The Monsters in Your Closet

The Monsters in Your Closet

The unethical scourge of the apparel world

If you look in your closet you will probably come across some brands such as; H&M, Dynamite, Gap, Fashion Nova, Foot Locker, Guess, and Free People these brand that live in the average person’s closet are more deadly than you’d think.

Lately exposing “Fast Fashion” has become quite the trend in the apparel world, causing many clothing brands to jump on the sustainability train. Many companies however may claim to be transparent and sustainable but how can a customer tell which ones are telling the truth.

Companies like H&M promote their business ethics and Code of Conduct on their website in an effort to hide the 2010 fire that killed 21 workers and injured 50 others in one of their Bangladesh factories (Hickman, Martin). This fire turned deadly when the workers were working late to finish an order on time, all exits were blocked and none of the fire equipment inside worked. Since then some of the working conditions have improved, yet many workers are still in subpar working conditions.

It is difficult to weed out the good from the bad when it comes to clothing brands as many can claim anything they want on their website.

So how can you be sure of where your products come from? It is actually a lot easier than one might think. Brands who are actually transparent and practice good ethics will have all of their information up front and easy to access.

Certification

Fair Trade Certified

Brands who practice fair trade will get certified as Fairtrade by the International Labor Organization. This organization puts forward many warehouse requirements that a company must meet in order to be certified. These requirements include, Women’s Rights, Workers having a voice, and Fair trade premium which allows the workers to choose where additional funding should go. This certification will be displayed prominently on the brand’s website and products.

Global Organic Textile Standard

This standard is ensuring companies are using at least 70% organic fibers and using less water. Water usage and energy is actually monitored and essential to maintain this certification.

Transparent

Transparency is also key to determining an ethical brand. Companies that have nothing to hide are completely open especially on their website. For example the athletic brand Patagoina has a map of their entire supply chain, showing details of each warehouse, manufacturing plant, and sourcing farm they use. As a consumer this gives the piece of mind knowing workers are well paid, the conditions are safe and the product is good quality. A completely ethical company will be easy to find this sort of information on as they have nothing to hide.

Seek out Ethical Brands

Start your clothing hunt by checking out brands that are already well known for being ethical. These brands may be more expensive than your typical trip to H&M or Forever 21, but ensuring the safety of the people who create the clothing and the quality of the garment is definitely worth it.  Many brands have started their company based off of sustainable values and have quite the variety of clothing and price ranges. Searching for “sustainable brands near me” will provide you with a list of stores with high quality products.

Your Values

Determine which ethical values are most important to you and use those to find your new favourite brand. If you want to promote Women in the Workforce look for company’s founded or run by women. If you want all organic fibers, finding those Global Organic Textile Standard brands is vital for you.

Shopping these smaller ethical stores will lead you to more unique clothing, and supporting your local economy. So get out and start shopping ethically!

Bibliographie

“4 Ways To Know If A Company Is Ethical & Sustainable.” Cladwell, cladwell.com/blog/2016/1/22/4-ways-to-know-if-a-company-is-ethical-sustainable.

Hickman, Martin. “21 Workers Die in Fire at H&M Factory.” The Independent, Independent Digital News and Media, 22 Oct. 2011,

Hodal, Kate. “Abuse Is Daily Reality for Female Garment Workers for Gap and H&M, Says Report.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 5 June 2018,

“How to Evaluate a Company's Ethical and Sustainable Impact | Care2 Healthy Living.” Care2 Causes,