Ethical Consumerism

Ethical fashion is growing globally due to the demands of consumers who want more ethical fashion choices. The term ethical in fashion encompasses a wide range of issues such as workers rights, global trading practices, and chemical usage in garment production as well as social and environmental issues.

The consumer has the power to drive this trend in South Africa and local designers need to take notice of such trends.A 2007 study by the Co-operative bank recorded a 79% increase in sales of recycled and organic cotton clothing between 2005 and 2006. The UK based Soil Association predicts sales of organic cotton products will be in the region of £107m in 2008. Consumers through the power of their wallet have the ability to influence the direction of ethical fashion in South Africa.

Survey

In a survey conducted by The ReDress Consultancy with business students from the University of KwaZulu-Natal on their views of ethical fashion all the students who participated in the study felt that South African consumers should be asking clothing retailers about their sourcing behaviour. Nearly 25% of the students' realised ethical fashion would be a little more expense than sweatshop made clothing. Nearly 25% said they did not care where or how the clothing they bought was made – they were only interested in trendy brands and not concerned with ethical fashion. Roughly 70% felt that there should be more information on labels providing consumers with the ability to check on the ethics of how the clothing was made. Nearly 50% said that such information on the labels would and could influence their buying behaviour – when looking to buy ethical fashion. Over 90% of the students said that workers in the international clothing industry have the right to fair wages and decent working conditions and were appalled at the poor conditions workers have to work in to make their clothing.

As consumers, we blindly demand design-intensive clothing – branded labels - at ever-decreasing prices, but do we ever think about the human being who cut and stitched the garment for woeful wages? Whose fingers and eyes burned with the pain of this production, and whose necks and backs buckled in their cramped working quarters?

With the growth and demand for more ethical fashion you as the consumer can now make a difference by enquiring more about the origin of your clothing and support local design content that has been made in a fair and ethical manner.

What can you as a consumer do?

Ask retailers the following questions:

1. Do you have a code of labour practice?

2. How do you check the progress your suppliers are making towards meeting yourcode?

3. What practical support do you give to your suppliers to help them improve conditionsfor their workers?

4. How do you ensure your company’s commercial practices, particularly pricenegotiations with suppliers, don’t constrain their ability to provide decent workingconditions?

5. Look for organic cotton garments and or ask your retailer about their organic apparel products.

Did you know

Cotton is one of the main ingredients for all clothing and is the largest single fibre in production. Over 24 millions tons of cotton was produced in 2005.Cotton is a thirsty and destructive crop. Ten tons of water is used to grow enough cotton to make one pair of jeans.If all the cotton produced in the USA annually was used for one single product – three billion jeans could be made.Cotton growing accounts for 16% of global insecticide applications.1.7Kg of fossil fuel is required to provide electricity to make one cotton T-shirt.That global trade in T-shirts (non-organic) was worth US$26 billion in 2006In the UK alone, in 2005 1.9 million tones of textiles were dumped in landfills and only 0.3 million was recycled.Between 1990 and 2003, the USA exported just over 7 billion pounds of used clothing and textiles to developing countries.Over 50 million animals die worldwide every year for their fur.

Written by Renato Palmi

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