The first week of term creeps closer and closer, and rather than fight through the crowds at your local shopping centre, why not choose from the wide range of ethically sourced school satchels, pencil cases and notebooks to kit out the youngsters in your life with Scaramanga.

The humble school bag has a lot to contend with in its life – from doubling up as a goalpost in the playground, to being squashed into lockers. Scaramanga bags make the ideal leather school satchel – the 15 inch leather school satchel, £68.00, is a classic design which works for both guys and girls. Available in both tan and distressed finishes, our leather bags are stylish and practical, and won’t fall apart by half term. For those who like a little bit more space, why not choose our 15 inch leather satchel with front pocket, £73.50 – big enough to hold a laptop in the main compartment, this leather bag also features a smaller front compartment, ideal for holding pens, pencils and purses or wallets.

Student life involves, amongst other things, copious amounts of note-taking. What better way to record things than with a Scaramanga leather notebook or journal? From the medium leather bound journal, £12.75, to the large vintage leather journal, £18.50, there’s something for everyone. For the art students, why not opt for an extra large embossed leather sketchbook, £32.50,  which contains 120 pages of heavyweight off-white paper – ideal as a school sketchbook which will need to withstand a wide range of artistic mediums.

Once bags and notebooks are taken care of, school or college life needs to be completed with the all important school pencil case. Available in two designs, the large leather pencil case, £7.50, and the more vintage style round leather pencil case, £6.00 are made from the same leather as the Scaramanga satchels.  Once the pens and pencils are taken care of, any student needs a safe place to keep their dinner money  – why not choose one of our leather pocket money purse coin purses, £2.60, which match the pencil cases and satchels, and are big enough to hold not only money but also any bank cards or keys.

Of all the environmental issues, recycling and biodegrading are near the top of the list and waste has become the top of everyones agenda.

Plastic bags continue to cause endless problems. More than 500 billion are used every year, and each one takes up to one thousand years to decompose. Both governments and retailers are starting to wise up, which leaves us with the question – what’s the alternative?

Whether you’re looking for a casual bag to take to the beach, or something with a bit of strength to carry those cans of beans, a canvas bag from Scaramanga is the ideal choice. Manufactured from strong fabric, available in two handle lengths, and decorated with fabulous pop-art style images, our canvas bags will keep your belongings safe and sound – all while easing the pressure on the environment.

Students can often be seen struggling to the bus or car with bags stuffed with textbooks and notepads, seams bursting – the Che canvas bag, £4.50, from Scaramanga is the ideal solution to your problems. Our canvas bags boast large 40 x 38 x 18cm standard dimensions, the perfect size to fit in ring-binders and study guides, and this design offers the choice of long or short handles. Featuring a print of Che Guevara, this canvas bag stays on trend with bright colours and a vivid graphic design.

Most carrier bags are acquired in the supermarket – so why not reduce your environmental impact, and opt for one of our bags, such as the T-Rex canvas bag, £4.50. The strong fabric is ideal for carrying heavier, bulkier loads, and the short handles make carrying it to the car a lot easier. Our bags boast a flat base, which makes them perfect for standing tins and bottles upright.

Summer is approaching – and what better to carry your swimming costume in than the Scaramanga Glorious Goa canvas bag, £3.00? The colourful print makes it the ideal choice for a fun day out, while the large size means you’ll be able to squeeze everything in. The long handles, perfect for slinging over your shoulder, will keep your canvas bag in place while you trek across the dunes to find the perfect sandy spot.

There’s no better way to treat your tired and dull skin than by applying a natural face cream. It seems such a small thing, but by applying a moisturiser twice daily to your face and neck, your skin looks healthy, radiant and hydrated which is key in the fight against the signs of aging.

It is important to use a natural face cream within your daily skin care regime in order to keep skin supple and soft, helping you to avoid irritable dry skin. A natural moisturiser will help in three ways, to hydrate skin, provide it with oils to keep it soft and also feeds skin with beneficial ingredients to keep it healthy and firm.

Hydrating your skin is important on the outside to retain your beautiful appearance, but also on the inside, as the body is mostly made up of water. Skin is approximately 70% water and it needs a little help as it struggles to regulate itself. Weather, pollution and heating conspire to sap the skin of its moisture. A natural moisturiser will help provide the skin with a much needed hydration boost.

A good moisturiser will provide oil for your skin, but without clogging your pores or making your skin oily. This is why natural face creams provide the best care for your skin, as they will melt into the skin, skin can absorb all the nutrients, unlike many high street moisturizing products which have a tendency to sit on the skin. A natural face cream will also help to protect your skin from environmental pollution.

Natural moisturizers are packed full of ingredients which will help fight free radicals that can damage skin cells. Anti-oxidants help fight these free radicals and repair skin cells, ingredients like vitamin E which has been proven to improve skin and is said to improve the elasticity of your skin. Other ingredients that you might look for in a facial moisturizing product include avocado as it is packed with vitamin E and is a rich source of anti-oxidants which will help skin improve its collagen production.

As known lovers of all natural ingredients, ONG has a wide range of natural facial creams which will help your skin look beautiful on the outside, feel beautiful on the inside and boost your confidence. You can feel assured that we only sell creams we feel happy are beneficial to skin, so have a browse of our different brands, scents and ingredients knowing that they all have our seal of approval. We can guarantee that once your skin has been treated to the luxuriance of a natural face cream you will never want to use anything else!

ONG Natural Bodycare Limited is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

The trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation is a high-profit, low-risk trade for those who organize it, but it is detrimental to the millions of women and children exploited in slavery-like conditions in the global sex industry. This trade is conducted throughout the world with near impunity, in many cases carrying penalties far less severe than drug trafficking. Though people often associate it with Eastern Europe or Asia, the trafficking of women and children for sexual exploitation, with its concomitant human rights abuses and health consequences, is a significant problem in Latin America. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has estimated that sex trafficking in Latin America generates some US$16 billion worth of business annually. Sex trafficking is considered by the United Nations as the third most lucrative illegal business in the world after drug and arms trafficking.

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Volunteer Latin America is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

EXCLUSIVE – 4 for 3 deal on Yes to Carrots and Yes to Tomatoes. No Parabens, no phthalates and no animal ingredients. Vegetable inspired body and skin care. 4 for the price of 3 until 7th November

FREE FABRIC SOFTENER – Buy a 5: Ecover Laundry Liquid bet a 1L Fabric Softener absolutely free. Click ECOVER for details.

3 for 2 BODY LOTION – Until the end of November exclusively at BigGreenSmile we are offering 3 natural body lotions from Jason for the price of 2. Click Jason for details.

25% off FAITH IN NATURE – until the 11th November get 25% off selected Faith in Nature products.

This plus lots of exciting new products available at BigGreenSmile.com

Big Green Smile is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

Design a winning reusable bag

Reusable eco-bags are a must-have for retail, fashion and the High Street. Every time they are used they’re promoting your brand, they show you care about the environment and increase revenue if sold in a retail store. That is why it is so important to choose the right bag for your company. We see many eco-bags hastily put together, with the main reason either lack time or lack of know-how. Here are my top tips for designing a reusable bag that will make your bag stand out from the rest:

1. Be organised: Pre-planning is essential to achieve the most out of your bag. Allow the most amount of time possible for design, manufacture and shipment. This will save money as well: all too often clients end up spending as much on express delivery as the actual bag cost. It takes eight weeks for manufacture and delivery which needs to be factored in on top of the time you spend selecting the style of bag and creating the artwork for it.

2. Bag your brand: This is an opportunity to extend your marketing campaign. If you have a great logo, use it. Often a simple design that encapsulates the sentiment of your brand used with your website address can be more effective than a traditional branded logo bag.

3. Be creative: This is your chance to be different. Consider having the handles, piping or gusset in a different colour to the base bag colour. Instead of being tempted for a white bag with your logo printed in your brand colour go for a Non-woven bag made in the material colour of your brand and the printing in black, white or a complimentary colour.   So many bags end up looking the same and you want yours to stand out!

4. Use colour:  The benefit of choosing a Non-woven polypropylene bag is the huge range of vibrant colours you can choose from. Non-woven material can be matched to the exact pantone colour for large orders.

5. Think detail: Increase the quality by adding poppers, a zip or pocket. Perhaps a hard base insert to improve durability? Laminating a Non-woven bag will transform it to a totally different bag.

6. Make it simple: Style is king! You want your bags to look great so they are used over and over again to get your brand maximum exposure. Avoid the temptation to print too much text. A great image, design or colour choice will create bag envy.

7. Think about your audience: Match your style of bag match to suit your target audience. If it is mainly for women think about a tote with longer over the shoulder handles. For men, a messenger style bag would be suitable while a drawstring bag would be best for youth or sports use. For supermarket shopping a heavy duty green bag with a base might be the best choice. These are only a few suggestions, but each campaign will have different considerations.

8. Choose the right material: Make sure the material compliments your brand, style and target client:

Non-woven PP: is recyclable, contemporary and versatile. It can accommodate sophisticated full colour print techniques to achieve a photo quality as well as silk screen printing or heat transfer.

Cotton: is traditional and suited to simple one or two colour screen printing

Jute: is natural, rigid and suited to supermarket style shopping bags.

rPET: is a modern and environmentally friendly made from recycled PET bottles. This might be a feature that is important and a message in itself.

9. Think print: Spend time thinking about the kind of print you will use:

Silk screen printing: is available for Non-woven, cotton, Jute and rPET. The most intricate of designs can be portrayed in perfect detail with single print colours.

Heat transfer: for a photo quality finish a heat transfer might be the ticket. Essentially a tattoo or a decal is created and with the use of heat bonded onto the bag. This method can be used for non-woven bags, cotton bags, jute or rPET.

Full Colour Process: best for woven or Non- woven bags. It is suited to graphic and digitally created art work where 100% print coverage is desired. It will guarantee a contemporary and vibrant bag and no limit to creativity.

10. Make your bag do business for you: Think about using your bag in promotions – customers spend over £50 and get a bag free or have a special environmentally friendly days when you give away a complimentary bag.

These considerations will affect the quality and price of an ecobag. It is worth the time and investment as it will result in the best bag possible maximising your brand, encouraging reuse and adding to the success of your marketing campaigns.

e: leanne@smartbags.co.uk          

w: http://www.smartbags.co.uk/

p:0208 242 4468        

Smart Bags is an active member of Ethical Junction, learn more

HRH The Prince of Wales and Page Three model Keeley Hazell
have at least one thing in common – they have both been recognised for
their environmental credentials on a ‘Green List’ of the Top 100
Ethical Heroes released on 9 July.

The
list, compiled by New Consumer Magazine, ranks individuals across all
walks of life who have had the most influence in promoting ethical and
environmental lifestyles in the UK over the last five years. Green
celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Bob Geldof and Daryl Hannah, designers, authors, architects, retailers, journalists, campaigners and politicians all earned their place in the rating.

The Prince of Wales
was ranked at number 19 for his ongoing campaigning on environmental
issues from architecture to organic farming, and his successful Duchy
Originals organic food company. Keeley
came in at number 85 in recognition for her work to bring green issues
to a mass audience, through her cheeky eco Page 3 spreads.

Katharine Hamnett
, the campaigning fashion designer who has her own organic cotton
collection and launched a joint ethical collection in Tesco stores
earlier this year, came out top at No 1. She said: "
I’ve been campaigning to clean up fashion for nearly three decades now
and the last five years have been a really exciting time of change.
It’s not all sewn up yet, but the green movement is reaching places it
never has before, and New Consumer’s Top 100 reflects that."

The fashion world has lots to feel proud of, with over twenty representatives from the fashion industry making the list.
Safia Minney, CEO of Fair Trade label People Tree, rock star Bono’s wife Ali Hewson with her label Edun, and Jenny Ambrose, the designer behind sexy hemp silk underwear, dresses and accessories, Enamore, are all included.

Familiar faces from the world of retail make the top ten including
Anita Roddick, who set up ethical beauty company Body Shop and Stuart Rose,
CEO of Marks & Spencer, which has launched a £200 million eco plan
and championed Fairtrade cotton on the high street. Alongside them,
less high-profile faces behind leading ethical brands include Tim Mead, the Chief Executive of Yeo Valley Organics, the UK’s biggest organic dairy company, and Ella Heeks, MD of organic delivery service Abel & Cole.

Newconsumer.com
editor Adam Vaughan said: "Since New Consumer launched
five years ago, we’ve seen the range of people promoting ethical values
and lifestyle extend far and wide, and the names on the Top 100 prove
that green issues are no longer the sole domain of die-hard
campaigners. Today there are ethical heroes to be found in all walks of
life, from big business to Page Three!"

The full list of Top 100 Ethical Heroes will be published in New Consumer’s 5
th anniversary edition on 9th July and online at
www.newconsumer.com.

The
UK’s leading Ethical Lifestyle magazine, New Consumer is a bi-monthly
glossy publication highlighting the latest and best in ethical design,
products and services. It advocates a positive message for change in
the way we live our lives focusing on realistic and exciting ways to
move towards a more ethical lifestyle.

The
New Consumer Top 100 was compiled by the magazine’s editorial team and
peer votes, using a set of criteria including viability, influence,
quality, sustainability and authenticity.

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