Ethical Fashion: Why Fair Trade Practices Should Matter To Shoppers

From Mother Nature Network's Starre Vartan:

Often enough, people ask me why I cover ethical fashion. With a hard science background and passion for a cleaner Earth, aren't there other aspects of environmentalism that are more important, and less frivolous, than fashion?

My answer usually takes a couple of minutes, because answering this question requires an explanation of the hugeness of the industry, and the equally large footprint of our clothing, shoes and accessories. What most people don't understand is the size and reach of the fashion industry: every single person on Earth -- all 7 billion-plus -- have to get dressed ever day, after all.

And for those who suggest that all of us wear a uniform of sorts that could be endlessly recycled (this comes up quite often in these discussions), I would argue that dressing ourselves is one of human beings' oldest forms of expression, and one of the original arts in many cultures. You don't get woven Mohawk tribal patterns, Peruvian embroidery, Irish donegals or African kente prints without thousands of years of human creativity. Do we really want to do away with personal expression? Having spent just one year wearing a school uniform, I'll tell you that the idea, while practical, is dehumanizing to many of us.

What we can do is buy less clothing, shop vintage and ethical fashion, recycle and upcycle where we can, and swap clothes, instead of participating in the fast fashion junkfest. Clothing sold for cheap is generally made by people who aren't paid well (or treated well) from fabrics that pollute the environment. And they don't last, meaning they make their way to the landfill that much faster.

Here are some more specifics about why supporting ethical fashion and fair trade practices matter:

1. The fashion industry disproportionately affects young women in developing countries. Our clothes are sewn by human beings -- more often than not women -- who get up and go to work each day. They deserve to be treated with respect and paid a fair wage for their work. See the video below for some insight into the world of Cambodian garment workers.

Beyond The Garment Factory's Floor from savann.oeurm on Vimeo.

2. It pollutes local ecosystems. Fashion, including textile production and the sewing and dying of clothing, is one of the largest industries in world, and one of the biggest polluters and users of labor. Buying vintage or gently used clothing, or new clothes from responsible manufacturers and designers means that the clothes on your back aren't creating rivers flowing with heavy-metal dyes in Vietnam. Fresh water is a dwindling resource.

3. Most clothes are landfilled, creating waste. Unfortunately, only about 25 percent of our clothing gets recycled in some way (either being sold on the racks at Goodwill or the like, being sent to developing countries as usable clothing, or downcycled into stuffing and industrial rags). And thanks to fast fashion retailers, textiles account for 4 percent (and growing) of the waste being sent to landfills. Since almost 95 percent of textiles can be recycled in some way, this means plenty of usable material is sitting around at the garbage dump.

Comments

[EJ Helgesen]

11:22 AM on 03/22/2012

Would like to read more.

[viciousvirago]

10:56 AM on 03/21/2012

Oh God, how true. Which is why I'm so pissed that everything seems to be made in China and other Asian countries where the workers are barely paid and work under horrendous conditions. But we Americans allow it, indeed foster it. I do not. I buy at thrift shops and look for made in America. They are hard to find, but I don't give up. It matters to me how my fellow women around the world live.

[Craig Wiesner]

09:22 PM on 03/13/2012

This reminds me of a story about a man who had a beautiful coat, that became too worn, so he made it into a jacket, and eventually it became too worn, so he made a vest, and so on and so on and so on until all he had left was a single button.... and when that button finally broke, at least he still had a story. We have to be conscious about what we wear, where it is made, by whom, and what we can and should do with our clothing when we can no longer wear it. Thanks for giving us food for thought!

[viciousvirago]

10:58 AM on 03/21/2012

I give all my worn, I don't wanna wear 'em anymore clothes to local charities. I want to make sure people are clothed during winter and have bedding, curtains, etc. to at least live a somewhat normal life. And what I give away I wash/dry clean first. Just because you're poor does not mean someone should be giving you worn, holes in them clothes. The poor deserve dignity like the rest of us.