• How to find ethical fashion
STARTING POINTS FOR DRESSING WITH A CONSCIENCE
New jeans? Looking good! Ever thought about where they’ve been before your wardrobe? Such an apparently simple item of clothing has passed through a long chain: from their design to the production of their cotton, its treatment, their assembly, transport and storage. Truly, it’s a wonder of the modern world – and one of its major problems, with every stage being potentially ethically problematic, whether in how its workers are treated or use of resources or the pollution it causes.
Even the jargon around ethical and sustainable fashion can be complicated – there’s no commonly agreed definition for either term, some definitions focussing on environmental factors, some on social and economic impacts, too.
It’s such a huge issue, it can be hard to know where to begin. In fact, there are a variety of ways that we as consumers can approach fashion more ethically (see back page), as well as pushing manufacturers and retailers to do
more, to try harder, be better.
THE PROBLEMS
We’re pretty good at turning a blind eye to the impact of the fashion industry – especially the whole idea of fast fashion – despite the damning evidence against it. Using vast amounts of resources, it has a huge environmental impact: the
There’s some reassurance: even making the smallest change can have a significant impact
clothing industry is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions and is the second largest industrial polluter ( beaten only by oil). Between 10,000 and 20,000 litres of water is required to make just one kilogram of cotton. It’s not a kind industry to its workers either. In April 2013, 1,134 died in the Rana Plaza disaster when a building declared unfit for use collapsed in Bangladesh – those killed had been making clothes for the likes of Primark, Benetton and Monsoon. In July this year, the fashion industry was named as one of five major industries contributing to modern slavery.
It’s an industry that generates vast amounts of waste, too. An estimated 30% of our wardrobe is unworn, according to WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) with each item only worn for an average 3.3 years before being discarded – three-quarters of the time ending up in landfill, rather than being donated for reuse or recycled.
It’s undeniably depressing reading but there’s some reassurance: making even the smallest change can have a significant impact. Giving one tonne of clothing for direct re-use, for example, such as donating to a charity shop or selling online, can result in a greenhouse gas saving of 11 tonnes of CO2 equivalent.
HOW TO MEASURE ETHICS
Again, there are no simple answers, with many different factors to weigh up. Ethical
Consumer’s clothing guide looks at five areas: animals (such as whether they use factory farming or test on animals), environment (including pollution, resources used and the transparency of their reporting), people (not only including rights but also how responsible their marketing is), politics (encompassing everything from government lobbying to “excessive” director’s pay) and product sustainability (taking into account the use of fair trade or organic material, for instance). Their useful ‘clothes shops’ chart at ethicalconsumer.org/ buyersguides/ uses these factors to rank 29 different high-street shops – with sliders, so that you can adjust the rankings, depending on what factors matter most to you. On the go, try the Good on You app (available for iPhone and Android), launched in the UK earlier this year. It ranks around 1,000 brands on the scale of ‘ We avoid’ to ‘Great’, using people, planet and animals as its guiding principles and explains why in easy-to-understand language.
CAMPAIGNS AND ACTION A handful of the initiatives pushing for a better clothing industry
Greenpeace’s Detox catwalk challenges fashion brands to get rid of certain harmful chemicals from their clothing and processes by 2020. They’ve had detox commitments from 76 brands, although their 2016 check-up revealed how far many brands had still to go; greenpeace. org/international/act/detox-catwalk.
Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Make Fashion Circular (ellenmacarthur foundation.org) is an initiative that intends to rethink the entire model of the fashion industry – to keep clothes in use, invest in renewable and safe materials and turn used clothes into new clothes.
Who Made My Clothes day? was created by Carry Somers and Orsola de Castro of Fashion Revolution. Each year, on 24 April – the anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster – consumers are asked to contact the brands they are wearing, on social media, to demand greater transparency about how their clothes are made.
Buy nothing days, months or years are intended to break our compulsion for consumption. Buy Nothing Day began in the 90s, and now happens annually on Black Friday. There’s an Australian campaign to make October ‘Buy Nothing New Month’, while buynothingproject. org is a global community of swappers rather than shoppers. Micha Goebig Phelps blogged about her year of buying no ‘luxuries’, and you can read about Jen Gale’s ‘Make Do and Mend Year’ in issue 43 of The Simple Things. KNOW YOUR BADGES Making sense of fashion’s ethical standards
BLUESIGN SYSTEM: is signed up to an independent auditing of textile mills. Those that commit to adopting Bluesign’s recommendations – on factors including use of non-toxic chemicals and output – can become certified System Partners and include the likes of Patagonia and North Face.
FAIRTRADE MARK: reaches certain criteria on working conditions, living wages and workers’ rights. Companies can also have the mark Max Havelaar Fairtrade Certified Cotton, meaning that a percentage of the cotton in the garment or textile is organic. GLOBAL RECYCLED STANDARD (GRS): verified recycled content and the practices behind its production for any companies making or selling recycled fashion. FAIR WEAR FOUNDATION (FWF): signifies that a company is making efforts to
improve labour conditions for garment workers, with 90% of its factories monitored. FOREST STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL
(FSC): shows that the products come from responsibly managed forests. Every year, 120 million trees are cut down to make tree-based fibres such as rayon and viscose.
OEKO-TEX STANDARD 100: textile products free from harmful substances at all stages of production. SOIL ASSOCIATION APPROVED: • Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS): uses at least 70% organic fibres, as well as reaching certain environmental criteria and working conditions. • OCS 100 label: at least 95% organic material.
• OCS blended label: at least 5% organic content, blended with conventional or synthetic raw materials. Brands for a better wardrobe
Shops and labels proving it’s possible to dress well with style
Thought, wearethought.com, specialises in high quality, easy to wear, natural organic fabrics (formerly Braintree Clothing).
People Tree, peopletree.co.uk, works with Fairtrade producers, garment workers, artisans and farmers in the developing world. We love its design collaborations and its current V&A collection.
EKO, earthkindoriginals.co.uk, based in Cornwall, makes good quality basics from vegan materials and prides itself on its relationships with the people who make its clothes.
Howies, howies.co.uk, specialises in long-lasting t-shirts, sweatshirts and jeans made for getting out in the outdoors and respecting it too – as everything is made with as little impact as possible.
Know the Origin, knowtheorigin. com, partners with producers in India that operate with fair trade and organic principles. See the ethical standards behind each item as you browse.
Ninety Percent, ninetypercent. com, is a London-based label trying something new: sharing 90% of its distributed profits between charitable causes and those who make the collection.
Stylish sites bringing together different ethical brands include The Acey (the-acey.com), Gather & See (gatherandsee.com) and Antibad (antibadstore.com). »
WAYS TOWARDS DRESSING ETHICALLY
Green Strategy, a Swedish consultancy on improving sustainability, suggests seven ways we can start to shop and dress more sustainably*
ON DEMAND & CUSTOM MADE
Encompassing made-to-order, tailormade, and DIY. Campaigners believe that the fashion industry should be more responsive to consumer demands, rather than make in bulk. Consumers can put this into practice, too. If we play a role in the production of our clothing, we’re more likely to look after it and hang onto it. Getting custom-made is an increasingly affordable option, thanks to the likes of Fox in a Glove, foxinaglove.com, offering modern styles made in Europe, and Brighton-based Dig For Victory, digforvictoryclothing.com, which specialises in vintage-inspired shapes. Clever sewers can make their own clothes. For fashionable patterns, try the Sewing Your Perfect Capsule Wardrobe project book by Arianna Cadwallader and Cathy McKinnon (Kyle Books), Sew Over It (sewoverit. co.uk) and Tilly and the Buttons (tillyandthebuttons.com).
GREEN & CLEAN
Try to buy green, where you can – and ideally items that are green through every step of the process. The textile certification helps identification, but in general look for organic, natural fibres, such as wool, cotton, silk, lyocell and hemp, rather than the likes of petroleum-derived polyester, nylon or acrylic, which don’t typically degrade in nature. Ideally you’d be able to track a garment’s credentials at every stage of production – virtually impossible at the moment, so join the campaign for greater transparency from clothing brands at fashionrevolution.org/ about/transparency.
HIGH QUALITY & TIMELESS DESIGN
When you buy, try to buy better. The WRAP Love Your Clothes campaign offers best buy guides at loveyourclothes.org.uk/guides/ best-buy-guides that highlight what to look for to get the most from an item of clothing. Livia Firth’s #30wears campaign is simply a prompt to ask yourself before buying if you’ll wear something at least 30 times – it’s surprising how many garments won’t reach this criterion.
FAIR & ETHICAL
Referring to traditional production, artisan crafts and animal rights. As with the Green & Clean, try to find out who made your clothes – and if anybody or anything has been harmed in the process. This can feel impossible to ascertain, so demand better and join in Fashion Revolution Day on 24 April by asking companies, Who Made My Clothes? To educate yourself further, try a copy of Fashion Revolution Zine (fashionrevolution. org), or a free course exploring the subject; futurelearn.com/courses/ who-made-my-clothes.
REMAKE, REPAIR OR UPCYCLE
Extending the life of a garment by nine months reduces its impact on the environment by 20–30%. Learn the quick fixes – replacing a broken zip, sorting a wayward hem – to keep a garment in use, or up the ante and try remaking your clothes entirely. Dressmaking courses around the UK are listed at thesewingdirectory. co.uk/workshops-and-courses/ – or take advantage of the skills of a local tailor to keep beloved items in use.
RENT, LOAN OR SWAP
There’s a wealth of desirable clothing that won’t cost you a penny, if you decide to borrow from friends and family. ‘Swishing’ parties – pooling donated clothing and accessories – are a social way to share unworn clothes. And for big occasions, consider hiring rather than buying an unlikely to be worn again frock: wearthewalk.co.uk and girlmeetsdress.com offer fashionable rental options.
SECONDHAND OR VINTAGE
Extend the life of an item of clothing by buying secondhand or vintage. See issue 63 of The Simple Things for pleasurable ways to shop secondhand, from car boots to charity shops. On Instagram @ knickers_models_own offers plentiful inspiration on how to style pre-loved clothes: Caroline Jones did a full year of only dressing in clothes sourced from Cancer Research shops. And it goes both ways: hand on your own items, rather than throw away. Even garments that are no longer wearable can go for textile recycling.