There are thousands of chemicals used in conventional textile production & finishing processes which often have devastating effects on habitats, rivers, soil and people. If the raw material, be it cotton, wool, silk – or some other natural fibre – can be grown or reared organically we will be using it. This helps to reduce the amount of pesticides, insecticides, synthetic fertilisers, and synthetic textile chemicals used each year.
TO INCREASE THE LEVEL OF WELFARE FOR ALL INVOLVED
This starts with the farmer and the cotton picker working in a safe environment, getting paid a fair wage, and continues with the textile worker assembling garments in good working conditions for decent pay. It also includes the animals who supply the raw materials for the products. Finally, choosing an organic alternative gives you the satisfaction and peace of mind that the textiles are healthy for your skin and have been made with genuine care and consideration.
TO PROMOTE ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
We believe growing crops and raising livestock in accordance with natural principles is one of the key ways we can make our collective actions more sustainable, and reduce our carbon footprints.
If you appreciate products that are enhanced by their history, not compromised by it, give us a try.
How we do what we do
Greenfibres is a small company, with a small team, and few corporate ambitions. For you this means you get a dedicated, personal service, beautiful products, and no hard sell. We aim to offer all of our customers a fair, courteous and informative service.
During our office hours you can talk to someone who really knows the products and most likely has one at home themselves. Sometimes people contact us and just want to bounce some eco idea off or voice a concern they want to discuss. That’s fine! The organic world is still very small and we may really have heard about a green alternative to bungee jumping (we haven’t, but if we had we’d tell you, and no, hemp rope is really not a good idea!)
You won’t be able to speak to us at 11 o’clock at night because that’s when we are asleep on our organic mattresses, but you can leave us a message and we’ll always call you back. You can order on our website 24 hours a day, and we even have a live online chat function, where you can ask instant questions during office hours or message us if we’re closed.
Where we do what we do
We live and work in a lovely area of the UK. If you are down our way make sure you stop in Totnes for a cup of fair-trade coffee in one of the town’s many cafes and visit our shop. No clever product write-up (and we’re still working on those!) can substitute the feel and smell of an organic wool blanket or organic cotton nightie. Visitors often comment on the “wonderful smell†as they walk in the shop, we put it down to a combination of organic cotton towels, an absence of nasty chemicals, and the traditionally made French organic soaps on display. (Incidentally someone in the shop once remarked that the wool duvets smelled a bit of sheep… to which we replied: “we sure hope soâ€!)
Totnes has become known as the ‘alternative capital of the UK’ (some of the more esoteric residents describe it as ‘twinned with Narnia’). Whatever your outlook, it is certainly worth a visit. Situated in the South Hams – an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty – it has a High Street like no other. The majority of shops are independently owned and you can count the number of chain stores on one hand. It is a friendly town full of ideas of how to make this earth a better place, and – we believe even more importantly – full of people who are happy to give these ideas a go.
We hope you’ll visit us soon!
With best wishes
Gabriela Lana & William Lana
