'Someone should fix it': The environment is the core of a hopeful new Longford business

Niamh Cummins, 19, from Drumlish and former student of Mohill Community College in Leitrim might have young shoulders but she wants to make a generational impact in eco-friendly business.

As the CEO of the up-and-coming EcoFair, she describes the journey as a life’s mission to push the ecofriendly and fairtrade movement into every sector and industry making a healthier planet and better rights for workers all across it.

Read more: Race night fundraiser to take place for local Longford childcare facility

The idea stemmed during third year in school, while doing her junior cert. An avid lover of crafts, such as crochet, knitting and sewing, Niamh realised that there are not many eco-friendly products, such as yarn, to purchase to follow the ethos of ethically sourced materials.

“Someone should fix it, but I was under 18, so I waited until I turned 18 as I was taking a gap year. Why not?” she told the Longford Leader when asked about what sparked her interest in beginning an environmentally friendly business.

It is still early days, but Niamh is making plenty of preparations to make this a feasible vision.

The goal is to launch between mid-to-late 2026, EcoFair aims to manufacture eco-friendly and ethical textiles such as fabric and yarn. They will be using cotton linen and sheep’s wool as the three main fibers with possible addition of silk in the future.
Once turning 19, Niamh has been busy since founding EcoFair a week she got her Leaving Cert results. As this business is only starting out, she is the sole individual working on it to make sure nobody would be underpaid.

“It was outside the Leaving Cert, just starting the gap year. I never knew how to do it, so I researched it. Limited companies, but legally I need a secretary. I’ve never made a website before and looked into companies to find SquareSpace, which was what I used. It was trial and error. I’ve never done social media. I’d no idea. Lots of Googling, YouTubing, how I do this and that. It was a learning as I go thing. I’d no help at all!”

This business will be Longford-based once it launches. As there is a push by the EU for ethical textiles, the plan for EcoFair is to have a factory and machines to make the materials.

“We will be manufacturing our products from raw fiber to finished product all in Longford. We are starting with textile manufacturing as the impact of fast fashion and the current textile manufacturing systems on both people and the planet is growing ever clearer and more mainstream.

Read more: Drumeela Garden Club GALA Night open for interested Longford individuals

We are here to provide an alternative that will meet the standards the EU is pushing, to grow the eco-friendly Fair Trade movement, whilst trying to put Longford as leader of the pack in terms of adopting and promoting eco-friendly and ethical standards.”

What Niamh hopes for next is to acquire a GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) certification. This is so that EcoFair’s ideas are not just in words, but in reality. Acquiring it for Fair Trade is not easy, but with ambition, Niamh hopes to succeed in her goal.

EcoFair can be viewed here: https://www.ecofair.ie/