Hessnatur, a leading German organic apparel brand has joined forces with Planet Green, a multi media company devoted to the environment, to create an online contest offering the American public a chance to make an environmental statement by designing a limited edition organic t-shirt. The winning t-shirt will be sold internationally and manufactured by Grameen Knitwear in Bangladesh, a subsidiary of the Grameen Foundation, founded by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Muhammad Yunus. Fifty percent from the sale of each t-shirt will be donated back to the Grameen Foundation, which uses the power of microfinance, technology and innovative solutions to defeat global poverty.

Microfinance helps people to escape poverty by giving them collateral-free loans and other financial services to support income-generating businesses. As each loan is repaid, the money is redistributed as loans to others, thereby multiplying its impact.

Launching later this summer, the contest is designed to highlight what the partners see as the damage a traditionally manufactured t-shirt has on the environment. Organisers say that the growth and harvesting of conventional cotton causes some of the world's worst environmental pollution, requiring one third of a pound of pesticides and fertilizers to create just one of the 2.4 billion t-shirts produced globally each year.

"We believe that the simple act of every person choosing an organic t-shirt can make all the difference in the world," states Wolf Luedge, CEO of Hessnatur. "Much like changing a light bulb or recycling, an organic t-shirt does make a difference."

PlanetGreen.com will host the contest online and will offer Americans an opportunity to design an iconic organic t-shirt that, if chosen as the winning design, will be sold internationally. The winning T-shirt design will be selected by PlanetGreen.com readers through a unique view and vote feature.

Grameen Knitwear

The t-shirt will be made by Grameen Knitwear in Bangladesh, a subsidiary of the Grameen Foundation, founded by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

Equipped with the state of the art Mayer & Cie. knitting machines from Germany, Grameen Knitwear are capable of producing a wide range of circular knitted fabrics. A wide variety of single and double jersey fabrics including pique, lacoste, interlock, eight lock, rib, pleated design rib, French terry, fleece, as well as collars and cuffs made of cellulose and synthetic yarns is offered by the company. Grameen also produces functional and technical fabrics for sportswear from cotton and synthetic yarn. Its high quality solid, stripe and semi -jacquard collar and cuffs are knitted on Shima Seiki machines and the company produces 10,000kgs of fabric and 2800-3200 sets of collars and cuffs per day.

"Planet Green engages consumers of all backgrounds with inspiring and innovative content, information and resources that help them make a positive and personal impact on the environment," said Ken Rother, Vice President for Planet Green Interactive. "Through our partnership with Hessnatur and this competition, our audiences have a fantastic interactive opportunity to use creativity as a way to make a statement about how we humans impact the planet."

Health, social and educational benefits

In addition to the environmental impact of traditional cotton manufacturing, health, social and educational improvements for workers are also at the core of Hessnatur's mission. A pioneer in the sustainable and social responsibility movements, Hessnatur was recognized with the 2008 Public Eye Award at the World Economic Forum in Davos for its work in improving the social conditions of workers around the globe. Hessnatur recently merged the revolutionary microfinance program of Dr. Yunus' Grameen Knitwear, with its expertise in organic farming to help improve both the living and health conditions of workers in Bangladesh, one of the poorest regions in the world.

In addition to Planet Green and Dr. Muhammad Yunus, Hessnatur says it has long partnered with world leaders to improve the social and environmental conditions of workers, including Clean Clothes Campaign and FairWear Organization.

Hessnature says that due to the unrivaled organic apparel network it has around the globe, including organic linen, silk, alpaca, wool and cotton textile projects in Peru, Senegal, Turkey, West Africa, China, and Bangladesh, they are able to pay above fair-trade price and still offer reasonable prices to consumers.

"Keeping green affordable is especially challenging during this economic climate. The future of the planet depends on our growing the green movement, so we are committed to putting Organic clothing in our closet," states Luedge.