That's the message from Pants to Poverty founder, Ben Ramsden, who came up with the idea of selling fairly traded underwear after hearing a speech by Nelson Mandela calling for a new generation of people to "set the world free from poverty".
Selling organic boxer shorts and hot pants might not seem like an obvious solution to the fight against global inequality, but Ben is on a mission to convince us otherwise. His company's fairly-traded underwear is grown, sown and stitched in India us
ing sustainable organic farming methods, guaranteeing farmers and their families are paid a fair price for their cotton as well as a social premium for health and education projects.
Pants to Poverty was set up by Ben and a group of friends in 2005, with the help of a £3000 bank loan. Within six months they'd sold more than 11,000 pairs of pants featuring the company's name (and mission statement) embroidered around the waistband. Since then, sales have sky-rocketed and Pants to Poverty undies are now on sale through a network of ethical and independent shops, student unions and from the company's own website (www.pantstopoverty.com). According to Ben, "Bad pants are damaging people, the planet and our futures. Any pants – like most pants – made using pesticides, exploitation and carcinogenic dyes should not grace the most precious parts of our bodies. My mission is to make the best fairly traded, organic underwear possible, building a sustainable business that benefits the producer as well as the consumer. To me, trade justice is the most important issue facing my generation today."
At just £10 a pop, Pants to Poverty's organic thongs and Y-fronts look great, too. And if you want to find out where your money goes once you've bought a pair, the Pants to Poverty website has a 'grain to groin' breakdown of who gets what.
