The dos and don'ts of ethical(ish) clothing

Tag : Ramie Fabrics

If it's made here, it must follow certain social, environmental andlabour guidelines. And it's always good to support home-growndesigners and workers, especially when cheap off-shore materialsand labour are threatening so much of their livelihood.
Some labels to look for: Roots, which improved its labour standardsafter criticism during the 2004 Olympics; Mountain Equipment Co-op;designers such as Calgary's Paul Hardy and Vancouver's Chulo Pony.
- Buy organic
Cotton is the world's favourite fabric. It is also one of the mostpolluting. Now a number of labels are turning to organic cottoninstead.
Some labels to look for: Nike; American Apparel (though there hasbeen some controversy over just how organic their organics are);Patagonia; designers such as Giorgio Armani and Edun. Or buyalterative fibres, such as hemp, linen, ramie or organic wool.
- Buy second-hand, vintage or recycled clothing
Nothing could be better for the environment than recycling what'salready out there. Lucky us: Not only is vintage the hottestfashion trend going, but a number of talented young designers arerefashioning thrift store finds into fabulous new looks.
Some labels to look for: Toronto's Preloved; Calgary's NatalieGerber; Value Village.
- Buy from co-operatives
Increasingly, groups of Third World workers are joiningco-operatives that help them get the materials and orders for theirwork, then co-ordinate distribution. These groups ensure theworkers are paid fair wages and work reasonable hours.
Some labels to look for: Ten Thousand Villages; Just Shirts;Minkha. And, for 100 per cent union-made apparel, check out NoSweat (http://nosweatapparel.com).
- Buy from companies that have made a point of transparency
If a company is willing to disclose who its suppliers are and thelabour practices in its plants, it's much less likely to be abusinghuman and environmental rights.
Some labels to look for: The non-profit Fair Labour Association hascertified Adidas-Salomon, Liz Claiborne, Phillips-Van Heusen andNike.
Don't
- Buy items made in countries with known human rights violations
If it's made in China -- as it seems everything is these days --you have no way of knowing whether it was made in a sweatshop ornot. If it was made in a desperately poor dictatorship, like, say,Bhutan or Haiti, you can be fairly sure someone, somewhere wasexploited. Until economic pressure is brought to bear, they willhave no incentive to change their practices. Some alternatives tolook for: Buy from countries you know have fair labour policies inplace.
- Buy knockoffs
Those cheap copies of designer bags come with a hidden cost. Forone thing, they are theft, pure and simple, from the originaldesign houses. They have also been linked to organized crime, drugsmuggling, money laundering, human trafficking and a host of othercrimes.