Hancock Lumber, 320ink, and Allmade Apparel Making a Difference from Haiti to Maine.
This spring, Hancock Lumber took a different approach when ordering their builder gear. After hearing about a new t-shirt manufacturer, Hancock decided to purchase the Allmade apparel brand, a high quality t-shirt line with a socially and environmentally responsible mission. The Allmade team is committed to breaking the cycle of poverty and child abandonment in Haiti, while reducing the apparel industry’s impact on the environment.
Made from responsibly sourced materials including recycled water bottles and US grown, organic cotton, the eco tri-blend shirts are made in Haiti at the Life Factory. Partnering with the Global Orphan Project, Allmade is committed to orphan prevention. Their workers are paid an actual living wage– 5x more, for example, than the Hanes factory down the street. Children in countries like Haiti, where the average worker earns a mere $3/day to support a family of 8, are at a high-risk of orphanage. The typical orphan in Haiti is not without parents, but rather without parents who can afford to care for their most basic needs—food, shelter, clothing, education, and basic healthcare.
Here are the environmental and social effects of Hancock’s one order:
click to watch video
- Prevented 30,000 plastic water bottles from going to landfill.
- By using recycled polyester instead of virgin poly, saved 6,250 kWh of energy, enough to power 2,500 full loads of laundry.
- Avoided the use of 400 pounds of pesticides and herbicides by using organic cotton instead of ‘GMO/chemical’ cotton.
- Funded 2 living wage jobs in Haiti for an entire month! Hancock Lumber is responsible for 2 humans’ employment in humane and ethical conditions, making a living wage for a month, in one of the most poverty stricken countries on earth.
Drue Nickerson, Founder and CEO of 320Ink, recently released a video featuring the Hancock Lumber order, “This video illustrates the difference in our world that a single t-shirt order can make. Our recent order with Hancock Lumber Company of Allmade t-shirts made a substantial impact on our economy, our environment, and our brothers and sisters struggling to keep their families together in Haiti.”
This is a great example of Hancock’s values in action: 320ink in Gorham, bringing the Allmade brand to Hancock Lumber because he thought it matched the company’s values. When Drue brought the brand to Hancock’s attention, the team knew they had to figure out how to make it work. After asking a lot of questions and checking out a sample, Hancock placed an order for thousands of shirts for their spring builder gear order.
Thanks to Drue and his team for always bringing great new products to Hancock, allowing them to share with employees and customers throughout Maine and New Hampshire. Team Hancock is proud to support Allmade and partner with such great Maine vendors.
“Sewn in Haiti by makers earning a living wage.” Allmade | Make it better
