1. What is the collection of CERTAINTEES?
2. What is CERTAINTEES, the company?
3. What is a "carbon footprint" and offsetting?
4. What are Certaintees made of?
5. Why did Certaintees stop using bamboo?
6. What are the tee styles, colors, and sizes?
7. What is the best way to care for CERTAINTEES?
8. What about our hand-dyeing?
9. What about our tee design printing?
10. What about the clothing tag?
11. How are CERTAINTEES packaged?
12. How are tees shipped?
13. What form of payment is accepted?
14. What is the return policy?

LEARN ABOUT THE COLLECTION

• Wearable Wisdom is responsive art and words about these times, created by Lee Tracy www.leetracy.com, World Rivers
  
• CERTAINTEES is inspired by, and supports, 6 non-profit partners.
• Original art uses a variety of mediums; paint, ink, charcoal, marker, collage, digital work and handwriting.
• CERTAINTEES are limited editions and numbered on the bookmark/tag.
• Limited edition quantities vary with each design, which allows room to stay current, while making far reaching points.
  
  

LEARN ABOUT THE COMPANY

• CERTAINTEES merges expressive, cultural, environmental, social and economic values equally.
• CERTAINTEES promotes handmade and a calm pace.
• The photo-booth montage represents laughter and fun.
• The Alpha brainwave represents thinking and solutions.
• CERTAINTEES is a woman-owned business.
• CERTAINTEES is a registered trademark and a for-profit corporation
• CERTAINTEES encourages progress in earth+human friendly ways.
• CERTAINTEES Click here for Fast Facts and Current offer:
  Buy 2 tees and get a free music CD!
  This CD was made specifically for our non-profit partner, The Voices and Faces Project. Virgin Records calls it a "WHO'S WHO" of hot indie artists.
  
  

LEARN HOW WE OFFSET OUR CARBON FOOTPRINT

A "carbon footprint" is the impact human activity has on the environment in terms
of greenhouse gases produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Native Energy is a privately-owned Native American energy company that offers carbon offsets. We lower our carbon footprint by donating funds to renewable energy projects, namely wind machines.

February 2007: $180 to offset 15 tons of CO2 emission. Certificate #10398.
May 2008: $216 to offset 18 tons of CO2 emission. Certificate #20099.

LEARN ABOUT OUR TEES

We believe in sustainable design and practice. Our tees are made of organic cotton, harvested and milled without the use of harmful chemicals, within strict global organic standards provided by the Organic Trade Association. We questioned where it is made, what it is made of, how it is made, how it is sent, and how long it will last. Below is a map of our tee journey from field to tee.

• 100% USA Certified Organic Cotton
• Women's and Unisex styles
• Pre-washed, pre-shrunk
• Very soft without softeners
• No additives (no bleaching or finishes)
• Durable (no spandex, lycra, or rayon)

LEARN WHY WE USE ORGANIC COTTON
(For the time being, we are answering this because we are asked.)

After extensive research we switched from using bamboo to US organic cotton to lower our carbon footprint considerably. When bamboo, which is regenerated cellulose, is sent to a chemist's lab we learned that the originating source of the cellulose can not be determined in this form; the fabric could easily have been made from bamboo, ash, or oak to name a few. Though bamboo is a renewable resource, we decided to use a "local" source of cellulose to shorten the transportation distance (energy use) and also enable us to insure that the processing of the natural resource is as earth-friendly as possible. 100% USA Organic Cotton is our choice of fabric.

Please refer to the links below, which are found on the FTC website, to learn more:
US Customs and Border Protection
NC State University
Environmental Marketing Claims: Workshop on Green Building and Textiles July 2008

LEARN ABOUT TEE STYLES, SIZING, AND COLOR

PMS color codes which shows the range of tone for our hand-dyed tees .
Lilac #2645-2655, Poppy #177-178

LEARN ABOUT CARE

CERTAINTEES are washer and dryer safe. Tees are pre-washed and pre-shrunk. The greatest care for your tee and our planet is:

• Wash in cold water, inside out (no bleach)
• Air dry; flat or line dry.
• If you must: Air fluff or tumble dry low and remove promptly
• If you wish: Cool iron

HAND-DYED: Hand-dyed tees have been washed once to remove access dye. We recommend washing them with like colors, 1 to 2 times prior to including them mixed color loads. Also, if you have a stain we do not recommend spot scrubbing. First test your stain remover on a hidden area.

TIP: Natural stain removers! Be gentle, wear longer, wash less.

LEARN ABOUT HAND-DYEING

HAND-DYED IS HIP Hand-dyed tees are appreciated for their individual beauty. Each tee differs uniquely from one to the next. Hand-dyed tees have subtle color variations that create a look that has a familiar vintage feel. Hand-dyed offers the human touch and a gentle manner of achieving color.

We start with a creamy colored natural tee that is free of finishing agents (flame retardants, anti-bacterial, wrinkle or stain resistance, and UV protection, to name a few.) We use non-toxic direct dyes from an established company in Maine that has been manufacturing and selling dyes since 1879. The colors are concentrated and pure, without fillers. We do not use "all purpose dyes" or "reactive dyes" because, once activated they only last a few hours, which limits usefulness. Our direct dyes can be used for several days, which enables us to use it fully. Illustration below depicts ancient Greeks preparing fabric.

• Dyes are manufactured in the USA
• Cold water and low water dyeing process
• Color is fixed with nature's salt and vinegar.
  (no chemicals mordants of fixatives.)
• Final machine washed with mild 7th Generation
  liquid laundry soap to assure excellent colorfastness
  (no Synthrapol or harsh detergent used)
• Absorption method and use replaces
  unnecessary dye disposal (We dye scrap fabric
  for crafts, art projects and accessories.)
  
  

WASH TEST: We washed a dyed tee many times to witness the degree of change. We are happy to report that our test proved normal.

SUN TEST: Not that anyone will stand in the sun for 2 weeks, but we decide to place a dyed tee in the sun to record the change, which was minimal, yet a typical reation.

Learn more about a contemporary journey: I AM DYEING: A world without color by Lee

LEARN ABOUT TEE PRINTING

• Tees are individually printed in small runs with attention to craft. (No excessive inventory, no assembly lines.)
• We use a revolutionary printing technique and emerging digital technology to translate highly complex and sophisticated images. (We have manipulated our equipment and broke some rules to acheive a high standard of printing.)
• The printing process uses non-toxic, water-based, ink made of pigment suspended in water, with non-hazardous binders. (No plastisol ink: liquefied petroleum based plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) contains phthalates that exhaust toxins when exposed to a radiant heat source such as a dryer, iron, sunlight or even incinerators.)
• The printing process produces little waste (any runoff ink is used for ink drawings.)
• The printing process does not require any solvent cleanup.
• The ink is set into the fibers of the tee with a safe mechanical heat press.
• The tee remains soft and washable.
• Each tee design can vary in color and position depending on the style, color and size.

Please notice that our printing quality, with the ability to capture detailed line work, is quite remarkable!

LEARN ABOUT OUR LABEL

• Our signature label is upcycled fabric swatch from test prints. Each is a one-of-a-kind label that is hand sewn, with hemp thread, on the collar.
• Also, there is a "Certaintees" label on the lower side of the tee, placement of label can vary.
• The "Certaintees" label is steamed into fabric with a heat press.
  
  
  
  

LEARN ABOUT OUR CLOTHING BOOKMARK/TAG

• Each clothing tag is a usable bookmark (for your current reading!)
• Each tag has a "Special Memo" space for greetings. This space also lists the number edition of the tee design.
• Each bookmark is attached by a hemp cord to promote this miracle resource for wider use. Click HERE to learn about hemp.
  
  
  

LEARN ABOUT OUR PACKAGING AND MAILER

• Each tee order comes in a reusable 100% unbleached cotton tote that is compact and can hold useful items daily. Say no to paper and plastic and paper forever!

MORE: Our cotton bags come from India by boat and supply 3 businesses at once. Various NGOs work in the villages of Jaipur to train women in stitching, embroidery and hand-blockprinting. Craft and Creations assists them by providing extra jobs to help improve their way of life.

• Each mailer is a strong, padded, and moisture resistant envelope made of 77% recycled fibers and 62% post consumer content. (Suitable for reuse - no need to pull the tab!)
• We do not use any plastic (oil-based) products.
• Our mailing/postage labels are printed on the backside of used paper.

CONCERN: Disposing of plastic waste (derived from petrochemical sources) is a growing global problem. Of the main household waste - paper, cardboard, plastic, glass, steel, aluminum, and food residue - the disposal (burying and incinerating) of plastic waste creates one of the greatest environmental hazards. It is suspected that some plastics will never completely break down in landfill sites.

LEARN ABOUT SHIPPING

CERTAINTEES are shipped twice a week; at the very most, within 7 days from the day order is received. A shipping confirmation email is sent on the day of departure.

DOMESTIC: For domestic orders we ship USPS First Class mail and Priority Mail, depending on the weight of the package (3-5 days, approximately $5.) Each order has an electronic USPS tracking number which monitors the route and confirms delivery.

INTERNATIONAL: For international orders we use USPS First Class mail, depending on the weight of the package, (5-7 days, approximately $6.) with custom form and number. We have kept the cost of international shipping low to encourage multiple purchases. Buying for a few folks at time will cut down on individual ordering.

NO OVERNIGHT: We do not offer expedited shipping (overnight, 2-day or 3-day delivery) because we like to maintain a calm environment to create and handle each order with care.

NO PACKING SLIPS: We encourage our customers to save the order and shipping confirmation emails for their records; to reduce our paper usage we do not include packing slips inside the shipment.

PEACE OF MIND: Certaintees considers the impact of individual shipping on the environment. We contribute to Native Energy's alternative power projects, namely wind machines, to offset the energy used to get your tee order to you!

LEARN ABOUT PAYMENT

We accept Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and American Express. We also accept Paypal.
We have two security gateways listed below.

• For Canadian and Australian residences please abbreviate your province and state into a two character "state/province" code when ordering.
• Illinois orders are charged a 10% state sales tax at checkout.
  
• ProStores services and support provided by Tower Online Solutions, LLC

LEARN ABOUT RETURNS AND EXCHANGES

We check the quality of our tees, yet, we also understand that life has its share of the unexpected. We will gladly exchange your tee or credit your account, less shipping costs.

Products that are unused, unwashed, unaltered and in excellent condition may be returned within 14 days of purchase for a full refund. After 30 days, if the item is still unused, unwashed and in good condition, we will gladly exchange it.

We do not pay for return shipment, and cannot accept responsibility for packages that we do not ship. We suggest that you insure your package and keep a tracking number on file.

Mail your return package (please try to recycle original mailer) to:

CERTAINTEES
855 West Blackhawk Street
Chicago, IL 60642 USA

Please include a copy of computer receipt and a note that indicates your reason for the return and whether you want to refund or an exchange. Include your contact information and shipping address. If this is an exchange, please be specific about what you would like as a replacement (design, style, color, and size.) All exchanges are subject to availability.

We also suggest that you email us with details and to let us know that your package is coming. Click here.

Approved refunds, cost of tee and taxes charged, will be issued within three days of receiving your package.