What NOT to Wear: The High Human-Cost of Fashion
Pick your cotton carefully.
I was recently awakened to the high human cost of the cotton in the second highest cotton-producing country, Uzbekistan.
White gold: The true cost of cotton. A video by cotton care and www.ejfoundation.org.
The Environmental Justice Foundation reports that up to one third of Uzbekistan's workforce is made to labour on cotton farms; denied ownership of the land they work, and forced to labour without reasonable wages they are unable to opt out of cotton cultivation -- those who try are subject to violence, imprisonment and intimidation. Tens of thousands of children are forced to pick the cotton harvest each year.
Unethical and unsustainably produced cotton is not exclusive to fast fashion. Yes, if you're buying fast fashion and low-cost clothing (e.g. H&M and Walmart) expect to be fueling a shockingly exploitative production practices with your dollars. However, don't assume a higher price tag ensures a better production line. Because unsustainable cotton makes up so much of the world's supply, it takes a conscious effort to avoid bad cotton in the shopping centre.
Made in Bangladesh - CBC's The Fifth Estate, video
What to do
As a solution, the Environmental Justice Foundation suggests we "only buy cotton clothing and fabrics from retailers that pick their cotton carefully. Those who sell organic, fairly-traded and carbon neutral cotton products that are sustainable and ethical will usually be glad to tell you all about it!"
And when in doubt: reduce, reuse, and recycle. You don't have to adopt a completely minimalist lifestyle to benefit from the psychological, financial, and responsible benefits of buying less stuff or purchasing pre-loved clothes.
As the EJF points out, retailers that put effort into sustainable practices love to brag about it.
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