What do you know about ethical fashion?
1. What fabric are most T-shirts made from?
Cotton. Growing cotton is a polluting business. Cotton accounts for 3% of all cultivated land, but uses 20% of
all chemical pesticides. Eight times more chemicals are used on cotton than on an average food crop. This
pollutes rivers and soils, and it also has serious effects on the people working in the fields. A large percentage
of the 20,000 deaths attributed every year to pesticides, are in the cotton fields of the developing world. A lot
of these pesticides are unnecessary - cotton can be protected from pests with chilli, soap, or garlic. Further
chemicals are used in processing and dyeing the cotton. One company estimates that 8000 different chemicals
are used in producing a t-shirt.
Source: http://ethicalfashionaddicter.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-is-ethical-fashion.html
2. How much is spent on clothes each year across the world?
US$ 1 trillion in 2000
Source: Trading Away our Rights, Oxfam, 2004
3. What is cotton fabric made from?
Cotton is the largest non-food crop in the world, with over 24.3 million tonnes consumed ever year. Cotton is a
natural plant fibre, often referred to as cellulosic as it consists of cellulose. The cotton plant grows to about 1.2
– 1.5m in height. The flower of the cotton plant can be either red or yellow.
Source: Sustainable Fashion: A handbook for Educators, Fashioning An Ethical Industry
4. What is organic cotton?
Organic cotton is grown in certified pesticide-free and herbicide-free soil, using organic farming methods,
Which produce healthier fabrics, preserve the quality of the water and prevent toxins from entering the human
food chain in the form of cottonseed and other by products.
Source: http://www.wellcultivated.co.uk/blog/2008/12/eco-fabrics-%e2%80%93-sorting-the-truth-out-from-thehype/#menu7
5. What percentage of garment workers are women?
More than 75% of jobs in the industry are held by women.
Source: http://www.id21.org/insights36/insights-iss36-art08.html
6. How long might it take for a catwalk design to be seen on the high street?
The latest styles can be seen on the high street just six weeks after they first appear on the catwalk.
Source: Fashioning an Ethical Industry, 2006
7. What is ethical fashion?
Ethical Fashion is an umbrella term to describe ethical fashion design, production, retail, and purchasing. It
covers a range of issues such as working conditions, exploitation, fair trade, sustainable production, the
environment, and animal welfare.
Source: http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/features/ethical_fashion/ethical_fashion/index.html
See also: http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/fashion-development
8. Would you be willing to pay more for a T-shirt that is ethically made? Say why.
We all love fashion, which by its nature is constantly moving, fickle and hugely wasteful. To counter this you
could be more discerning when making your purchases - try to only ever buy an item you truly love and wear it to
death. Then recycle what's left of it.
9. Where can you buy ethical fashion?
Marks and Spencer - M+S are leading the way in fairtrade cotton. They don’t use it in everything, so ask if you’re
not sure. I believe they plan to use it in their entire range within five years.
Howies - this is a great little outdoor-wear company based in Wales, doing unpretentious high quality clothing
with a sense of humour.
American Apparel - made in LA and setting a standard for the US clothing industry. They have a store in London,
just across the way from Howies’ on Carnaby Street.
People Tree - a pioneering company making their clothes in co-ops in the developing world. I have a hand-sewn
shirt from them and it feels unique and special.
Seasalt - a Cornish company making colourful organic clothing. I found them on holiday over the summer.
THTC - The Hemp Trading Company. There are lots of good reasons why hemp is a great sustainable crop - it
grows so fast it doesn’t give weeds a chance, it needs almost no pesticides, and can be grown on marginal land.
THTC specialise in music industry t-shirts and sweatshirts.
Kuyichi - streetwise organic denim, named after the Peruvian God of the rainbow, in case you were wondering.
Patagonia - outdoor and hiking company with a genuine passion for the environment.
Timberland - a bigger company taking responsibility, in a lumberjack kind of way.
Gossypium - a good range of environmentally sound and people-friendly clothing.
Ascension - fairtrade organic jeans, trousers and t-shirts for men and women.
Equop - vote for your favourite t-shirt designs.
Source: http://ethicalfashionaddicter.blogspot.com/2008/10/what-is-ethical-fashion.html
(Today even H&M and Top Shop sell organic clothing)
10. Is environment-friendly important to you when buying clothes? Say why.
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The low costs and disposable nature of high street fashion means that much of it is destined for incinerators
or landfill sites. The UK alone throws away 1 million tonnes of clothing every year. (Source: Waste Online)
11. Is cotton production safe for the environment? Say why.
The cultivation of conventional cotton is linked to various environmental, social and economic issues. The extent of the impacts
of cotton production varies according to cultivation practices and local conditions.(Source: Sustainable cotton on
the shelves: A handbook for the mainstream retailer).

Cotton provides much of the world's fabric, but growing it uses 22.5% of the world's insecticides and 10% of
the world's pesticides, chemicals which can be dangerous for the environment and harmful to the farmers
who grow it. (Source: Ethical Fashion Forum)
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Current textile growing practices are considered unsustainable because of the damage they do to the
immediate environment. For example, the Aral Sea in Central Asia has shrunk to just 15% of its former
volume, largely due to the vast quantity of water required for cotton production and dying. (Source: Ethical
Fashion Forum)
Most textiles are treated with chemicals to soften and dye them, however these chemicals can be toxic to the
environment and can be transferred to the skin of the people wearing them. Hazardous chemicals used
commonly in the textile industry are: lead, nickel, chromium IV, aryl amines, phthalates and formaldehyde.
(Source: Greenpeace)
12. What does this label mean?
The Soil Association symbol is the UK's most recognised trademark for organic produce. The organic symbol is
valued by farmers, growers, processors and retailers as an important mark of their professionalism and
integrity. The organic symbol is a trademark of the Soil Association and protected by copyright. Only licensees
are entitled to use this symbol and only in association with the organic products that are included on their
licence.
13. Would you buy clothes regardless of how they were produced if they were cheap? Say why.
“FAST FASHION IS LIKE FAST FOOD - it’s cheap, addictive and unsustainable”.
Source: http://www.ethicalfashionforum.com/the-issues/fast-fashion-cheap-fashion
14. What does this label mean?
The FAIRTRADE Mark is a registered certification label for products sourced from producers in developing
countries.
When you see the FAIRTRADE Mark on a garment it means that the cotton has been sourced from a Fairtrade
certified producer organisation It has also been produced in a fully certified supply chain where there is full
traceability of the cotton. Every operator in the supply chain from the ginner to the spinner, knitter, weaver,
dyer, garment factory and sub contractor has to be certified to handle Fairtrade cotton. We also ask supply chain
operators for independent evidence that they are making efforts to meet recognised labour standards although
ultimately it is the responsibility of the brand or company to ensure that these standards are being met.
There’s no difference in quality between Fairtrade cotton and normal cotton. The real difference is that the
person at the very bottom of the textile supply chain who has grown the cotton has been paid a fair price for his
crop. It is not the finished fabric or item of clothing but cotton itself which is Fairtrade certified.
Source:
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/products/cotton/questions_answers.aspx