Before we say anything, lets state the obvious - everyone needs clothes.
They shelter us from the elements; wind, water etc, and define our personal style.
However unfortunately, the shirt on your back or the dress your wearing may be more expensive than you thought! Both for the environment and for the workers that made it. In regards to the environment: the conventional way of growing cotton (the most common fabric material), relies on heavy inputs of insecticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers, many of which are known or probable carcinogens. Dyes used in clothing can contain toxic chemicals.
Most of the world's clothing is manufactured in sweatshops in poorer countries, where workers earn less than they need to live, face cramped or unsanitary conditions, and are often subjected to physical, sexual, and verbal abuse. First-hand accounts from factories producing for many designer companies report that people often work more than 100 hours a week, and unions are not permitted.
As global awareness of the real price of fashion grows, many consumers as well as some clothing manufacturers are leading the push for more eco- and worker-friendly apparel - how do our readers feel about this?
Personally, I think it's absoloutely horrible and inhumane.
Take some action for yourselves guys! Here are some simple things you can do:
- Avoid clothing brands that have been known to use sweatshops. For instance, Nike.
- Purchase at least some items from up-and-coming fair trade brands and makers of organic cotton and natural fiber clothing.
- Donate your old clothes to thrift shops (The Op shop or St. Vincents), or buy inexpensive “recycled” garments from these stores.
*Perhaps next time you shop for clothes, check labels before you buy. Educate yourself about how and where these items are manufactured. Buy fair trade and organic/natural fiber items, or shun larger shopping centers (ie. Westfields) altogether and take your next shopping trip to a thrift store.
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