By Kelly Drennan of Fashion Takes Action
Just what is eco fashion anyway? How many times do you read about it or hear about it and have no clue what it really means? Sure it’s good for the planet but it usually comes with a higher price tag. So how do you justify that extra expense?
Eco fashion, also known as sustainable or green fashion, is indeed better for the planet and for many people who inhabit it, including you and I. Here’s why:
Cotton:
One conventional cotton t-shirt requires 17 tsp of synthetic fertilizers and 1 tsp of highly toxic pesticides. Organic cotton is grown without any chemicals!
What does this mean? It means that cotton farmers in Asia are dying of cancer because of their exposure to these highly toxic chemicals – many of which were originally developed for WWII as nerve gases. It also means that these chemicals linger in our clothing, worn so close to our body’s largest organ – our skin!! So when you buy an organic cotton t-shirt, dress, underwear or leggings you are not only saving the ecosystem but you are saving human lives.
Dyes:
The traditional dyes used in fashion are synthetic and made from coal tar – a carcinogenic substance. Dye processes also discharge toxic chemicals into the environment, creating dead zones in rivers and streams and affecting overall climate change. Natural dyes are derived from plants and thus have no harmful impact on the environment.
Why is this so important? Choosing to buy a piece of clothing that was dyed naturally, not only saves the fish and other life forms that thrive in our rivers, streams, lakes and oceans, but it also helps in the fight for the much larger global water crisis we are facing today.
Fair Trade:
Clothing that is made unfairly (which happens all over the world and not just in Asia contrary to what most people believe) usually means making a profit – at any cost. It means the people making the clothes are not paid enough (or at all), they are not working in safe and healthy environments, and it means they are underage, and/or work extremely long days.
Fair trade fashion is about the people. It is about empowering marginalized communities, helping them to escape poverty and to promote sustainability. In the factory, it means paying them fair wages and providing them with benefits and safe working conditions.
But it goes far beyond that. Fair trade promotes a more sustainable economy for these communities. It promotes agricultural development, builds schools, and provides them with many of the freedoms that we take for granted on a daily basis.
Eco fashion comes in all shapes and sizes. It can be worn to the gym or the office, a night out with the girls or as your wedding dress. Technology is working around the clock to produce new eco-friendly fabrics. The selection is growing year after year, and it’s only going to continue to grow, making it much easier for you to shop with a conscience!
Until then I hope that this article was able to shed some light so that you can make an informed decision the next time you visit your favourite retailer!
Would you be willing to invest a little more money on eco fashions?
Kelly Drennan founder of Fashion Takes Action is a true social entrepreneur, devoted to making change within an industry known for its many social and environmental challenges: energy use, solid waste disposal, release of chemicals in waste water, fair trade and fair labour, and the use of toxic chemicals that harm human health and the environment.
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Well said! Your article summises how Fair Trade and ethical shopping has changed and grown. Not only does it help disadvantaged people to work their way out of poverty but answers the demands of consumers who are more conscious of what they buy and the impact it has on the world.
It doesn’t have to be expensive though, a lot of ehtical businesses put people before profits and the consciousconsumer.co.uk is one of them. We made a conscious decision to make our Fair Trade and ethical products more accessible, which in turn creates more sustainability for the artisans involved.
Unfortunately, the question is not whether it’s worth it, but whether you have it.
If you can afford it, by all means go for it. But for many people, it’s just not possible shop ethically because they literally can’t afford it, and it’s important to remember that. If we forget that ethical consumerism is a privelege, it just becomes another field for discrimination.
As well as making more eco or socially responsible products, we need to find a way of making these products affordable for a greater number of people, which probably involves a combination of tackling unemployment and standards of living as well as reducing production costs, for instance with subsidies or local networking. Ultimately, it falls at the hands of government to make sure these things are done in an eco and socially favourable manner.
While shopping ethically in many cases does cost more, it doesn’t always hold true. The point of this article was to highlight 3 areas of ethical fashion that are likely behind the higher price tag. Most people don’t understand why an organic cotton t-shirt costs $5 more than its conventional counterpart. I thought it was important to shed some light on what many consider to be a mystery.
We live in the age of fast fashion where sadly, disposable clothes are the norm. Many people who claim they cannot afford $70 for a good quality, fairly made, eco friendly top, will instead spend that $70 on 4 tops that were made in a factory, by someone who isn’t paid enough, and that were designed to fall apart after 2 washes.
As consumers, we need to completely change our mindset. Europeans get it. They have always gone for quality over quantity. But for some reason in North America we can’t figure this out. Spending $200 on a quality piece of clothing that will last 10 years seems out of the question when you can get an entire season’s wardrobe for the same amount (which you are guaranteed to not wear the following year because its either no longer trendy, or it fell apart).
While it may be desirable to have 4 tops for the price of 1, that one top will go much farther. It will last longer, wear better, and make the person who wears it feel really good about themselves.
For those who can’t afford to buy new – ethical or not, there are other eco friendly alternatives like second hand and vintage stores. Having goddess parties with your girlfriends where you swap clothes is also a great way to extend the life of garment.
So really no matter what your financial situation is, there are options for us all. The fact is, we all wear clothes. And we can all make a difference.
Hi Pathdigger AKA Hannah,
Thank you for your post, and for your insight that this is truly a much larger issue.
You are absolutely correct, ethical consumerism is a privilege! Unfortunately, we find ourselves in a very troubling cycle in which perpetuators (retailers/manufacturers) are supported by the vary people they oppress, not only through the consumerism model (because it’s cheap to buy their products) but also through the employment model (minimum wage that reduces their purchasing power).
I’m thinking of a VERY well know “big box” North American retailer that boasts rock bottom prices, pays their employees minimum wage, does not endorse benefits, and has a know reputation to put extreme pressure on their suppliers causing some to go out of business.
Although I agree government is ultimately responsible for setting standards, ensuring integrity and looking out for our best interest…this is not always the case, especially when they benefit from the profits these companies generate!
I think the responsibility then lies in the hands of those consumers who do have the privilege to make a difference and are able to influence consumerism.
After all if we can make an assumption that those in a more privileged position have stronger buying power, then their decisions and choices will help to put that needed pressure on the system to change.
So in essence those in a more privileged position truly have the power to make a huge difference!
Well Said Aurea. And I also forgot to thank both Hannah and Jan for their comments because without them we wouldn’t be having this healthy dialogue. I hope we continue to get responses on this topic!
Great post.
Regarding the price/privilege aspect, the price will definitely come down as more people shop for and bigger brands produce these products.
Eventually (and thankfully), eco-friendly won’t be a differentiator, it’ll be a given.
I’m waiting in anticipation for people to rethink what they think about ‘fashion’. We can’t afford to keep going on the way we’re going, literally. Most countries are experiencing economic troubles, the average personal debt load means that individuals are also experiencing economic struggles. And why? Because we need 4 of that shirt? Because we can’t bear to be seen in the same outfit more than once (or twice)?
Thank goodness for the uniform project (a great project involving 1 dress and 365 days, and loads of accessories) and other efforts that are going to help us break this (mental) struggle. If we can let go of that notion that clothes are disposable and that we can’t wear the same piece over again – we’ll see the ecomony of eco-fashion.
Try calculating your cost-per-wear (CPW). If you buy a $15 enter-cheap-fashion-store-name-here t-shirt that loses shape after one wash (CPW – $15) or an organic cotton -shirt (with 5% spandex for shape) and pay $45. You only have to wear the shirt more than 3 times, to reduce your CPW (to <$15) and thus….. save yourself money. Plus all the other feel good/do good reasons. – One of my favourite quotes is “you are what you wear”… what are you?
Thank you Kate, you’ve made some very valid points! Love your blog.
Although I think this is a great post I would like to point out that our efforts to become more eco-friendly shoppers starts with simplifying. If you are someone who always has the latest trends and makes the occasional splurge, maybe next time you can take a moment to consider the actual necessity of buying the item. If we are simply replacing all of our regularly purchased items with ‘greener’ alternatives (whatever green may mean for that specific product) we are still supporting the manufacturing of new products, which takes power and increases your carbon footprint.
You’ve started a great discussion here
Also, I got this great idea from a relative who has an environmental science degree: We as humans decompose and become one with the earth. Why doesn’t everything else we consume? Next time you purchase, think of how your product will be disposed of when you’re done with it.
This is a great post and I loved reading all of the comments!
Ecofashionista, I wholeheartedly agree with you that people need to rethink fashion. There is a dichotomy between fashion and sustainability. To me, the term “sustainable fashion” seems like an oxymoron, especially when “fashion” is synonymous with “trendy” where once or twice worn items become disposable. Still, I think there is plenty of room for improvement. For clothing options, there are those that are trendy but there are also those that are classic pieces (i.e. the basic t-shirt) that you can get multiple uses out of many years to come. People use clothing as a way to express themselves so I don’t think we’ll ever get to the point where trendy clothing is a bygone attitude. But every little step helps so if even the trendy fashion designers start taking steps to produce their clothing in an environmentally friendly way, that is leaps and bounds better than the status quo.
As for me, I don’t consider myself fashionable at all (My tag line should be: Don’t call me trendy!). I wear the same shirts over and over again, even from 15 years ago. I’ve been working on creating clothes with this idea in mind. My target customer are people who, like me, just want a classic shirt that they can wear over again for years to come. This means not only using socially responsible methods such as eco-friendly fabric, low impact dyes, and fair labor standards, but also making sure they are quality-made. And, if I’ve done everything right, then at some point I will have reached a point where there are no more customers to purchase my shirts and I’ve saturated my target market. (And that is also why I don’t plan on giving up my day job!)