May's social enterprise(ish) of the month

Whilst searching for Father’s Day present inspiration for the two awesome men in my life I happened across our Social Enterprise of the Month for May and was thoroughly charmed by them (like a blushing young heroine in a PG Wodehouse novel!).

Who are they?
Arthur Lissaman and Henry Shiel both lived in an age where a shirt was both an everyday item of clothing, and something special to be looked after.  Holes darned, cuffs reversed & collars starched.  Their descendants formed Arthur & Henry taking inspiration from an era when men dressed just that little bit smarter and clothes were made to last.
 
Where are they?
London-based but with international suppliers.
 
What do they do?
Arthur & Henry believe that every man needs a good shirt and so they founded Arthur & Henry to provide beautiful, ethical, men's shirts. Their shirts are good shirts.  They are well made.  They are good for the environment made with organic cotton.  They are good for the people who’ve had a hand in making them, from farmer to factory worker, weaver to dyer.
 
Why do we like them?
Their values are pretty simple: do less harm, do more good. 

Organic: They only use organic cotton, grown using agricultural methods designed to help sustain the soil it grows on, and the farmers who grow it. 

Fairtrade: Some of their shirts also carry the Fairtrade Mark.  Fairtrade certification means the farmers meet the Fairtrade cotton standards and that they received the Fairtrade minimum price plus a Fairtrade premium.  They are working to have all their shirts Fairtrade & organic certified.

Ethical: The suppliers involved in processing their cotton shirts have all been audited against the Global Organic Textile Standard social criteria at a minimum and the shirt factory has been audited against a variety of high criteria codes. Their shirts are produced in a unit within a small factory in Bangalore and their tailors are amongst the most skilled in the unit and are paid the highest wages.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle: Most of their shirts now come in compostable biodegradable 'poly' bags. Some shirts are still in plastic polybags which can be recycled.  All the tissue they use is FSC certified or recycled.  The cardboard boxes they ship out the shirts in are also FSC/recycled.

Charity: They pledge to give 1% of their turnover every year to charity.
 
If you too believe every man needs a good shirt, then why not buy one from Arthur & Henry?

To find out more visit their website: CLICK
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See the full list of 2016 and 2017 social enterprise of the month: CLICK