Did you know that it requires 700 gallons of water to produce one cotton shirt and 2,000 gallons for a single pair of jeans?
Introduction:
In this article, we will be talking about supporting the people that are responsible for the processes involving the manufacture of your clothes and why you should consider buying only from sustainable fashion brands.
So let's begin!
If you wish to support and stand for the people behind your clothes, you need to start buying from companies and businesses that adhere to sustainable fashion guidelines. This is because these sustainable fashion guidelines have been designed keeping in mind the social welfare of laborers that are involved in all production processes.
Here is how sustainable fashion help these people:
1. Fair wages
Sustainable fashion greatly stresses the need for paying their laborers fair wages and ensuring that there is no financial exploitation of underprivileged communities that are taking place. Often businesses and companies target disadvantaged communities, offer them jobs but pay wages that are below the minimum wage knowing that the laborers will not be in a position to rebel against their actions. Thus, by supporting sustainable fashion you will be choosing to support the people behind your clothes and you will be ensuring that they are being truly valued for their contribution to fashion. Fast fashion impacts the workers with the most detrimental effects on women in developing countries. Approximately 80% of apparel is made by women between the ages of 18-24 primarily in low income countries where women have poor access to rights. Developing countries serve as an excellent host for toxic, fast fashion factories due to cheap labor, tax breaks, and lenient pollution, operation and labor regulations.
2. Healthy working hours
The fast fashion industry is one of the most demanded industries in the world and a highly successful business model. It’s a $2.4 trillion dollar industry based on high-turnaround, low-cost, trendy clothing and accessories created to maximize profit and meet demand. This is especially true, keeping in mind the recent trends in consumption patterns that are focused on impulsive buying and keeping up closets stacked with all the trendy clothing items. This rise in demand implies that more and more work need to be done, products to be manufactured, then packaged, and eventually delivered in limited time constraints. Generally, what happens is that instead of hiring more workers to keep up with the demand, sadly many businesses and companies choose to exploit the laborers they have by increasing their working hours so that they can focus on their profit maximization. However, this is a clear violation of rules in companies that follow sustainable fashion model, so by buying from them you'll be supporting the people who make your clothes by ensuring that they are not getting over-worked and exploited.
3. No child labor or bonded labor
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor found evidence of coerced and child labor in the fashion industry in Argentina, Bangladesh, Philippines, Turkey, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, and more countries. As mention above, developing countries serve as an excellent host for toxic, fast fashion factories due to cheap labor, tax breaks, and lenient pollution, operation, and labor regulations.
Sustainable fashion brands have a strict policy against child labor. So by buying from them you can be fully content that the production of your clothing items is not at the cost of a child's future. Moreover, at times workers are forced to bring in their children to work in factories, a practice that is common in Asian countries, thus by buying from sustainable brands you will be actively supporting these concerned parents who don't want to sacrifice the future of their children.
4. Healthy working conditions
Healthy working conditions are incredibly important for the well-being of all laborers. Sustainable fashion brands make this possible by catering to the needs of their staff by offering free medical expenses, paid maternity leave as well as provide safety gear for their employees while at work. Moreover, they eliminate the use of toxic dyes in textile and clothing production, therefore avoid exposing their workers to unhealthy toxins that are often present in dyes used in the manufacture of clothing items in fast fashion brands. Responsibility, transparency, ethical workplace in sustainable fashion means: Work hours, hourly rates and wages of workers are all in balance with government policies and they support their workers in creating a happy and conducive workplace.
5. Environmental and social Impacts
Textiles are at the top, along with aluminum, as the highest greenhouse gas emitters per unit of material.The fashion industry produces an estimated 8-10% of annual, global carbon emissions (4-5 billion tons). A substantial amount of the high carbon footprint is associated with the source of energy for production. The fast fashion industry is the second largest industry consumer of water with 79 trillion liters of water per year. To put it into perspective, it requires 700 gallons of water to produce one cotton shirt and 2,000 gallons for a single pair of jeans. It is also a source of 20% of industrial water pollution from textile dyeing and treatment. Sustainable fashion industry use natural fibres and raw mterials that are not toxic to the environment, GOTs, OCS certifications for all production lines, Sedex audit reports. Less water consumption through investing in new technologies in the production line, with the help of high pressure, they get fabrics dyed with less water. They employ water treatment facility and gas filter, controlled and confirmed by local authorities, they always try to do their work with the highest responsibility and lowest impact.
Also, by choosing to manufacture their products close to home means Less transport and less carbon foot.
Conclusion:
So these were the 5 most important reasons why buying from sustainable fashion brands can help fulfill your choice and desire of supporting the people behind your clothes.