Fair Trade Clothing Brands & Human Rights ... the Ethical Consumer Movement

[fashionista-ta]

From ethical consumer:



How ironic.

How so?

 

[misssakura]

How so?

A lot of EC is about environmental impact of goods. So to publish a magazine with the title ethical in it implies a different action to their words. I suppose one could also say hypocritical but I felt that word was somewhat...harsh.

 

[misssakura]

PS I guess I don't see the irony I actually have found several magazines (not familiar with that one) very helpful to me in becoming a more and more ethical consumer. There are very few of us in the West living off the land ... virtually all of us are consumers, and there's two ways to do that The mindless Wal-mart shopper way is one ...

I guess for me, personally, the ethical consumer movement is based on common sense. I say to myself every day "Do I need this?". Actually I mainly only buy food nowadays. I feel that magazines (as much as I love them and had a burning childhood dream to be the editor of one) are unnecessary as far as ethical consumers go, because the information can be stored on the internet instead. So that's where I stand on the issue.

 

[Autumn]

^^^ If you recycle them when you're done, it all evens out.

 

[misssakura]

Unfortunately there are very few magazines made from 100% recycled post-consumer pulp. I wish print wasn't so infinitely sexy, I catch myself thinking "Oh I could make a magazine" and then catch myself...god it's so sexy..such a sexy format....but unnecessary. *sigh*.

 

[fashionista-ta]

I guess for me, personally, the ethical consumer movement is based on common sense. I say to myself every day "Do I need this?". Actually I mainly only buy food nowadays. I feel that magazines (as much as I love them and had a burning childhood dream to be the editor of one) are unnecessary as far as ethical consumers go, because the information can be stored on the internet instead. So that's where I stand on the issue.

Well, the Internet is great, but I believe there's absolutely still a place for hardcopy. I read magazines at my dining room table, books on the sofa or in bed ... much friendlier on the eyes, easier to hold, tactile, no radiation, etc. Trees are a renewable resource, no reason we can't do paper right ...

Now newspapers, they're a blight to me ... but I know there's still a hardcore fan base. I have always hated newsprint transfer

 

[SomethingElse]

Top UK fashion firms failing poorest workers-report

Some of Britain's fashion retailers are not doing enough to help lift workers who make their clothes out of poverty, a report published by two charities said on Friday.

War on Want and Labour Behind the Label surveyed 34 retailers and said 12 firms and brands "cold-shouldered the only detailed study on the case for garment employees to receive a living wage."

It said the 12, which included well-known high street brands, deserved "severe criticism and consumer scepticism."


The charities said the firms failed to accept the need for overseas garment workers to be paid a "living wage" by their suppliers, had little or no information available on pay levels, and failed to respond to questions posed by the authors.

The study called "Let's Clean Up Fashion" was published on the eve of London Fashion Week.

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), a broad alliance of firms NGOs and unions working to ensure that the conditions of workers producing for the UK market meet or exceed international labour standards, said wages should always be enough to meet basic needs and to provide some discretionary income.

Simon McRae, senior campaigns officer for War on Want, said: "This report exposes retailers' empty rhetoric on ethical treatment for workers who make their clothes, but remain trapped in poverty.

"The British government must introduce regulation to stop UK companies exploiting overseas workers."

The study builds on a similar one issued 12 months ago giving firms the chance to say how they have tried to improve workers' wages and conditions.

investing.reuters.co.uk . By Stefano Ambrogi published 14 September 2007

 

[baRose]

^ Soooooooo sad

Exactly why it makes me so angry when people buy cheap crap at Wal-mart & the like & then toss it on the trash heap a few months--or weeks or days--later. Not only is it bad for the planet, but the present human cost is so tragic as well ...

Exactly. And the clothes are so cheap and of poor quality its not like you can donate them to Goodwill, womans shelters, Dress for Success, etc because they are already worn out. If you're only going to wear something for a few months and toss it, at least buy something someone else can use later.

 

[Lovin_It]

I think that the trick to buying ethically is to shop with a charity credit card - see here

http://www.joinred.com/products/americanexpress/

http://www.co-operativebank.co.uk/s...id=1170748477984&pagename=CB/Page/tplStandard

I agree with the posts above and if you want to check out the ethics of a particular company check out here

http://www.corporatecritic.org/companies.aspx

and if you actually want to do something about it go to here

http://www.thenag.net/about

Hope this is useful

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ You could also pay cash and give the money you save in interest to charity

 

[CanonMan]

check out GOOD magazine. It is based around a, well, 'good' lifestyle. They have a random movie or article about fashion and all its what nots. They also have quite the creatively inspireing series on youtube

http://www.goodmagazine.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/GOODMagazine

 

[Lovin_It]

fashionista-ta - paying on a charity credit card doesn't actually cost you more though

 

[fashionista-ta]

fashionista-ta - paying on a charity credit card doesn't actually cost you more though

If you are the .001% of the population that has never failed to pay the credit card off each month, perhaps not ...

 

[Lovin_It]

sadly I am within that 0.00001 % (how sad does that make me - lol)

 

[Velouria]

I'm writing an article about the ethical consumer trend, and this thread has been really helpful! Thanks everyone.

 

[Bel]

Does anybody know if you can recycle clothes? For things that are too worn or undesirable to donate--the fibers can probably be used somehow, right?

And for my econ project I wound really appreciate is somebody could tell be any publicly traded companies that fit in this trend.

 

[bismarck]

I use some old things as rags, since buying rags seems counterintuitive and just plain silly.

You could make a quilt out of bits and pieces, I think I read somewhere that a family did that.

I don't know where you could recycle clothes like cans and bottles, etc. I suppose you could, since one of my pens is made from reclaimed denim, but as I said, I'm not sure.

 

[fash ho']

Bel - I think that maybe Patagonia recycle their own clothes into new lines, if you mean those kind of companies. Its an interesting company and often used as a case study in the environmental studies world (although the clothes are a bit bleurgh).

I know that most countries used to have recycling companies but they may be dying out.

On a side note, charity shops in the uk are getting fed up with the masses of cheap (shite) clothing from shops like Primark, New Look etc.
Check this out http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/fashion/article2715471.ece

 

[fashionista-ta]

Does anybody know if you can recycle clothes? For things that are too worn or undesirable to donate--the fibers can probably be used somehow, right?

And for my econ project I wound really appreciate is somebody could tell be any publicly traded companies that fit in this trend.

My sister volunteers for a charity that receives clothing donations. They sort them & send the ones like you describe to China. Don't ask me what happens to them there ... I would love to know more about it.

I too cut up my old cotton things into rags, but some things (silk, etc.) aren't really suitable for that ...

 

[shoegal2183]

from www.springwise.com:

(Springwise scans the globe for the most promising business ventures, ideas and concepts ready for regional or international adaptation, expansion, partnering, investments or cooperation. Ferociously tracking more than 400 global offline and online business resources, as well as taking to the streets of world cities, digital cameras at hand. )


Cosemetics for a Cause
There are lots of cosmetics companies out there that donate to charities of one sort or another, or that eschew testing on animals. But Peacekeeper Cause-Metics appears to be unique in the industry in that it donates all its distributable profits to charity.
Taking a page from Paul Newman's business book for his Newman's Own line—not to mention that of Belgian mobile operator Ello Mobile, which we covered in 2006—PeaceKeeper was launched in 2002 with the sole purpose of helping women in need around the world. The New York-based company offers a line of natural lipsticks, nail polishes, lip glosses and lip balms that are free of toluene, formaldehyde, acetone phthalates, parabens and FD&C colouring, and that are made without animal testing. All after-tax distributable profits from the company's sales go to help women's health advocacy and urgent human rights issues, including domestic violence and battery, the sex slave trade, gender inequality, r*pe and infanticide. PeaceKeeper also gives one half of one percent of its gross revenues each year to charity, and it makes micro-credit loans to women in need. To date, the company has given more than USD 55,000 in cash donations and USD 30,000 in products to women-focused non-profits for their silent auctions or VIP events. Organizations that have benefited include Womenslaw.org, Project Hope International, the Small Planet Fund and Women for Afghan Women, among many others.
Whole Foods, Henri Bendel and Nordstrom are among the upscale retailers that have embraced PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics, along with celebrities Daryl Hannah, Bonnie Raitt and Julia Ormond. In this era of increasing social consciousness, it's hard to imagine a more worthwhile way to put business skills to work. Social entrepreneurs: replicate this model!
Website: www.iamapeacekeeper.com
Contact: [email protected]
Spotted by: Ozgur Alaz