On the one hand, the fashion industry is creative, diverse and colourful - but it also has a dark side. Because behind the façade of many a beautiful garment lies a reality full of ethically questionable practices and production methods. Exploitation and environmental pollution are often an integral part of the fashion industry's production process. Just so that consumers can be offered goods at low prices. They are often not even aware of the suffering that goes into their jumpers and trousers. Knowledge about the conditions and the importance of ethical fashion should be publicised - and this blog article is intended to contribute to this.
What characterises fair fashion and ethical fashion?
The term ethical fashion refers to garments that are produced fairly throughout the entire manufacturing process - where social responsibility is taken into account and implemented in the form of fair working conditions in combination with appropriate wages. Exploitation and forced or child labour have no place here. While the focus is on protecting human rights and, in some cases, animal rights, environmental friendliness and sustainability are primarily relevant in so-called green fashion. Here, the focus is often on organic or recycled materials as well as gentle and environmentally friendly dyeing methods. The aim is to minimise the ecological footprint. Some brands and fashion companies are taking up the challenge of combining ethical and sustainable fashion in their clothing.
Why is ethical and green fashion so important?
Especially when the priority is on short-term low prices, this is hardly compatible with ethical, environmentally conscious and sustainable clothing. Due to their higher standards, this often goes hand in hand with higher prices. The following reasons for an ethical, environmentally conscious and green fashion world reveal why this investment is important and sensible.
- It's all about our planet: It's no secret that the fashion industry is a burden on the environment. Whether through chemical pesticides that pollute the soil and groundwater, the generally high water consumption or the disposal of surplus items, for example through incineration, fast fashion demands a lot from our planet. Valuable resources are consumed that are needed elsewhere. Groundwater, for example, is now scarce in many places. Widespread contamination jeopardises the supply of water for humans and animals. Chemicals in the soil pollute the cultivation of cereals and other crops.
- Take responsibility: As well-off people, it is in the spirit of justice to take responsibility for people who are worse off. For many cheaply produced T-shirts, trousers and other clothing, workers are exposed to catastrophic conditions. From illnesses caused by chemical fertilisers or pesticides, to lung diseases and dangers from unsafe buildings, extreme conditions prevail, especially in developing countries - with some workers working 16 hours a day. Despite the high risks, the people involved in production usually only receive low wages that are barely enough to survive on. Anyone who buys fashion from such productions is supporting these working conditions.
- Promoting animal welfare: Nobody wants to imagine that there was once blood on that woollen jumper as they snuggle up in their new fluffy garment. However, various fast fashion brands are focussing on quantity instead of animal welfare. Sheep and other farm animals are exploited and shorn under agonising conditions. Responsible fashion companies and brands such as APU KUNTUR .
- Timeless looks and long-lasting clothing: At first glance, garments that have been industrially manufactured as part of fast fashion seem cheap. The low price is a temptation for many, but in the long run you are better off with ethical and high-quality fashion. Genuine quality is significantly better and usually more durable - so you can enjoy it for a long time. Choosing timelessly elegant colours and cuts also ensures that the pieces are not only fashionable for a short time, but also consistently stylish. Remember: if you pay a low price for clothes, someone else may pay even more - exploited workers or the environment.
Environmentally conscious production processes: The desire for transparency
It is positive that consumers are tending to take a more critical approach to clothing and manufacturing conditions. Not least due to scandals in production facilities, more people are questioning where their clothes come from and under what conditions they were made. There is even a growing willingness to pay a higher price for ethical fashion.
Fair manufacturers are sometimes characterised by the fact that they do not leave conscious fashion lovers in the dark, but instead reveal their production methods. This begins with the extraction of materials and extends to the manufacturing methods and conditions, all the way to the shop or home delivery. This also speaks for a trustworthy brand.
Ethical fashion at the Faedah Collection
Sustainable fashion consumption is characterised above all by careful handling of one's own clothing. If you are looking for a new item of clothing, for example for a specific occasion, it is best to choose brands that meet ethical standards, operate sustainably and have nothing to hide. After all, the fashion industry is also becoming more and more organised in this respect.
We at the Faedah Collection save you extensive research work - by carefully selecting the brands in our shop. You can trust that the products come from responsible sources, are partly recycled in an environmentally conscious way and have been manufactured under ethically acceptable conditions. This is shopping with a clear conscience, because the future of the fashion industry is in our hands.
By the way: in order to handle our shipments as responsibly and environmentally friendly as possible, we rely on RePack.