SPONSORED BY FIBERSHED & GREEN AMERICA
“Take two very simple actions that we perform every single day: getting dressed and eating. Now start a journey backwards – to where your food and your clothes come from. At the other end, you will rarely find happy people, treated with dignity and respect. Human beings working at the bottom of any supply chain – whether it is strawberry picking, prawn fishing, cotton farming, garment workers – are often treated like slaves, without reference to our common humanity. So “fashion” – i.e. what we wear every single day, has huge relevance and huge consequences on human, social and environmental capital.”
– Livia Firth, Creative Director of Eco Age, Founder of Green Carpet Challenge, and Executive Producer of The True Cost
Take a moment to consider what you’re wearing today. Do you remember where or when you bought your cozy hoodie, favorite jeans, go-to t-shirt, or other wardrobe staples?
Now, instead of just considering what you’re wearing, think about who you’re wearing. Think about the hands that made your clothes. Who picked the cotton for your t-shirt, sewed your hoodie, and dyed your jeans?
We live in a world of “fast fashion”, where companies churn out high volumes of low-priced clothing at the expense of workers and the environment. In the world’s least developed countries, an estimated 40 million people sew more than 1.5 billion garments in 250,000 factories and sweatshops each year. In many cases, these workers are not provided with basic workers rights; fair wages and ethical working conditions. Companies like Zara and Forever 21 process 1 million garments per day. Imagine the resources – both human and otherwise – required for such operations.
When it comes to what you are wearing, it’s not just about your clothes, but think about the materials and chemicals that make them. Cotton, one of the fashion industry’s most used materials, is among the most pesticide-intensive crops on the planet. Conventional cotton uses about 16% of the world’s insecticides and 7% of pesticides. It’s estimated that one pound of cotton requires at least one-third of a pound (136 grams) of pesticides. To put this into perspective, it takes half a pound (227 grams) of cotton to make your average t-shirt. Plus, cotton requires more water than most other crops – to produce one pair of jeans alone takes more than 1,800 gallons of water. All in all, the $3 trillion fashion industry is the second most polluting industry, just behind oil. In addition, the World Bank estimates that around 20% of industrial water pollution in the world comes from the treatment and dyeing of textiles.
The good news is that great work is being done to level the playing field. Non-profits like today’s partners, Fibershed are developing regional fiber systems that build soil & protect the health of our biosphere. Green America working to help steer your clothing dollars toward companies with fair labor practices, avoid some of the worst sweatshop-labor-using companies, and help create a system that respects workers’ rights. Organizations like these along with Fair Trade USA and Responsibility in Fashion are telling a story of hope and sustainability. Support ethical designers like Eileen Fisher, Indigenous, Nau, Reformation and others who prioritize human rights, worker rights and ethical supply chains as guiding principles of their businesses.
And just as important as it to buy sustainable new clothes, ethical fashion is also about getting the most out of what you already own. Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia asks in the start of this adventure-filled piece about sustainable clothing, “Why buy two pieces of gear when one will do the work of both?”
It’s up to you to drive the demand for ethical fashion; saving money by shopping secondhand, upcycling, trading clothes or investing a little more to support responsible fashion, YOU as the consumer can push the market towards transparent, organic, and fair trade clothing.
The average American throws away almost 10 pounds of clothing each year. But there are many ways you can keep clothing out of landfills. One way to be sustainable and stylish is to opt for second-hand shopping/vintage or upcycle clothing you already have by giving it a second life. How might you prioritize ethical clothing in your daily life?
Upload a PDF document with your responses. Please include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
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Does your favorite shirt have a label that says, “made with 100% pesticide-sprayed cotton, chemical dyes, and/or sweatshop labor?” We doubt it! How can consumers really know what goes into making that favorite t-shirt? Knowledge is power, so be curious.
Now that you are beginning to understand the impact of conventional cotton and other chemical-laden materials on people and planet, let’s look more closely at your favorite shirt.
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Film is a powerful tool for getting information in the public debate – and one documentary, The True Cost, allows its audience to truly grasp the fashion industry’s toll on people and the planet. It’s time to witness the impact firsthand, become aware, and then mobilize!
Upload a PDF document with your responses. Please include your name (or team name), username, email address, and school.
Submission Guidelines
Girls:
Synergy Organic Clothing Organic Infinity Scarf
HaeNow Organic Cotton T-Shirt
Acure Lip Lush
Boody Eco Wear Organic Bamboo Hipster Bikini
Plain Jane Beauty Sheer Translucent Powder
Boys:
Recover Recycled T-Shirt
Boody Eco Wear Organic Bamboo Boxer Briefs
Indosole Flip Flops
Girls:
Elizabeth Cline Overdressed
Boody Eco Wear Organic Bamboo Crop Legging
Vapour Eye Color
Rain Boots (Assorted Styles)
Boys:
Recover Polo Shirt
Boody Eco Wear Organic Bamboo Crew Neck T-Shirt
Get Beast Tame the Beast Oil
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