Interview: Me to We Style

As part of  registration in the Culinary Nutrition Expert Program, we send every student a Today is the Day t-shirt from Me to We Style. Today is the Day is a reminder for all of our students to seize the day and make their dreams happen, and we love seeing pictures of our worldwide community donning their orange threads. But there’s a reason we chose Me to We instead of any old t-shirt company. Today, we’re thrilled to share this interview with Staci Thompson, account manager at Me to We. She explains just what makes this social enterprise so special.

Where does the name “Me to We” come from? What does it mean?

The Me to We philosophy stems from idea of improving our lives and world by focusing less on “Me” and more on “We” — this applies to our communities, our nation and our world.

What makes a Me to We Style t-shirt different from a regular t-shirt?

At Me to We Style, our products are produced in Canada with an eco-ethical focus. Our processes include sweatshop-free manufacturing and using eco-friendly fibres like 100% organic cotton, recycled polyester and viscose from bamboo. The composition of these fibres makes a Me to We Style shirt softer, free of chemicals and longer lasting. Me to We Style apparel brings a positive impact to our environment by providing our consumers a way to purchase socially responsible clothing without sacrificing style and quality. For every shirt sold, a tree is planted and 1/3 of a pound of pesticides is diverted from entering our ecosystems.

How do Me to We Style production practices vary from conventional clothing production? 

The ethical nature of our production process ensures high standards of workplace safety and treatment of every employee on all aspects of the production line. Our yarn is ethically sourced from India, Pakistan and Turkey, all certified by our 3rd party auditors to ensure proper standards of labour.  From beginning to end, Me to We Style is committed to environmental preservation, ethical labour and social responsibility.

Me to We Style is described as a “social enterprise.” What does that mean?

Social Enterprises are created as a way for not-for-profit organizations to earn revenue without directly being involved in the exchange of goods and/or services. Obtaining revenue through additional outlets with the goal of achieving social, cultural and environmental gains gives purpose to the social enterprise by providing a good/service and allows the charity partner to receive additional income.

Me to We Style was developed as a social enterprise as a way to provide support to our charity partner, Free the Children.

How is Me to We Style connected with Free the Children?

Me to We Style was developed as a social enterprise in order to support the Free the Children charity and provide consumers with an opportunity to use their dollars to make ethical purchasing decisions. 50% of our annual profits are donated to Free the Children with the goal of offsetting the administrative costs to help grow the positive impact of the organization’s international development projects.

What are some of Me to We Style’s biggest accomplishments?

Thanks to the help of millions of consumers who believe in creating a socially-conscious future, Me to We Style has been able to:

  • Plant 700,000 of trees in East Africa
  • Save +250,000 lbs of pesticides from entering our ecosystem

Hoping to wear an orange tee of your own this fall? We still have spaces left in the program — register today!