Tull Price, cofounder and designer of footwear label FEIT, fears losing connection with our planet. His sustainability label centers not only on a link with the planet but also with the human hands behind each pair of shoes that are made. Everything from the raw materials like eco-friendly, metal-free tanned leathers to the hand-made process used to make FEIT's footwear is about human involvement.
The label sets an example for other companies to emphasize quality and advocate that less is better. On the website's story reads that FEIT's products are "handmade in limited volumes to ensure minimal environmental impact and maximum quality." Price intones, "Sustainability to me is not just about sustaining the planet but sustaining the people who inhabit it - You can't have one without the other." Read more about FEIT's story here. www.forbes.com/sites/millystilinovic/2016/07/27/four-labels-taking-steps-to-make-sustainability-fashions-latest-trend/2/#51c4b199f512 http://www.feitdirect.com/pages/the-feit-story
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It's easy for us to believe that dramatic change is transforming the fashion industry for the better when we see that a retailer has published its eco-friendly practices on its website or has signed a pledge with NGO dedicated to environmental protection Greenpeace to develop a sustainability plan for its business.
But is what we see on the surface really all there is? Underneath the general proclamations to become transparent in its practices, many of these brands who take the initial steps fail to follow through with status updates on the specific changes they will make to actually achieve change for a greener future. Meanwhile, we continue to read about the shocking reports about the pollution and immoral working conditions employees face that sprout from our unhealthy shopping habits. This month, Greenpeace holds these big-name companies reliable by evaluating just how much or how little progress they've made in approaching their goals. In July 2011, Greenpeace launched Detox My Fashion, a campaign focused on reducing the hazardous chemicals created by the garment industry that poison the global water supply. The campaign went on to recruit 76 international retailers to take up its five-step Detox Program to rid the unsafe and reckless process used by these clothing companies and be chemical-free by 2020. Since 2013, Greenpeace has been compiling annual reports on each brand's progress, calling out those that are "walking the toxic-free talk" and those who are lagging behind. This year, the NGO zoomed in on how far each participant is from reaching the chemical-free goal by 2020. The three leading companies, in Greenpeace's standard, Inditex (parent company to Zara), H&M, and Benetton, have landed into the top-tier status of the campaign as they each have remained committed to their own Manufacturing Restricted Substances List, continue to eliminate poly-fluorinated chemicals from their manufacturing chains, and are being honest about its efforts. On the other side of the spectrum, companies like Victoria's Secret, Henri Bendel, and Nike aren't doing so well. Although VS and Henri Bendel is doing well in terms of transparency, they couldn't prove that that they rid of the PFCs (polyfluorinated chemicals). Nike, Esprit, Li-Ning, landed in the bottom category as they failed to meet all three requirements. "Mass production of cheap clothing will never be sustainable," project leader Kirsten Brodde admits. But the efforts we take in reducing the detrimental impact it has on our global community matter and will continue to matter in raising consciousness and doing something about the staggering effects left disregarded for too long. While what we see in publicity of what these brands are advocating might not be all there is to their practices, it's a first baby step to crushing the tip of the iceberg and moving down to the more stubborn and harder part of the ice that will require all of our attention and energy. Before ruling out that ordinary consumers like us can't really do much to influence the big-name companies, think again. Here are some options to become a part of creating a greener and morally upright future: 1. Look at the progress of the 12 remaining participants of the Detox campaign in the full report here. 2. If you saw any familiar brands in the report from above that caught your eye, scroll to the bottom of this homepage to ask the brand: who made my clothes? what's in them? Although fall can't last year long, we can still keep the fall fashion alive... literally as long as we live. Tom Cridland, an inexperienced businessman, received a loan from the British government to start up the 30-Year Sweatshirt. Although the materials used are not completely eco-friendly, these sturdy sweatshirts are made to last for decades.
Their unusual warranty allows customers to send back any ruined sweatshirts and receive a brand new one for FREE. Not only is this deal beneficial towards consumers, but also towards the environment. Imagine how much we would be able to cut back production. We would have less pollution in the air and less clothing being thrown away. Little steps such as those taken by Tom Cridland are ones we must take. If we can't change the world at once, does that mean we don't try at all? Read the article to learn more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-07-07/the-only-sweatshirt-you-ll-ever-own Women garment workers in Bangladesh have been forced to stay hidden to conceal the immoral and gruesome treatment in the apparel industry.
Now they are speaking up, demanding their voices be heard and their rights given. IRLF's report on Bangladeshi garment workers details how the workers who make our clothes are threatened, beaten, and sexually abused daily to keep them from speaking up at work to reclaim their basic rights to safety. This isn't unique in the fashion industry - it's only a repetitive pattern of exploitation and repression of low-income women workers who work in global supply chains that create the everyday items we buy. There is finally a price being paid for this inequality. Senator Patty Murray and Representative Jackie Speier aim to advance improvement and protection for these women workers who are not receiving the income nor humane treatment fundamental in any business. Let this shed the light not only to the injustices these workers face but to the true story behind the guilded fashion field that we almost always tend to overlook despite the great influence it holds in our lives. Use these tools below to send a letter to your Senator and Representative to sponsor the resolution. Let's promote and slowly reconstruct an American industry that knows its moral standing. House - https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-resolution/683 Senate - https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-resolution/426 |
Our Goal:To inform on the ongoing crises that the clothing industry poses on our community and applaud any acts that rise over the conventional ways of consumption.
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