The Beatles Said It Best

By Noah

“Hey Jute” – A uniquely titled accessory company located in Mt Albert Ontario (about an hour north of the city) that designs and creates durable, useful and rather attractive products in an otherwise bland and synthetic market.   Using an eco-friendly plant fibre called Jute (instead of your typical combination of synthetic fibres, plastics, and non-recyclables), Hey Jute manufactures products such as school binders, Ipod cases, belts, purses, wine and tote bags, ties, pillows, guitar straps and yoga mats.
Jute is a long soft and shiny plant fibre which can be spun into coarse strong threads and then weaved into different products offering strength and durability, and also a distinctive appearance (very much like hemp).


Although grown mostly in Bangladesh and India (I know I know you carbon-footprinters – import emissions will be through the roof) the ecological benefits from this product are hard to ignore:  it’s a 100% biodegradable and recyclable vegetable fibre procured from bark that acts as a catalyst in quick re-growth of vegetation.  This means that Jute farmers across the ocean can also combine the fibre with soil causing them to coalesce or blend together increasing soil permeability.  Increased permeability means more water can penetrate the soil, which helps to ensure favourable humidity.  This essentially creates a micro-climate which specifically advances and assists vegetative growth of all types.

Almost as impressive as its ecological benefits are the moral and ethical values that the company upholds.  2% of every sale is donated by Hey Jute to Child Rights and You (CRY), an Indian NGO that works to maintain the basic human rights of children in underprivileged areas of the world.  On top of that, Hey Jute employs self-help women’s groups in India which are comprised of women who were living in violent domestic situations, or areas of extreme poverty with a lack of formal education.  These women seek financial independence in hopes of sustaining themselves and their families, and Hey Jute helps free them from oppressive structures with proper education and training, and with government regulated wages. 

You can check out all of this information and more at their website http://www.heyjute.com ; including contact information, product lines, more info about their eco-friendly product, as well as their initiatives to assist those in need.  Online ordering, customizing products (including silk-screened printings) and numerous other informative links can be found on the website. 

In a time when we need to be coming together not only as a community of Toronto, but as a globally connected and mutually supportive society – Hey Jute offers both; a local initiative which supports those across the globe ecologically and socially, and also carries a sweet IPod case.  You can’t go wrong!

Na....na na nanananaaa.......nanananaaaaa Hey Jute!!