Crowdfunding a Transparent Supply Chain in Africa

During September and October 2018 Where Does It Come From? ran a crowdfund to help establish our new transparent supply chain in Africa.  You can now order one of our African tunics, scarves, pocket squares or hair scrunchies in our online shop, or create something for yourself with our Natural Fabrics from Africa.

Why a Transparent Supply Chain?

The clothing industry has become increasingly wasteful, polluting and cruel to its workers and these issues have increased in magnitude as ‘Fast Fashion’ has ramped up over the last 40 years.  As consumers we’ve been trained to expect cheap clothes that we can simply discard, buying the latest style or simply an outfit to wear just once.  Our love for our clothes has gone and with it goes our respect for the people who make them and the effects on the planet we live on.

Where Does It Come From? is a clothing brand that tells the stories behind clothes – creating transparent supply chains so that we know exactly who is making our garments and how they are doing it.  All our clothes come with a code on the label so that our customers can explore their garment journey and get a deeper connection with the people and processes.  We hope this will inspire people to love their clothes more and build their own stories with them.

Since 2013 we have been working with social enterprises in India to create our retail and wholesale shirts, scarves and children’s clothing, using eco-friendly techniques and benefiting hundreds of marginalised workers. We now plan to replicate the model in Africa, creating beautiful garments using African cotton and supporting livelihoods for African garment workers.

Where Does It Come From? is collaborating with the NGO Proudly Made in Africa, which facilitates and promotes the ethical trading of African goods.  Together we have researched and built relationships with partners in the region to create our new, transparent supply chain in Africa.

Why is the African Garment Industry struggling? Find out more in our article ‘The Decline of the African Garment Industry‘.

Find out more about our partnership with Proudly Made in Africa at – Working with the NGO Proudly Made in Africa.

Why Cotton Grown in Africa?

Sub-Saharan Africa has ideal growing conditions for cotton and currently around 8% of the cotton being traded globally is grown there.  Unlike other major cotton producing countries, African cotton is mainly grown by small holders and provides a livelihood for 5.6 million farmers and their families.

Cotton grown in Africa has environmental benefits too.  African cotton is purely rain fed as farmers match growth cycles to rainfall patterns – this drastically cuts down the water required for a famously ‘thirsty crop’.   The growing cycle in Africa is longer for this reason but this has added benefits in ensuring the soil can recuperate better in between growing cycles.

Small holders tend to hand pick their crop which ensures that only the cotton itself is picked and not a mass removal of all plant life as often happens with mass produced cotton picked by machine.  Small holders are also more likely to practice crop rotation which also adds to the health of the soil.

Find out more about the cotton we are using at – Organic Cotton from Uganda

An Influx from the East

When many of us think of African fabrics we think of the beautiful, vibrant prints worn in traditional dress.  These are now also becoming popular with the youth culture as they’re being given a more contemporary look by designers.

Our initial research uncovered a disturbing fact – the majority of these ‘African’ fabrics are now being imported from Asia.  Even traditional, tribal prints have been copied and mass produced.  Trade agreements have meant that these cheap imports have flooded the market in Africa and elsewhere, devastating the African textile industries.  Out of 250 textile mills in 1985 there are now only 40 left (WIPO 2009).

Find out more about how we are making our clothes in Africa – Mayamiko – our Production Partner in Africa.

Sources

www.cottonmadeinafrica.org

http://www.wipo.int/wipo_magazine/en/2009/04/article_0006.html

https://www.just-style.com/analysis/chinas-textile-and-clothing-firms-expand-in-africa_id116276.aspx

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by Jo Salter
Founder, Where Does It Come From?

Plastic and its overabundance is a hot topic at the moment.  From single use plastics like straws and coffee cups to plastic particles in the air we breathe, our seas and our food chain, it seems that the world has woken up to just how much plastic has infiltrated our lifestyles.  There’s even plastic in our clothes!  In fact plastic has only been around 80 or so years and in that time we have created 91 billion tonnes of it – and we’ve recycled less than 10%.

So When did Our Clothes go Plastic?

Plastic started becoming a core part of the fabrics in our clothes from the 1950s when polyester was introduced into men’s suits by chemical company DuPont.  It seems quite funny now to see photos of 1960s and 70s chic with loud patterns on shiny, itchy fabrics, but I’m thinking it can’t have been the most comfortable of wears. However since when did comfort form the basis of fashion…..

The use of polyester and nylon grew, with improvements to its blendability with natural fibres, until it overtook cotton in 2007 as the world’s dominant fibre.  The most commonly used plastic, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), is made from crude oil.  This is the plastic used in our plastic bottles and which, when pulled into a long thread, can also be woven or knitted in to fabrics or blended with other threads such as cotton to make mixed (polycotton) fabrics.  In fact it’s pretty hard to avoid plastic in our clothes now when shopping – just check your labels.

 Plastic Fantastic – The Benefits of Plastic in Our Clothes

Let’s be honest,  ironing shirts with a bit of polyester in is much easier.  We also like the stretchiness of our jeans (our Mums used to sit in the bath to shrink theirs to size) and, with the more modern plastic fabrics such as fleece and performance wear, we like the lightness and comfort.  The price can be pretty attractive too – compare an acrylic to a wool jumper or a polyester versus a silk scarf.

There are bigger arguments in its favour too.  Whereas natural fibres such as cotton or wool do have a finite production capacity – there is only so much land available – plastic production knows no such limits.  Dependent on the availability of oil, plastics can be produced cheaply without constraint.

 So what’s the Plasticky Catastrophe?

Well there are a number of areas for concern:

Plastic microfibres from our clothes: When we do our washing the plastic in our clothes can shed tiny microfibers which then enter into our water system and from there into the air, the seas and into our food chain.  This great video from ‘Our Planet’ sums it up beautifully!  There are ways to cut down or eliminate these tiny bits of plastic though, for example putting your laundry in a bag during the wash.  Take a look at this one from GuppyFriend.

Recycling and Biodegrading: Unfortunately plastic doesn’t biodegrade – it won’t rot away by itself – so unless it is recycled (into more plastic) then it will be with us forever.  As I mentioned above we have only ever recycled 10% of the plastic we have created – the rest is still around either in use, in landfill or disposed of in some other location (the sea, rivers etc.).

Recycling is a good option for pure plastics but it is quite tricky to recycle mixed fabrics (such as polycotton) or mixed fabric garments such as items with different fabrics (eg. Cotton sleeves and polyester body).  There is work underway by companies such as Worn Again to enable the splitting out of mixed fabrics but this is still expensive and not so successful for low quality fabrics.  Cotton and other natural fabrics will biodegrade eventually in landfill.

It’s not just the fabrics we need to consider either – add ons such as buttons, thread and labels need to be disposed of too.  Alternatives such as wood or shell are a much more biodegradable alternative.

So it’s simple then?  Ditch the plastic?

Unfortunately it’s not that quite as simple as ‘natural fabrics good, plastics bad’.  Oh no, I hear you say, I thought you’d be able to give me the answer.  Wait for it…..

Kala rainfed cotton – photo Khadi London

Carbon and Water Footprint: Well firstly if you look at conventional cotton versus polyester production in terms of footprint then there’s not a huge difference – in fact cotton comes off worse when it comes to how much water it takes to keep it fed.  Take a look a this excellent report by WRAP for more information.  However, rain fed cotton crops like those generally grown in Africa or Kala Cotton in India are a much better solution in terms of water usage.  The growth of organic cotton also has huge benefits for the sustainability of cotton as a clothing fibre.

More sustainable methods of turning the raw materials into fabric can also cut down the water and carbon production.  Khadi is a traditional Indian handwoven fabric which uses low water in its production and virtually no carbon at all.  At Where Does It Come From? we use khadi for our Indian produced clothing and projects for business customers, such as scarves, T shirts and bags.  We also use African organic cotton for our African print range of tunics and accessories.   Find out more about our Sustainable Business Policies.

Hand Weaving Khadi Cotton for Where Does It Come From?

Fabric Composting and Recycling: In simple terms cotton will biodegrade and plastic will not.  (It obviously isn’t quite as simple as that – cotton does need certain elements to biodegrade efficiently – light, air, time – but the principle is there.)  However non-organic cotton will break down into all its component parts on biodegrading, and that includes the pesticides and chemicals used in its growth.  These will seep into the ground affecting wildlife and soil in that area.

Recycling of both cotton and polyester is becoming more common, with many brands using recycled polyester in their clothes (I have some really cool jeans from Howies with the stretch provided by recycled bottles….).  Initially recycled fibres were mixed with new to ensure the quality was acceptable but this has improved –  the first ever 100% recycled cotton dress being created in 2014.  There is some fascinating work going on to improve recycling – such as that by Worn Again, Blend and Econyl.

So What Can We Do?

Reduce your Clothes Shopping

The key message here is that we all need to buy less.  By far the most damaging aspect of our clothing production can only be solved by us actually reducing the amount of clothes that we buy.  It’s a hard truth to face but in the UK the average household owns £4,000 worth of clothes of which they wear about three quarters.  Then every year we chuck about 350,000 tonnes of it (worth around £140,000 – figures from WRAP) into landfill ie. that doesn’t even include the stuff we recycle or ship out to markets in developing countries.

Keep your Clothes Longer

We need to keep our clothes longer and wear them more.  We need to extend their lives by passing on to friends, upcycling or selling them on.  If we can keep our clothes out of landfill for an extra 3 months per garment, it would save 5-10% of their carbon footprint (WRAP).

Shop Thoughtfully

100% khadi organic cotton shirts and scarves from Where Does It Come From?

When buying clothes it’s important to think about what your clothes are made of, as well as how much use you will get from them.  If buying new, shop from brands using organic fibres and if you want some plastic choose brands that use recycled.  As plastic users cut back on your single use plastics and recycle plastics that you do use – that will cut down on the amount of new plastic being generated

As fabric producers and brands we can continue to increase the organic production of fibre crops such as cotton, and the rain fed varieties.  For brands that use plastic (we don’t) there needs to be an increase in recycled plastic used in fabrics, and some understanding how that fabric is going to be recycled at the end of the garment’s life.

Visit our website to find out more about Where Does It Come From?’s work to create retail and wholesale clothing and accessories that are kind to the planet.  

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Information Sources:

http://www.textileexcellence.com/news/details/1332/overcapacity-will-continue-in-the-global-polyester…

https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/humanity-has-produced-91-billion-tonnes-of-plastic-and-weve-recycled-just-10-of-it_uk_59708aebe4b0110cb3cc4956

http://www.wrap.org.uk/sites/files/wrap/VoC%20FINAL%20online%202012%2007%2011.pdf

https://helpwiththewashing.co.uk/blog/laundry-pollutes-environment/

https://qz.com/414223/if-your-clothes-arent-already-made-out-of-plastic-they-will-be/

https://www.plasticsoupfoundation.org/en/2018/03/how-damaging-is-breathing-in-microplastics/

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By
Jo Salter, Founder of Where Does It Come From?
and
Katie Carr, Founder of Tommy and Lottie

Meghan Markle Shows Us Her Ethics!

It was fabulous this week to see the Daily Mail featuring our princess-to-be Meghan Markle and focussing on her ethical clothing choices.  Meghan’s conscious shopping choices included jeans from the Welsh ethical brand Huit Denim for jeans (very appropriate as she was visiting Wales!), Stella McCartney for her coat and she accessorised with earrings and bag all from ethical and socially conscious brands.

Not only is it fabulous that Ms Markle is such a role model for shopping according to her personal values, but it is really heartening that such coverage is appearing in the Daily Mail.  The Mail, which is not generally noted for its liberal stance, has focussed on the different elements of the outfit, with the headline ‘Never has one outfit been designed to send so many messages!’.  Certainly by choosing to showcase ethical brands and designers there is a clear message of authenticity and choosing to live her personal values.

Celebrities and Ethical Fashion

Meghan Markle is not the first celebrity to embrace ethical fashion, Joanna Lumley showcased a Where Does It Come From?  elephant print scarf in her travel documentary in India last year and the film star Emma Watson wore a dress created from recycled bottles to an awards ceremony.  For those of us involved in ethical fashion such a role model will provide a massive boost and will help move conscious shopping more into the mainstream.

More and More of Us Are Shopping Ethically

The ethical market in the UK is growing rapidly each year.  According to Ethical Consumer Magazine the ethical market in the UK grew by 3.2% in 2017 – pretty amazing when you consider that the rate of inflation was 0.64%.  More and more of us are choosing to shop our values – whether it be Fairtrade, organic, local or vegan.  There are now a huge number of ethical brands now available to choose from too, so it is becoming increasingly easy to shop with peace of mind.  These businesses are not created purely to make money but have ethics in their DNA.

The Growth of Ethical Brands

Ethical Brands are not new – some, such as The Body Shop, Peopletree, TOMS and Lush have been around for a while, grown and prospered, and are now household names.  However as a backlash against mass consumerism and fast fashion we are now seeing a huge increase in these kinds of brands –where ethics is in their DNA and is as important as the end product itself.    These brands have been created from the start with the vision and passion to make a difference. They haven’t just jumped on the ‘eco friendly’ bandwagon when they see it starting to get coverage globally and that consumer behaviour starting to change.  Ethics and sustainability are as important as the end product or service.  Newer businesses that are gaining popularity include The Soap Co, Po Zu and our own brands Where Does It Come From? and Tommy and Lottie.

Tommy and Lottie – Sustainable Clothes that Teach Children to Love the Environment

Tommy & Lottie is a unisex, ethical and sustainable baby clothing brand based in St Albans, Hertfordshire. Its founder, Katie Carr, grew up in rural Sussex loving nature and the environment and created her brand to pass on that passion.  Woodland animal designs capture how important it is to inspire our children about wildlife and their environment.  The baby clothes range is unisex and capsule so items can be passed along to another baby, boy or girl, producing less textile waste. Tommy and Lottie only use oeko tex certified cotton where no harmful dyes or chemicals are used so is safe for babies and young children. The clothing is produced with a low carbon footprint and according to fair trade standards.  You can find out more in these animations which were created by local students http://www.tommyandlottie.com/animation.

Where Does It Come From? – Ethical Clothes that Come With Their Story

Where Does It Come From? is a clothing brand offering high quality basics for adults and children. Based in Suffolk, their beautiful clothes are created in partnership with social enterprises and artisans – always according to fair trade standards and using sustainable production methods.  The core ethos of Where Does It Come From? is traceability and connection – founder Jo Salter says ‘We share with our customers their garment’s creation story so they can explore where the cotton grew, how their clothes were made and the people involved.  We hope this will inspire them to love their clothes more and to shop more consciously in future’. You can find out more about the scarves, shirts and children’s clothes on offer at wheredoesitcomefrom.co.uk.

Are You Ready to Shop Your Values?

Seeing authentic role models in the media really helps move ethical shopping into the mainstream.  It is becoming easier and easier to shop ethically, with new brands emerging and more shops, both online and physical, stocking more fairtrade and sustainable products.  Shopping your values makes a real difference – not only enabling you to express your authenticity and support the causes that you care about, but also in enabling brands that support your values to thrive and grow.  Ultimately shopping your values can help save the world and who doesn’t want to be a part of that?

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Traditionally the ‘Three Rs’ were about education.  This is slightly strange given that two of them don’t even start with R – a Victorian attempt at irony I guess.  In current thinking the three Rs are the mantra of sustainability and frugality – Reduce, Re-use, Recycle. Our children learn about them at school, our council encourages us to live by them and there are countless other wonderful initiatives with these maxims at their heart.

Drowning in Plastic (and Clothes….)

Plastic is a topic that’s filling our headlines at the moment – the overuse of plastic as wrapping, as an additive in every day items such as teabags and cosmetics and the main component of single use items such as straws and plastic cups.  For several years we’ve felt justified in our plastic over use by the fact that much of it can be recycled.  However now China have drawn the line at accepting our plastic waste we will need to find a new solution.

There are a lot of similarities between plastic and clothing when it comes to over abundance.  Just as is the case with plastic, we have gained a false sense of security around recycling, happily buying new clothes and complacently sending off our unwanted items to the recycling bin or charity shop. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying it’s bad to recycle or donate clothes, just that we need to put a bit more emphasis on the ‘Reduce’ part of the 3 Rs.

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle – Are We Doing Too Much Recycling and Re-using?

Clothes recycling is a bit different to plastic as it is far more likely that other people will want to re-use your discarded clothing.  Charity Shops are a wonderful resource and online charity shops such as Oxfam offer a curated service to help you search amongst the wide range of donations.  However charity shops do receive far more than they are able to sell in their shops and the majority are traded abroad.   The UK is the second largest used clothes exporter after the US and much of our rejected clothing ends up in markets in Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.  There are of course arguments for both sides here, it’s much better that the clothes are being re-used and creating employment, but an influx of used garments massively effects local clothing industries and can lead to unemployment and the loss of traditional textile skills.

Clothes that are not re-used are very likely to end up in landfill as most of our mixed fibre clothes are very difficult (if not impossible) to recycle as it is too costly to separate the cotton from the polyester.  Fast fashion, cheaply made clothes are virtually impossible to recycle as the fibre quality is so low. According to WRAP 350,000 tonnes of clothing ends up in landfill each year in the UK.

Here’s a simple breakdown of what happens to our used clothing according to WRAP.

So What Needs To Change?

Well, just as with plastic we now need to drastically reduce the amount of clothing that is being produced.  It’s unlikely that you would be reading this article if you didn’t already have some interest in sustainability, so I don’t need to go on and on about the negative effects of fast fashion on the environment, the workers and the mental health of consumers.  However I will just mention that the average UK household owns around £4,000 worth of clothes and around 30% are never worn.  Add that to the figures above and I need say no more.

We’ve become used to cheap clothes.  Clothing prices have not increased in real terms since the 1980s.  The reason they are cheap is because they’ve been made with little thought for the fabric and garment quality, the people who made them and the longer term effects on our environment.

It’s Time To Change Our Shopping Habits

We need to buy less and we need to ensure that what we buy is good quality and ethically sourced so that it has minimal impact. We need to focus on only buying quality clothes that we love, so we’ll wear them repeatedly for years to come.  Natural fibres (non-plastic) are better too as they are more likely to be recyclable and will eventually biodegrade.

Ethical Fashion is now a growing part of the clothing industry.  Where Does It Come From? is one of an increasing number of brands offering quality clothing with ethics so you can buy clothes that have minimal negative impact and that are designed to be gorgeous and versatile.

Reduce, Re-use, Recycle, the 3 s of sustainability, are a fantastic mantra to keep us focussed on sustainability. We’ve stepped up, with many of us embracing recyclying of household waste as part of our lives. Now, with our plastic mountains and our landfill full of polyester, its time to take it to the next level and focus on the Reduce part too.

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Jo was invited onto BBC Radio Suffolk to talk about Fashion Revolution on 30 April 2017.  You can listen to the interview with Jon Wright by clicking below.

SUNDAY ETHICAL CLOTHES ROT 300417 JW

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10 Reasons Why Shopping  Ethically for Clothes Is Easier Than Ever Before!

Great news – the ethical market in the UK is growing!  This is a big relief for those of us who shop ethically as it is now simpler for us to buy our sackcloth dresses and rag rugs (yes, I am joking).  According to the Ethical Consumer market report for 2016 the purchase of ethical goods in the UK during the previous year came in at £38bn – a growth of 8.5%.  This is fantastic given the current retail market.  So now is a really good time to shop ethically and say ‘The Only Way is Ethics!’

A Bit of Background….

Clothes shopping has changed dramatically in the last 30 years or so.  Fast Fashion is the term used to describe the clothing industry of the most recent decades.  Whereas the price of most of our items – houses, fuel, food – has increased in this time period, our clothing has become cheaper and cheaper.  It is actually cheaper to buy clothes now than in the 1980s!

Most major clothing brands launch a number of collections per year and have moved production to developing countries.   There the work is done by people who tend to work for low wages, long hours and in dangerous working conditions.  Convoluted supply chains have hidden these concerning facts from customers and often from the brands themselves, with price and profit being the main considerations.  There are lots more clothes about too.  According to ‘The Economist’, global clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2014, so it seems that there is an increasing demand for these cheap clothes, despite how they were made, how many exist already and the rapidly filling landfill sites.

It’s Time for a Fashion Revolution!

Come join the Revolution – a Fashion Revolution!  Four years ago on April 24^th 2013, over 1200 garment workers died when their factory collapsed on them.  They were trapped inside making cheap garments for well-known fashion brands.  This tragedy acted as a wake-up call to many people involved in the clothing industry and Fashion Revolution was born.  To join in simply ask your clothing brands ‘Who Made My Clothes?’ – you can even tweet a photo of yourself showing your brand labels.  If brands aren’t telling you who made your clothes then it’s not likely to be a positive story!

Are You an Ethical Consumer?

If you care about the principles as well as the price of your shopping then you are.  A person’s ethics are very individual but generally an ethical consumer is someone who makes product selections based on criteria in addition to price and function of what they are buying.  This might be to do with product ingredients (vegan, cruelty free, organic), it might be environmental (low carbon production, biodegradable) or human rights related (fairtrade), or even a mix of several of these areas.  Cruel (but very amusing) caricatures show us as long haired hippies in rainbow jumpers but this is not (always) the case – one of the most famous ethical shoppers these days is the lovely Emma Watson (star of Harry Potter and Beauty and Beast). She wore a dress to an awards ceremony that was made out of recycled bottles!  No sackcloth in sight.  Awesome!

So Why Is it such a GREAT Time to be an Ethical Consumer?

Here are 10 good reasons (in no particular order) why now is better than ever before to shop ethically:

1. Big brands are going Ethical

Many well-known clothing brands have recognised the increase in demand from ethical consumers and are responding with product offerings.  Although some of their more standard offerings may be less transparent ethically, it is fantastic that we are now starting to see ethical products in high street shops from the likes of H&M, Marks and Spencer with their ‘Plan A’ , and John Lewis to name but a few.

2. Large Range of Ethical Brands to Choose From

There are a HUGE number of ethical brands springing up in the UK and elsewhere.  These offer online products and services and many have their own outlet or sell through other retail outlets.  The best way to find out about them is through internet searches, social media or online directories such as Greenfinder.  These brands often have a unique ethical story – at Where Does It Come From? we create ethical clothes that come with a code so that the customer can trace their garment’s creation, right back to the cotton farm.

3. Online Ethical marketplaces

As there are now so many ethical brands catering for pretty much every ethical stance, there has also been a growth in online ethical market places.  These are websites and catalogues that sell products from a wide variety of brands and often have criteria that will enable you to select products that fit with your ethical stance.  Notable online examples are Ethical Shop, Ethical Superstore, ethical.market and Fairmondo. 

4. Fashion Revolution

Massive campaigns like Fashion Revolution raise awareness of the issue of ethical clothing and lack of transparency. This really does inspire consumers to ask more questions.  Watch this fantastic, award winning video which was very successful in changing peoples mindsets.

The True Cost Movie has also been instrumental in raising awareness of the effects that the clothing industry has on the workers, the environment and even on us as consumers.

5. There’s More Focus on Ethical and Sustainable Design

Well known designers are embracing ethical design. The Stella McCartney brand is all about creating ethical clothing for the high fashionistas and the ethical brand Peopletree have produced beautiful clothes designed by big design names like Vivienne Westwood and Orla Kiely.  The Ethical Fashion Forum is enabling new fashion designers to embrace sustainability, providing linkages between designs and producers.

6. Legislation – UK Modern Slavery Act 2015

Laws that require companies to be clear on whether or not there is slavery in their supply chain are a step in the right direction.  This applies only to large companies (turnover over £36 million) and there is an opt out possibility.  However if brands have to declare any unethical production practices then they need to be on top of their supply chain, which can only be a good thing.

7. Technology – Making Information more Accessible

The speed and availability of technology now enables us to find out much more about what is happening all over the world.  Abuses can be shared through social media – there’s no place to hide.  Conversely this technology also enables us to trace our supply chains more effectively and to share photos, stories and product information much more widely.  Barcodes and RFID tags already enable us to scan items and link to information about the product using our phones.  There is currently work underway to build a database that can be accessed simply by pattern matching from a camera image – point your phone camera at a shirt and at the click of a button you’ll be able to find out as much as the brand wants you to know (and perhaps even more…).

8. Celebrities as Ethical Consumers

As well as the lovely Emma Watson, there are many other celebrities who have put their face to ethical fashion – including Anne Hathaway, Victoria Beckham and Natalie Portman.  Businessman/celebrity Richard Branson has worked with Vivienne Westwood to create a redesign of the Virgin Atlantic uniforms in recycled plastic!

9. Ethical products are Easier to Identify

There are plenty of accreditations and memberships which make it fairly simple to identify whether a product fits your ethical criteria.  For example if you are after organic products then look for GOTS or Soil Association labels, if Fairtrade is your thing then look for the Fairtrade mark or BAFTS membership.  Even though some companies are accused of ‘greenwashing’ ie. making themselves look more ethical than they really are, in general attaining these accreditations is hard work and costly so most businesses, particularly smaller ones, will be doing it to show their ethical credentials.

10. You Don’t Even Have to do the Leg Work!

Even better – there are organisations such as Ethical Consumer Magazine who will do the research for you!  Simply move sliders on the page to determine your ethical products and they’ll tell you how different brands rate.

So there are TEN great reasons why now is the time to shop ethically – after all, the only way is ethics!

Jo Salter
Founder Where Does It Come From?
wheredoesitcomefrom.co.uk

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People like me often talk (bang on) about ethical clothes and the benefits for those people creating them and for our planet too.  That’s all very well but, let’s face it, however altruistic we are feeling, most of us want to know what’s in it for us. Well here are five good reasons why it is better to buy ethical clothes, and not an altruistic one among them!

1. Better for your skin

This one won’t be news to you, but organic fabrics are better for you!  Certified organic cotton has been produced without allergenic, carcinogenic or toxic chemicals so not only are the clothes more likely to be comfortable and non-itchy, but they are also better for you longer term.  Handwoven fabrics generally have a wider weave too so they are naturally breathable helping you remain cooler in summer and warmer in winter.  More natural fabrics such as 100% cotton or linen are also better at stopping us feeling sweaty (urgh).

2. Standing Out from the Crowd

Most, if not all, ethical clothing brands create non mass-produced ranges of clothes.  So if what you buy from them isn’t totally unique (which it sometimes is), you are far less likely to bump into someone at a party wearing exactly the same thing (very embarrassing).  As a parent there are also practical considerations – for example when off to a public place with your darlings you can often find everyone else’s kids also wearing that exact same Elsa dress or dinosaur shirt.  This makes keeping an eye on junior a bit more tricky than usual – not so if they are wearing something a bit less samey.

3. Great Products and Customer Service – fuelled by love!

Generally when you buy from an ethical brand the clothes are fantastic and the customer service amazing.  This is because people who create and run ethical clothing brands are doing it for love, not money.  Setting up a brand, building a trusted supply chain and gaining the important accreditations is an expensive and time-consuming business (trust me on this). Anyone who really wants to do it has a very strong desire to make positive change and therefore will be driven (by love!) to give you the best products and the best service they can.

4. You Save Money in the Long Run

If you buy better quality and choose garments that you love then it stands to reason that you will wear them more and they will last you longer.  This means you won’t need to buy so much (though it doesn’t mean you won’t, I can’t promise you that!).

5. You Can Feel Virtuous/Smug

I don’t need to mention that Fairtrade and ethically sourced produce ensures better working conditions, pay and quality of life for garment workers (mainly women) and their communities.  I’m sure you already know that.  You will also already know that using less toxic chemicals and carbon in garment production and creating less toxic waste will make a huge contribution to the quality of our soil, our water and our air.  So shopping ethically quite rightly makes you feel proud of yourself, and a little smug – rather like a cat with the cream (see photo!). And who doesn’t like knowing they’re doing what’s right?

by Jo Salter

Founder, Where Does It Come From?  www.wheredoesitcomefrom.co.uk

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