Whether or not we care about the ethical questions and environmental impacts of our consumption is something everybody has to decide for themselves. For some people it is not an issue at all and they flock in hordes to Primark, a high street retailer, known for the awful work conditions for their labourers in far-flung countries. Others shudder at the thought of walking into a high-street store and count on ethical and/or organic clothing stores such as the Braintree Hemp Store in Camden Lock (http://www.camdenlockmarket.com) or trendy shops like the Brokedown Palace in London (http://www.thebrokedownpalace.com). I want to focus on the environmental aspects that one who cares about a green lifestyle, should consider. Is it really that difficult to source environmentally friendly everyday items and are they really always completely overpriced? How can we make sure that our consumption pattern is not the cause of endless amounts of waste, but more a part, a link in a healthy and sustainable life cycle?
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| Nouveaus, Winter 2015 Issue. Source: blog.gls.de |
Cradle-to-Cradle
I have to be honest, the idea for this post came while I was browsing through the German magazine nouveaux (http://www.noveaux-mag.com/), a great magazine that deals with vegan fashion and a green lifestyle, full of useful information and interesting articles. In their Winter 2015 issue they have an article on exactly this topic: how to create a system in which the cradle-to-cradle idea is implemented and enables consumption without wasting resources. In an ideal scenario, throwing away a garment or any other item, would not mean the end of a life cycle but it would be its beginning. That is exactly what the cradle-to-cradle idea stands for - a holistic framework that allows waste free consumption. In order to generate waste free products, the material used needs to be organic and compostable, exemplified by the Change-Collection launched by the fashion retailer Trigema in Germany (http://www.trigema.de/en/cms/Trigema-Change/). The collection includes t-shirts for women, men and children, made of 100% bio-cotton which are fully compostable. Another example is the trendy Swiss brand FREITAG who made a big impact on the fashion scene with their colourful and robust bags made of old truck tarps, bicycle inner tubes and discarded seatbelts. They have now developed their own material in order to meet their aim to produce items that are fully biodegradable and came up with the F-ABRIC (http://www.freitag.ch/fabric). A tough, sustainable and fully compostable material.
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| F-ABRIC trousers by FREITAG. Source:
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It would be an exaggeration to say that this is the new trend, however today's shoppers can be described as more conscious in terms of ethical sourcing and environmental issues, something, that the market picks up on. Unfortunately we are looking at rather hefty price tags compared to your high street retailers, with the Change-Collection's 100% bio cotton shirt by Trigema selling at 38 Euros (£28) and the F-ABRIC pants costing a whopping CHF 280 (£163) with a T-Shirt made from the same compostable material going for CHF 80 (£54.30). It is understandable that not everyone can afford to be "that" ethical and environmentally friendly when it comes to garments. And becoming part of the cradle-to-cradle approach might be something reserved for people who have enough cash left over at end of the month and are okay with splashing out £163 on pants.
For everybody else who cares about these issues but does not have the necessary funds to leave a small footprint as possible on the environment, there is always the possibility to dedicate themselves to eco-efficiency and try to consume less and more sensible, and do check out the possibility to bring back your unwanted clothes to H&M where they are happy to take anything, even if it is not from their shop. You even get a £5 voucher for doing so! Or drop them off at a Oxfam shop and they will give you a £5 for M&S. Flea markets and second hand shops are real treasure troves too.
There are also websites dedicated to ethical shops such as the good trade (http://www.thegoodtrade.com/features/fair-trade-clothing) where you find affordable, trendy and sustainable shops such as Kuyichi (https://www.kuyichi.com) who allow you to see where the product was made, and by whom.
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| Buckley T-shirt made of organic cotton at Kuyichi. Price: 24.95 Euros (£18.37). Source: https://www.kuyichi.com/ |
Whatever your situation is, there is always a possibility to make your own small contribution and lessen the impact our consumption pattern has on the environment, and ensure fair and secure working conditions for the people who produce the clothes. Walking into the next high street store might be the easier solution and also less harsh on your wallet, but doing a little bit of research will allow you to do something good without it costing the world.
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