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THE ISSUES

The RE:Fashion Awards aim to transform social and environmental standards in the supply chain within a decade.

Below is a taster of some of the issues we need to tackle in order - with some links to organisations who can tell you a lot more.

1. Fast, cheap fashion

In the UK, the price of fashion has steadily been getting lower. Women's clothing prices have fallen by about a third in the last ten years. Between 2001 and 2005 the garments bought per person in the UK increased by over a third.

While there used to be one summer and one winter collection a year, fashion houses now offer up to 18 collections a year. We are currently living in a throwaway culture, the average woman spends £13,000 over a lifetime on clothes she doesn't wear.

Shorter lead times for fashion production means that workers often suffer.

“We work from 8 am till noon. After lunch we work from 1 to 5 pm. We do overtime every day, from 5.30 pm. During the peak season, we work until 2 or 3 am”
Phan (22) machinist in a Thai garment factory.

The fast/discount fashion/value clothing sector characterised by low cost, low quality fibres and short lifetime garments makes up one fifth of the UK market and has doubled its growth during 1999-2006

2. Poverty and worker’s rights

Almost three quarters of world clothing exports are made in developing countries. But with many factories in developing countries competing for valuable contracts with garment companies, prices and production times have been pushed down and down.

Hourly wages in garment factories around the world are often less than 50p. In Bangladesh, where 80% of the economy depends on the fashion industry, the minimum wage now stands at £7.16 a month. That’s three times less than its value of £18 in 1994, while the price of essential commodities- like rice, sugar, cooking oil and water - has risen by 200 per cent, making it virtually impossible for workers to support their families.

For more information visit, Labour Behind the Label

3. Culture and Skills

Typically fashion manufacture which is outsourced to developing countries does little to build on or develop traditional culture and skills. Instead it focuses upon mass produced garments and low cost labour.

4. Local businesses and supply chains

Mass manufacture of garments outsourced to developing countries rarely develops opportunities to strengthen local businesses and supply chains. Materials and components are brought in from other parts of the world, wherever they are cheapest, and component processes are often carried out elsewhere.

Despite the fact that fashion is a highly profitable industry, on average as little as 0.4-5% of the final retail value of its products filters down to the people who are making them.

5. Toxic pesticides and chemicals

Many people believe that cotton is a truely natural fibre, which is untrue. Cotton accounts for 16% of global insecticide releases, more than any other single crop. There are 3 million pesticide poisonings a year causing 20,000 deaths among agricultural workers.

The cotton industry lies at the heart of the fashion industry. Over two thirds of the world's cotton is grown in developing countries and the former Soviet Union.

Cotton uses approximately 23% of the world’s insecticides and 10% of all pesticides, all on 2.5% of agricultural land. Chlorpyrifos, just one chemical that is used in West African cotton, causes brain and foetal damage, impotence and sterility. (Source, Pesticide Action Network)


At least 8,000 chemicals are used to turn raw materials into textiles at several stages of production, to dye and bleach the fabric and then to soften it and create finishing effects.

These chemicals affect the environment where they are used, seeping into water and land, as well as the health and safety of the people using them. For more information visit Environmental Justice Foundation.

6. Water

Cotton growing uses vast amounts of water, and needs to be irrigated profusely when grown out of its natural environment. The Aral Sea, once the world’s fourth largest lake, has shrunk to just 15% of its former volume, largely through cotton farming.

“The only matter that could take Egypt to war again is water,” said Egyptian president Anwar Sadat in 1979. But the fashion industry uses enormous quantities of water during production and dying stages.or more information visit Environmental Justice Foundation.

7. Energy and waste

Recycling and energy efficient processes are rarely built into manufacturing processes for fashion.

Transport and high energy and inefficient production processes mean that the energy costs of textiles and clothing are high. 1.2 million tons of clothing went to landfill in 2005 in the UK alone. (DEFRA 2007)

8. Trade tariffs and barriers

Trade tariffs and barriers can discriminate against poor countries. Government subsidies for US cotton make it difficult for other countries to compete on sales of raw cotton.

For more information visit Ethical Trading Initiative

Solutions

The main principle behind the ethical fashion movement is to maximise benefits for the people and planet behind fashion. This includes supporting local supply chains, environmental protection and ensuring working conditions and pay are fair which can be achieved through the establishment of ethical trade codes of conduct. See Ethical Trading Initiative

The most pioneering businesses are looking to build a stake for garment workers in company profits and develop community funds to support workers through the sale of goods.

As well as supporting the 2008 winners of the RE:Fashion Awards, look out for:

Fairtrade certification and labelling. The FAIRTRADE mark for products such as cotton ensures a fair deal for producers. The price paid by consumers includes a premium that may be reinvested in the community - typically for education and healthcare.

Visit People Tree to see how sucessful Fair trade initiatives can be.
For more information visit Fairtrade Foundation

Organic and sustainable sourcing. Many companies in the ethical fashion movement are focused upon incorporating organic cotton, recycled and sustainable components in collections, as well as minimising the use of toxic chemicals, energy, water, packaging and waste. The market for organic textiles in the UK is growing at 50% a year.

For links to businesses involved in ethical sourcing visit The Ethical Fashion Forum

Vintage and remade. Buy secondhand or refashioned items for guilt-free shopping.

Culture and skills. Ethical fashion allows developing countries to tap into their traditions and culture, deliver finished products, and harness the power of national branding, rather than supply raw materials.