Ever wanted to know what really goes on in one of those evil sweatshop places we all do our best to boycott? This Sunday will give you the opportunity to do just that. In 'The Devil Wears Primark' showing on 1st June on Channel 4 at 9:00pm, Alexa Chung will attempt to explose the sweatshop conditions of workers who produce Primark's £2 t-shirts.

I'll be interested to see if Primark can withstand another blow to its already abysmal ethical record; in 2005 it was branded 'Least ethical clothes shop' by Ethical Consumer Magazine, scoring 2.5 out of 20 in an ethics index, and its name is synonymous with cheap, throwaway fashion, produced under all kinds of questionable conditions. But does the public really care?

These pillows remind me oddly of those 'boyfriend replacement' cushions that have been such a hit with Japanese singles. The pillowcases are made from recycled men's shirts (you'd never have guessed, would you) by designer Ximena Orozco.

I have to wonder if there's a niche market for taking bespoke orders for ladies whose partners travel a lot or spend a lot of time away -- I'm sure there are women out there who'd find it comforting to have their boyfriends 'unique scent' captured in a pillow!

[Via Electro Plancton]

Mineral makeup has long been a well-kept secret among natural beauty afficionados, but now it's hitting the mainstream it's more important than ever to ensure you select a brand that's as natural and ethical as it says it is -- and I can start off by saying you won't have any of these worries where Inika mineral makeup is concerned.

Certified vegan, not tested on animals, GM-free and with reassuringly short ingredient lists, Inika is as pure as it claims to be, but how well does it work? I'm currently testing the Peach Puff Pot available at Edible Beauty for £15. Read on after the jump for my verdict...

Related: Abi's mineral makeup makeover with Bella Pierre | What is mineral makeup and how do I use it?

I'm not convinced I need a solar powered lawnmower. It's not the energy side of mowing that bothers me, unless we're talking about the energy needed to get my arse up off the sofa and out to push the thing around.

However, I do like to give a hearty round of applause to the hackers with enough intelligence and modding cojones to come up with these contraptions.The starting materials aren't that hard to get hold of - a battery operated lawnmower, a 12V charger and a solar cell; ok, so that last one's not so easy - but the real trouble for folk like me is the easy to follow steps, which begin with "Just simply" and end with a pile of useless wires in shed for five years and a broken lawnmower - not worth the trouble.

Now, if I could apply it to a robotic mower then that would be a winner. [Via Tech Digest]

It started life as a humble power-point presentation, then became an oscar winning film. But is turning An Inconvenient Truth into an opera taking things one step too far?

Al Gore himself would disagree, it seems, as he's given the go-ahead for Milan's famous opera house, La Scala, to produce an opera based on the documentary. So far, all anyone seems to know is that the composer will be Giorgio Battistelli -- currently artistic director of the Arena in Verona -- and the production will be staged in 2011. This information vacuum has led to a lot of speculation about how on earth they're going to do it, but I'm thinking polar bear tenors, and a screeching soprano number from that toxic diva, C02.

Organic Stereo is a Brighton-based label that's getting a lot of buzz from the green fashion community right now.

As the name suggests, the clothes are certified organic wherever possible, printed with eco-friendly dyes and are put together in Portugal. And being from Brighton, the designers certainly know a thing or two about making stuff that's perfect for the beach, with loads of funky printed smocks and cool t-shirts. A limited range from the collection has just landed at Adili, so head over there now if you want to check it out!

I'm curious to know where the sudden surge in vegan-friendly sex toys has come from. Could it be that a dairy-free diet promotes such health and vitality that our vegan friends are in a perpetual state of arousal? Or is it perhaps that most of these items have always been entirely cow-free but are only now starting to be labelled as such? Either way, it's good to know that you can enjoy a bit of hanky-panky without any livestock involved...

And it's no longer just your 'standard' lubricants and rubber johnnies that are going vegan these days either -- a quick glance through a popular online sex toy emporium brought up a vegan-friendly blindfold vegan-friendly cock rings and even a vegan-friendly ball gag (well, I guess if it's going on your mouth you do want to be sure).

On a more serious note, we are all concerned about chemicals we put into our bodies when they're in the form of food, so why should sex aids be any different? Follow the jump for a video on why the natural and vegan-friendly sex aid industry is growing!

No, you haven't stumbled on to a PC review on Tech Digest by mistake; you're actually looking at the latest bit of kit in composting technology.

The Naturemill Pro makes the whole messy business of composting food waste a lot less icky by coming equipped with a neat, press-and-flip lid. It holds up to 120 lbs of food, seals everything away odourlessly and lets you know when its done turning your scraps into top quality fertilizer with a red LED light. This typically takes two weeks. And if all that's not enough, it's also available in six lovely colours! The bad news? It's on sale at $399

I absolutely love the thick soles and chunky laces on these seriously cool sneakers.

Suitible for men and women, the iconic-looking shoes have an outer-upper made from hardwearing, breathable hemp, an inner made of cotton and an outer sole made from 60% natural caoutchouc and 40% rubber. Great if you're into the converse style but want something a little different that's made with some really exciting, sustainable materials. £39.35 at Natural Collection

Did you know that Daryl Hannah ran an upmarket online eco store? Well, you do now. The star has just launched Dhlovelife, which stocks all manner of eco-desirables endorsed by the actress, including this 'beautious' bamboo worm bin (pictured), which sold out almost as soon as it went on sale. Perhaps this was thanks to Daryl's glowing recommendation:

[Via Ecorazzi]

There are precious few designers making swimwear out of recycled and eco-friendly materials (with the obvious exception of the fabulous Aaron Chang) so when I discover a new one, I get quite excited. My latest find is 'Meadow', whose costumes are made from rescued mill end; fabric that would otherwise go to waste.

Meadow's 'Luna' bikini (pictured) is a classic style with a cute bow on the pants. It's made from 60% cotton and 40% bamboo, and is available from Shop Modify. I really hope to see this collection growing soon, as the sustainable swimwear field really needs to catch up with its now much greener cousins in the lingerie sector.

[Via the Green Set]

Related: Make a bikini from an old t-shirt | Eco swimwear roundup

These days, it feels almost criminal to shop online without helping someone out in the process, whether it's by shopping through a charitable store like the hunger site's shop or by clicking through from a portal that donates to good causes before you continue on your journey through the virtual highstreet.

A new site that lets you do just that is Coolaworld, which is similar to other donation sites like Give or Take, but differs in that all the good causes it helps are environment-related.

Since I've had my Wedge card, I've discovered a whole new dimension to shopping that has led me beyond the generic, high street chains to all manner of unique, independent shops selling everything from funky jewellery to occult books. You really would be surprised at how many traders have now entered into the scheme, which offers discounts on products sold in local stores.

And to raise awareness of this little card and the adventures it will send you on, Wedge is holding local shopping day tomorrow, in Waterloo

Recently, I was sent a little bag of what looked like brown sugar. But the label instructed me to pop it in the bath, and with aching muscles having just lugged a heavy bag across our fair city, I was more than happy to comply.

So what is Skinny Skinny, and how does it aid your bathing experience? It's based on sea salt, which in itself is a fabulous skin healer and cleanser, supplemented with all-natural and 96% organic ingredients. And the company's green record is pretty impressive too...

Our friends over at Tech Digest have heard a rumour from the very heart of Mac Towers, where one observant soul has caught a glimpse of the latest Apple patents being registered. And on that list was...a solar panel-backed LCD screen!

What this means is that Apple has devised a clever little way to power your iWhateverYou've Got while you're on the move using the sun or any ambient light with which your handheld comes into contact. With the current state of solar capture technology, it's unlikely that it'll free your pod, phone or touch from the wall completely but it will be a very useful top up method and you'll feel greener than Alan Titchmarsh's fingers.

MacRumors (via Electric Pig)

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