Growing The Skills For Organic Farming In India

The move towards organic farming of textile crops has to be applauded, but so far it has been a slow process. The problem, particularly in the cotton fields of India, is in retraining farmers that only know how to grow using pesticides.

Education, as ever, is the key. So it's heartening to see the C&A Foundation focussing on empowerment of organic farming in the heartlands of the discipline - the state of Madhya Pradesh. Here, over a quarter of the world's organic cotton is grown. It makes sense, then, that educators should be based here.

In November 2015, a new chapter was unveiled in the history of one of India's premier agriculture universities - the Jawaharlal Nehru Krishi Vishwa Vidyalaya. A three month programme aims to give educators the skills they need to pass on to the farmers of Madhya Pradesh the ability to change over to organic cultivation. The course integrates practical and theoretical modules, as well as industry exposure.

Ipshita Sinha, of C&A Foundation, says:

“We've found a great champion in the university, which is putting in some serious effort in driving this course, as well as a great champion in the state government, which is very keen on developing organic farming in the region."

Putting the focus on organic farming in India is a slow process, but it's great to see industry, government and NGOs working together to make it happen. Today Madhya Pradesh, tomorrow the world?

A Europe-Wide Plan For Sustainable Change

We need to get a handle on waste and sustainability in the fashion industry. Recent figures show that we throw away the equivalent of seven tonnes of unwanted clothing in the UK every ten minutes. The sector takes up five per cent of our carbon and water footprints, and is a massive hog on resources. We need a plan.

The thing is, we may just have one. The Waste And Resources Action Plan, better known to us as WRAP, have just signed five major clothing manufacturers to ECAP (European Clothing Action Plan), a Europe-wide initiative to reduce waste and work towards a more sustainable future. One name in particular stands out in the list of participants: Primark.

There are four main points to ECAP: designing and specifying products for longer life and closed-loop production; ensuring that less clothing goes to incineration and landfill; encouraging customers to buy less clothing and use it for longer; and improving innovation in resource-efficient design and service models to encourage business growth in the sector. All of these are fairly basic tenets in sustainable fashion. How long have we been talking about Buy Less, Choose Wisely?

The plan is for ECAP participants to divert 90,000 tonnes of clothing waste from landfill and incineration, save 1.6 million tons of CO2e, and make 588 million cubic metres of water savings. Help will come in the form of education into the current impact of their business models, and aid in development of new products using more sustainable resources.

Sarah Clayton of WRAP says:

“As the first participants of ECAP, these organisations are championing sustainable clothing across Europe. The wheels are in motion, but more can be done – we are looking to welcome and involve more brands, retailers, manufacturers, reuse and recycling organisations, charities and consumers in the plan to drive greater sustainability of clothing across Europe.”

ECAP aims to build on the success of WRAP's UK-based Sustainable Action Clothing Plan (SCAP2020), which has 82 signatories all working to reduce the environmental impact of the clothing industry. That plan has already had some astonishing successes–in the first year of operation, there was a 12.5% reduction in water impacts, and a 3% drop in carbon emissions.

Involving big names in an ambitious plan is great news, of course, but it remains to be seen how much of a success ECAP will be. But the will and enthusiasm to change from both business and government does seem to be in place. And that can only be a good thing.

There's Mush Room For These New Fabrics...

The quest continues for new alternatives to the most polluting and simultaneously popular clothing materials on the planet. Cotton, even in its organic form, is thirsty stuff, and dependent on pesticides. Leather needs highly toxic chemicals in order to be tanned–these can find their way back into water tables. In an ideal world, there would be much safer and more sustainable alternatives.

Researchers across the globe have recently come across a promising lead in the search for a cleaner alternative in the shape of the humble mushroom. Quick and easy to grow, sure. An essential part of the Full English Breakfast, arguably. A replacement for shoe leather or the cotton in our t-shirts?

Well, maybe not quite yet, but the research is very promising. For example, Danish product designer Jonas Edvard has developed a product called Myx. The fibre is created from mycelium–the base layer on which mushrooms are commercially grown. Once its done the job, mycelium is usually thrown away. But Edvard mixes it with hemp and linen waste, byproducts of clothing and rope production. The end result is a stable, strong fibre with all kinds of uses. The mycelium gives Myx a resilient structure, helped by the natural occurrence in the material of chitin–the stuff that makes crustacean shells so strong. Low cost, environmentally friendly and making virtue out of waste products? These are all benefits we applaud highly here at The Pier. Hooray for Myx!

Over in Italy, R&D gurus Grado Zero Espace have come up with MuSkin, an entirely vegan alternative to leather. Made from mushroom caps and tanned without recourse to toxic chemicals, MuSkin is tough yet pliable and easy to adapt to all sorts of potential uses. Think of a material that has the texture of suede, but a much softer feel.

GZE have noted MuSkin's ability to absorb moisture and are looking to use it in items like shoe insoles and watch straps. It's also breathable and water repellent, so they've started making hats out of the stuff. They don't mention how easy it is to scale MuSkin up for commercial applications, but it's exciting to see how versatile it could be.

Our View: many of the materials we depend upon for our everyday clothing needs have been with us for a very long time. In fact, skins and furs would have been some of the first clothes we'd have ever worn. So it seems only right that in the 21st century we should be looking for alternatives. The old saying goes 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it.' As cotton and leather are so rough on the environment, we'd say it's past time to look for a new solution.

 

Livia Addresses The Elephant In The Room At Copenhagen

The recent Copenhagen Fashion Summit featured a keynote speech from Livia Firth that didn't pull any punches. She excoriated the fast fashion model, calling it "the elephant in the room" at any conference that wanted to talk about sustainable fashion. She called for a root-and-branch rethink of the industry, but warned

"...nothing will ever change while fast fashion and its current business model stays as it is."

Livia was deeply scornful of the big brands that dominate the fashion industry. It's through them that the fast fashion model has been allowed to thrive, after all. Handwringing over climate change and high-profile 'awareness' campaigns do nothing to effect meaningful reforms. In fact, Livia argues, the big names are perfectly happy with the fat profits that the current model rakes in. Worse, the lack of transparency in their supply chains disguises some unpleasant truths. Livia says:

"...they would like us to believe that all is well in the supply chain, especially with the garment workers. That is sadly not the case."

Her real anger comes from the lack of change in the industry post-Rana Plaza. For many, that event was the first clear evidence of an industry who would happily put workers lives at risk in the name of profit. For the big brands, it was simply an excuse to roll down the shutters and set up shop somewhere else...

"across the world to Cambodia, to Myanmar and to Ethiopia, exporting the same model without systemic change. That was not the agreement. That was not the intention. And that must not be the sum-total of our ambition."

Livia also turned her sights on the responsibilities of those companies, following the signing of the Bangladeshi Accord on Fire Safety. The agreement, it is becoming clear, is has not been kept by some.

"Nearly three years ago, some of the biggest brands in the world committed to improving working conditions by signing the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. Three years on, and despite growing profits and market share, some of those brands have still not made their strategic supply factories safe.
"The sad fact is, this industry remains more comfortable picking low hanging fruit – by focusing on token 'green' initiatives – than on dealing with human exploitation in the supply chain."

Livia ended her address with a challenge and a promise. She announced a new initiative in partnership with The Lawyer's Circle that would lead to a road map for change. It's a challenge that impacts all of us, from producers to consumers.

"We will soon publish a study. A study that will set out the legal case for a living wage as a fundamental human right. A study that will explore the legal options for setting a global standard for a living wage.
For those in this industry – so many of you here – who are willing to be courageous I hope this study will give you the architecture for the change we dream of.
And for all of us – in civil society – it’s time for us to be active citizens and – active consumers. We can’t continue to demand change until we challenge the pace of thoughtless consumption which the fast fashion brands have dictated to us."

Our View: Livia is one of the most powerful voices in ethical fashion, and she has the funds and spirit to take the fight to the big players. Her speech at Copenhagen is exciting stuff, and issues a challenge that we could all take on. We can't forget the lessons of Rana Plaza. Here's a chance to show that those 1300 people did not die pointlessly.

Livia's full speech is available on the EcoAge website, and I've embedded the video below. Take ten minutes and get inspired.

Do It Clean

The uncomfortable truth about the clothing industry is that it's the second most polluting sector on the planet. Only oil is worse. That's a depressing thought, but we should view it as a challenge. What can we do to lower the cost and ease the load that every garment we make takes on the planet?

A Californian company called Nomadix thinks it has an answer. Already known for making beach towels from completely recycled materials, Nomadix is now setting its sights on one of the most ubiquitous items of clothing there is: the t-shirt.

The Clean Tee is a concept with a very simple notion, and some very serious science at its heart. Nomadix has teamed up with Spanish company Recover Textiles to produce the garment, using a clever blend of fibres. It's made by re-blending cotton from used clothing and textile waste to create new yarn. That's then combined with recycled poly from plastic bottles, turned into fabric, and sewn into a T-shirt.

So what are the benefits? Let's do some maths. In the course of its manufacture, the average cotton t-shirt will use 9.5 oz. of toxic waste, 2.5 oz. of pesticides and a horrifying 700-1000 gallons of water. That's 7-10 bathtubs full, for a single garment. By comparison, Nomadix's shirt uses no toxins or pesticides, and a mere 8 gallons of water. That's a 99% drop in use. Imagine that sort of saving ramped up to industrial scale, and the advantages that the Clean Tee offers become obvious.

Nomadix are not claiming that the Clean Tee is going to solve all the problems associated with the fashion industry overnight. In fact, they don't even have a viable product as yet. So far, the Clean Tee is running as a Kickstarter campaign, which can only supply a limited number of finished garments. What we're really looking at here is a proof of concept.

But if that concept is sound (and there's no reason to assume otherwise) then the processes behind the Clean Tee can be taken by bigger players and rescaled. It's known that many big clothing manufacturers are looking out for just these sorts of technologies to help lighten their environmental load, as they see the impact that climate change is having on their acquisition of raw material and the damage extreme weather events can have on their infrastructure.

Let's put it like this: it's in everyone's interests for the Clean Tee to succeed. How important can a simple t-shirt be? Well, it might just be the first drop in a flood of innovation that could save the planet.

If you'd like to know more, or snag your own Clean Tee, head over to Nomadix's Kickstarter page:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nomadix/the-most-sustainable-t-shirt-on-the-planet

An Ethical Foundation To Your Wardrobe: Mighty Good Undies!

Pants. We all need them. We all wear them. They're the bedrock of any outfit.

And yet, for the most part, we don't think about them. Once they wear out, we bin them and buy a new pack in M&S. Job done. Which is a worry of course, as pants are as much a part of fashion as any other garment, and equally a factor of the ethical and environmental challenges fashion faces. So it's in our best interests to look at our pants drawer and think... could we do better?

That is a question asked by new start-up Mighty Good Undies, who are into the last week of a fundraising campaign through StartSomeGood. The founders, Hannah Parris and Elena Antoniou, wanted to put the same focus and attention that is placed on the more glamourous items in our wardrobe and apply them to an everyday clothing staple.

Mighty Good Undies are starting with a core range of styles, (men’s trunks, women’s boy leg and the women’s granny (full) briefs) all of which are made from organic, fairtrade cotton. They are designed to be soft, comfortable and long-lasting. And looking good, of course. Well, you never know, right?

The ethical impact of Mighty Good Undies is just as important as the looks, though. Hannah’s first-hand experience with ethical fashion design and supply-chains in India led her to an internationally recognised supplier of organic and Fairtrade produced cotton, Chetna Organics and its production partner, Rajlakshmi Cotton Mills. Teaming up with Chetna meant the Mighty Good crew could get their cotton at a good price, and be sure that the supply chain it came from paid its workers fairly.

There's a bigger vision at play with Mighty Good Undies, though. They're after change at the mainstream level, demonstrating to the mass market that comfortable and ethical underwear can be affordable. Currently we produce 24.5 million tonnes of cotton. About 0.5 tonnes of that total is ethically produced. That has to change. It's a big job, and you may as well start doing it in a good pair of pants.

 

With less than a week to go on their crowdfunding campaign, there's still time to show your support for Mighty Good Undies and pick up some early bird bargains. For more info and to snag a pair (or two), head over to https://www.startsomegood.com/mightygood

Breaking The Chain

The global supply chain. If there's one motor for the fast profit-driven ride that fast fashion has undertaken, it's the ability to source, manufacture and import goods from anywhere on the planet. Cheap labour and material have driven down prices (and, many would argue, quality) to the point where clothing is often now viewed as a 'buy, wear once and bin' convenience item.

But the global supply chain is a hugely complex beast, and it has its weak spots. The British Standards Institution (BSI) have just released their annual report which lists the threats and problems that give high street giants a multi-billion dollar headache every year. It makes for a fascinating read.

Take piracy. BSI estimates that over $22bn of losses last year were due to cargo theft. A new wrinkle is the massive growth in South Africa and China of raids on cargo trucks, easy pickings for the dandy highwayman. This type of vehicular crime was up 30% on last year, and is set to rise further as more naughty chaps get in on the road games.

Global warming and natural disasters are also a big problem for stretched supply chains. Weather disruptions from storms caused by El Niña have caused breaks in the chain totalling $33bn. This is before we start factoring in the potential losses from crop destruction that led to a strong showing from many global fashion brands at last year's big climate summit in Paris.

When you look at events on a global scale, you see how everything is connected. Terrorism and the refugee crisis all have impacts on the efficient movement of goods across the planet. Road, sea and rail links can become blocked, and terrorist events go after everything–transport hubs being a prime target, of course.

There are more subtle sources at play, too. The shift of manufacturing to South-East Asia and a general slowing in demand is hitting the Chinese labour market. The result? An uptick in industrial action, slowdowns and stoppages. Factory strikes in China were up nearly 60% last year, as owners struggled to pay their employees. The BSI also notes that even if things improve, strikes are still likely, as emboldened workers become less tolerant of abuses from their employers. These days, garment and footwear workers have access to tips on better jobs with improved pay and conditions thanks to mobile technology. The Chinese workforce is more likely than ever to vote with their feet if they find their management isn't up to scratch. It's just another example of how the most unexpected of influences can have huge effects on a global trade.

Our View: Global fashion is a multi-billion dollar industry, and it's clear there's a ton of money to be made–and lost. Business models depend more and more on just-in-time delivery, and factories and farms that play nicely with spreadsheets and carefully-modelled computer predictions. As we've seen, the world has a way of taking that idea and merrily stamping on its toes.

You can read the whole BSI report here.

 

School's In! How Bangladehsi Garment Workers Are Getting An Education

It's very easy to to turn the garment workers of Bangladesh into victims. They are poorly paid and treated, often working in awful conditions and with little in the way of prospects. Oh dear, what a shame. Let's donate to a charity fund and move on.

Of course, the story is much more complex than that, and the people behind that story have hopes, dreams and ambitions beyond the factory floor. Allowing opportunity into the workplace can have surprising benefits.

Sarah Lazarus for The Guardian recently reported on a scheme launched by the Asian University for Women (AUW), that offers garment workers a free education. It can be a huge step forward for women who are expected to spend their lives supporting their families on little money.

The AUW was founded in 2008, with funding coming from The Bill And Melinda Gates Foundation and The IKEA Foundation. It's a regional university, which allows students from 15 countries across India and Asia to attend. The focus, according to founder Kamal Ahmed, is on talent rather than profit. She says:

“...our cardinal principle is to recruit the most talented people, irrespective of background”.

All of which seems fine in principle, but there's still a tricky balancing act to be performed to get female garment workers into college. For one thing, their employers have to be persuaded to keep paying their wages while they are studying. Without that money the women would simply be unable to attend.

In a perverse way, the Rana Plaza collapse has helped the cause. Bangladeshi garment factories have suffered from an awful reputation since April 2013. Letting managers publicly support their workers in such an altruistic manner is a great way to improve their standing. So far, five factories have signed up to the scheme, and 22 workers have made it into this year's intake. Competition was fierce, with over 650 applicants fighting for a place. Let's be clear: this is no giveaway. Applicants need a high school education to make it onto the list in the first place, and the entrance exams are tough. The idea is to inspire and encourage the hidden talent forced into a poorly-paid and unstimulating job due to family and financial pressure.

The other big takeaway from the scheme is the spotlight it puts onto women's education as a whole. Rather than the traditional Bangladeshi view that it's a waste of time to send women to school, there is a major uptick in interest, as Sonia Akter, in her fourth year at AUW discovered:

“When I left my village, members of the community criticised my mother for allowing me to go, but their attitudes are changing because they have seen what I’ve achieved. To visit home, I have to walk from the bus station to the village. It used to take 30 minutes. Now it takes at least two hours because so many people come to talk to me. The same people who used to believe that educating girls was pointless are starting to want the same for their daughters. If I can make female education popular in my village, then I can do it for the whole of Bangladesh.”

Our View: any scheme that makes education more accessible is a very good thing. Giving garment workers the chance to transcend their backgrounds and likely career path is even better. This is a story that has no down side, and shows that even on the factory floors of Bangladesh, there can be hope for a better tomorrow.

 

Community Clothing: Kickstarting British Textiles

We like to think that, given the upsurge in demand for clothing from the fast fashion boom, that our factories are full to bursting. Sadly, that's simply not the case, especially in the UK. Many of them suffer from deeply seasonal trade, and lulls in orders can lead to layoffs. Or worse, closure. There has to be a way to plug the gap.

A Kickstarter that will reach its funding target today should help, with an idea that could easily be utilised across the sector. Community Clothing views that spare factory capacity as an opportunity–to create authentically styled and carefully made British classics at a highly affordable price.

The idea is that of a new kind of co-operative. Like-minded workers uniting across the design studio and factory floor, coming together to help create something wonderful.

How do you keep quality high and costs low? The answer is simple...or rather, simplicity. Community Clothing will make a small set of items–jeans, Harrington jackets and raincoats. No huge inventory requiring complex procedures. The clothes are stripped back, clean, pure design classics that have the advantage of being simple to assemble. The materials are sourced from a very local area, in most cases no more from 25 miles from the factory in Blackburn, Lancashire.

This stripped back approach means that Community Clothing can use the same premium materials as high-end brands, and offer them at half the cost. The jeans are made from 12oz selvege denim, the jackets from high-quality cotton twill. Buttons are horn, not plastic. These garments are built to look good and last.

But the mission has a higher aim then simply to create great clothes. We're looking at nothing less than the rejuvenation of the British textile tradition. This quote from the Kickstarter says it all:

"By using local suppliers of fabrics, buttons, labels, and as many other products and service as we can we will create even more jobs within the communities where we make our clothes. And with our profits we will invest in programmes in those same communities where the factories are located, supporting skills training, personal development programmes and apprenticeships, programmes that help people into skilled jobs in the textile and garment industry."

Our View: Community Clothing are mixing smart thinking with real heart, taking spare capacity and creating something that brings benefits to everyone involved. If you get a wiggle on (i.e. today) you can still snap up a bargain bundle of sharp, British-designed and made classics. This is a model that deserves to be copied and grown across the country. When the community benefits, we all benefit.

Find out more at Community Clothing's Kickstarter page: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/267973823/community-clothing-make-clothes-create-jobs-restor/description

 

WRAP: Are We Sending More Clothes Than Ever To Landfill?

A new report from sustainability certifiers WRAP bears worrying news for those of us who hope that we're starting to do better when it comes to taking control of our wardrobes.

The report warns that there has been a hard drop in demand for used clothes in the UK. While clothing consumption as a whole is rising, 2015 saw a decline in the figures for textiles being either re-used or recycled. The likely end result? An increase in clothes going to landfill.

What's causing this cooling off in the market? Well, as ever there's no one answer. But an important part of the puzzle is the export market. We send most of our used textiles for reuse overseas, and demand, as well as prices, have been dropping since 2013. As we buy nearly £1.1 million tons of clothing in the UK every year, that's a lot of potential garments heading for the tip.

The problem is that it's hard to put a proper annual figure on the amount of clothing we have to hand. Typically, a garment will last for over three years, and may be swapped between friends or family members, or sold privately online. WRAP themselves admit that current methodology doesn't really do the job, and their own metrics are based primarily on import figures from HMRC (sad to say, but the vast majority of our clothes come from overseas). There could, then be an awful lot of clothing invisibly in the system that could be going to waste over the next few years.

With prices for our used textiles dropping, there's less incentive for businesses and charities to collect in the first place. The boom in the export market that began in 2010 has flatlined, again increasing the likelihood that potential renewables could just go straight in the bin. Recycling on an industrial scale is still in its infancy. The complex job of disassembling modern clothing, which is very often a mix of different fabrics and finishes, doesn't make things any easier. But an increase in this sort of recycling is really the only way to head off a potentially catastrophic spike in the amount of textiles we send to landfill every year.

Generally, a step change is needed in the way we view our clothes. There needs to be a big increase in re-use in both domestic and foreign markets, and a push to development of new techniques, including a wider take up of notions like closed-loop recycling.

The WRAP report concludes with the admission that there are tough challenges ahead for the sector. Our View: clothes recycling is a lot trickier than it sounds, and depending primarily on export markets to keep our unwanted garments out of landfill was always going to be a sticking plaster on a very big wound. It remains to be seen whether new technologies and forward thinking can dig us out of a hole before we bury ourselves in old clothing.

 

You can read the full report at this link.

 

Support Shima

Have you watched The True Cost yet? The breakthrough fashion documentary of last year, it took a wide-ranging approach to the subject of ethical fashion, giving a strong picture of how far we've come, and how far we have left to go.

One of the stand-out figures in the film is Shima, a garment worker from Bangladesh. Her struggle to support her family and make sure her daughter Nadia gets a proper education became a symbol of the hardships suffered by the billions of people around the globe that make our clothes.

But Shima's life has touched people directly, and they want to help. So the makers of The True Cost have teamed up with fundraising organisation Creative Visions Foundation to do just that. They're aiming to raise $4,000 to help send Nadia to school. So far, they're just over three-quarters of the way to the target.

The team says:

We wanted to use this time as opportunity to make a gesture of kindness to Shima and let her know that her story matters.  We know there is a long way to go in fixing the global clothing industry, but we hope we can take a moment to show our support for the brave men and women who are trying to make their voice heard.  

If you'd like to support Shima and Nadia, then check out The True Cost's page at CVF: https://give.creativevisions.org/events/the-true-cost-help-support-shima/e70395 

If you haven't seen The True Cost yet, it's available to buy or through video on demand, including Netflix. Find out more at The True Cost homepage. 

2015: The Year At The Pier

 

2015 has been, to put it mildly, an eventful year. In our little corner of the world, we've seen all sorts of changes and innovations. As usual, I'd like to take a bit of time on the last day of the year to look back on our coverage of ethical fashion and the charity world over the last twelve months.

 

In January, we celebrated with our friends at Sea Shepherd as they used a huge donation in the best way possible: they bought a new ship! We also took a look at a fascinating web series that took Norwegian fashion bloggers a little closer than comfortable to the Cambodian factories where many of the clothes they wrote about were sewn: Life In The Sweatshop.

 

February gave yr humble author the chance to talk film, as I looked at the ethical tailoring that was front and centre in the spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service. Not surprising, when Colin and Livia Firth are involved... We also reviewed the brilliant work done by our chums at East African Playgrounds for the kids (and parents) of Uganda, giving the gift of play.

 

March brought a new campaign from our pals at the charity Delete Blood Cancer, showing just how simple and easy it is to register as a blood stem cell donor. Meanwhile, in a trend that became much more happily prevalent in 2015, Levi's released data on their water use, and revealed how they plan to improve matters.

 

April saw us delightedly reviewing John Oliver's take on the state of the fashion industry on his satirical news show Last Week Tonight, bringing the subject to a wider audience. It was a good month for visual media, as we also previewed an exciting new documentary on the fashion scene, The True Cost.

 

May came along with a new play showing the gamification of the fashion industry (and how easy it can be to treat the people who make the clothes as disposable assets): The World Factory. We also took a peek at how our chums at Hubbub are making it fun to keep the streets of London a bit tidier: #neatstreets.

 

Halfway through the year already? Blimey! In June we introduced Tom Cridwell's fast-fashion busting 30-Year Sweatshirt, a clever subversion of the buy-and-buy-again model (and a celebration of Pier Crush Vivienne Westwood's notion of Choose Well, Spend More, Buy Less). In the same vein, we agreed with upcycling guru Orsola De Castro on how true sustainability can only come when clothes are built to last (which also gave us the opportunity to post a video to a disco classic): Use it Up, Wear It Out.

 

In July we carried on in that theme, looking at the ultimate in throw-away clothing: the 99p Dress. We also cast a worried eye over the demonisation of charity fund-raising, following the death by suicide of Olive Cooke, who it was feared had died under the pressure she felt she was under to donate. This story was one of the mainstays of the year in charity...

 

...although the big news story of 2015 for the Third Sector dropped in August with the collapse of Kid's Company. David Cameron's favourite charity combusted spectacularly, with major questions about their fund-raising and influence in high places. In the US, we examined American Apparel's change of direction, as they moved away from sexy ads following the sacking of controversial CEO Dov Charney.

 

September brought Pier Crush Vivienne Westwood out onto the front lines, as she used London Fashion Week to protest against fracking, and rolled a tank into David Cameron's home village. We also celebrated the work of our pals at Animal Defenders International, who are working to make circuses a cruelty-free zone.

 

And all of a sudden, it's autumn. October saw us looking at alternatives to leather that included banana and jellyfish! We also reviewed a new look for the Ethical Fashion Forum, as they launched an umbrella initiative, Mysource.

 

November rolled around, and with it applause for John Lewis. They launched the most talked about Christmas ad of the year in conjunction with Age UK, bringing the plight of lonely older people in the festive season well and truly into the public eye. We also took a look at a new idea from The Big Issue–retraining homeless people as coffee baristas. This caffeine-fuelled writer strongly approves...

 

And all of a sudden it's December! We welcomed a big new name in the charity sector–none other than Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. We also looked at the work of Raven & Lily, an ethical fashion house giving refugees in Bangladeshi camps the chance to bring themselves out of poverty. As the crisis in Syria deepens, responses like this become ever more necessary. We need to understand and empower, not demonise and blame.

 

So, that's 2015 at The Pier. It's been a good year for us, and we hope to build on our successes in 2016 to bring you the best and latest news from the worlds of ethical fashion and charity. Don't forget, our offices reopen at 9am on Monday the 4th for all your customisable needs. We look forward to talking to you.

 

From Gerry, Ian and I: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

Making the connection between fashion and Climate Change at COP21

Some interesting results are coming out of the International Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, not least from some big names in fast fashion.

Let's start with a blunt statement of fact. Climate change is real, and it's causing catastrophic shifts in the global landscape. Flooding in Chennai has displaced thousands of people. The North of England is still struggling with the after-effects of Storm Desmond, which has caused the highest recorded amount of rainfall in some areas in a century, and forced many hundreds of people out of their homes. It's almost absurdly clear that something has to be done.

Which is what makes the joint statement from big-name multinational brands like Adidas, H&M and Gap quite so striking. They're calling for a robust and immediate deal on climate change and its effects. The reason? Simple common and business sense. The declaration read:

“From the farmers in cotton fields to the workers in garment factories, we know that people in some of the least climate-resilient regions are being negatively impacted by a warming world. Drought, changing temperatures, and extreme weather will make the production of apparel more difficult and costly.”

There's the point. The businesses behind that statement are the largest producers of cotton in the world. Now, I know it's a thirsty crop, but even cotton doesn't do well underwater. The joint statement shows the realisation that climate change presents a clear and present danger to the resources and people without which they cannot survive. Let's be clear: the statement issued at COP21 has little to do with altruism. It's about survival.

Even more interestingly, the alliance pledged to do their part in helping to bring a real solution to the table. Eileen Fisher, eponymous head of the giant fashion brand, said:

“We have to think differently about business as a bridge to change. We have the powerful opportunity to come together across our industry to co-create how we measure success, not only in dollars but in the cost to humanity and the environment. This includes committing to practices and policies that directly address the apparel sector’s impact on climate change.”

Now, this is a big deal. When some of the biggest names in business come together with government to announce change, then two things become clear. Firstly, that something might actually happen this time. Secondly, that these hard-nosed corporate heads have run the numbers on climate change... and they're terrified about what they can see coming.

Time is running out, but announcements on this scale are unprecedented. This is a cross-brand initiative that includes most of the planet's best known apparel names, standing together to demand a real solution to the major issue of modern times. Climate change is an underlying cause of much of the unrest we see today, as arable land and potable water become resources worth fighting over. We'll have to wait and see what form the new agreements and plans take. But for once, we can see political and business needs meeting in the defence of a greater good.

And that has to mean something. Doesn't it?

Visible Clothing: Airing Their Nightwear In Public

We're seeing a lot of people entering the realm of ethical fashion that are doing more than just greenwashing. They're taking a thoughtful approach to the challenges around the launch of a properly fair and sustainable brand, taking time to make sure they get things right.

Few, though, have been quite as thorough as the two guys behind Visible Clothing. Before 2013, they admit that they paid no more than lip service to the notion of ethical fashion. One event changed their minds and their lives. That event, of course, was Rana Plaza. Andy and Andy take up the story:

"We knew that sweatshops existed but preferred to remain largely ignorant. We decided this needed to change; we needed to align our buying choices with our values. So we gave away all - ALL - our clothes at the end of 2013 and built new wardrobes from scratch containing only clothes that we knew were made fairly. But our personal wardrobes were not enough. So we decided to set up Visible with the goal of helping everyone who has thought about buying fairly made clothes to do so at an affordable price."

That's what you call putting your money where your mouth is. That was only the start of the Visible journey, as the two Andys took a properly hands-on approach to research for their new line of pyjamas. They made it their mission to visit every single person that would work on their clothes through the supply chain. It would prove to be an enlightening trip for everyone concerned. The Andys came to realise that the simplest of garments can go across continents in the journey from field to wardrobe, with the raw materials often stitched and finished thousands of miles from their origin.

Hence the point to making the business Visible. Back to the Andys to explain:

 

Without visibility, it is difficult for you - the customer - to decide whether or not everyone is being treated fairly. It is also too easy for us all to ignore the rights of the individuals who make our clothes because we quite simply don't know them. With even the smallest detail about the person who makes the clothing we wear, our mind-set can begin to change, and that person can begin to transition from an invisible cog in the machine to an actual, visible human deserving of our respect, dignity, and fair treatment. We desire far greater visibility into the fashion industry.

We are therefore focusing on three things:

-Visible people - We want to connect you with the actual people who make Visible clothing and to provide those workers with the chance to let you and us know whether they are happy with their working conditions.

-Visible costs - We tell you where every pound (or dollar) goes when you part with your cash, leaving you to be the judge as to whether our clothes have a fair price.

-Visible impact - We will charge a fair price for clothes which are made by people who are treated fairly, and by doing so will create opportunities for extreme poverty to be eradicated.

 

We bang on about transparency a lot here at The Pier, and Visible Clothing seem to be taking this notion and running with it. It's amazing to see a company that are making a real selling point out of the open-ness of their supply chain. The fact that Andy wore Visible pyjamas through his voyage of discovery tells you a lot about the comfort and hard-wearing nature of their cotton nightwear. With Christmas coming up, these guys are worth checking out.


Have a look at their journey below:

 

Visible PJ's from Visible Clothing on Vimeo.

 

Modern Slavery And Fashion As A Drug

Queen of eco-fashion Livia Firth attended the Trust Women conference in London last week–and she pulled no punches in making her contempt for fast fashion clear.

Livia's concern was primarily that of low wages for garment workers, and how the big brands use their hefty negotiating power in emerging markets to make sure the bad situation stays that way. She said:

"The fast fashion companies are like drug pushers. They go to these countries promising to lift millions out of poverty, they get the business, and then once they start production in that country they start pushing prices down."
"They can always impose the lowest wages and local governments and entire countries are enslaved by that. Say you are in Bangladesh, if you are too expensive they'll go to Vietnam or Myanmar, which they are doing."

The solution, as far as Livia is concerned, is to create a global consensus on wages. She took the opportunity at Trust Women to announce the launch of a new survey into what she calls "legal fundamental rights for a living wage across all borders."

This idea tied neatly into one of the major themes of the conference–that of modern slavery. There's a strong argument that the business practices of multinational fashion brands are, by driving down wages and forcing the need for long shifts, creating a sweated underclass amongst the people that they claim to be helping by bringing in their business. As new collections hit the stores every week, we consumers are encouraged to buy and buy again, with no thought given to the provenance of the clothes, or the people who make them. This toxic attitude has to change.

Livia therefore announced a new initiative based on the idea of pledging to wear clothes more than a couple of times. The #30Wears campaign urges people to keep their clothing for at least–you got it–thirty times. That's obviously good sustainable practice, but for Livia it's as much about respect for and solidarity with the women who make the clothes in the first place. She said:

"By treating them (clothes) as disposable we are endorsing the slavery in another part of the world, where someone is producing them for nothing.
"So how about telling that woman in Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, that we actually know she exists and we care for her? So when we buy something, let's wear it at least 30 times, in respect for her."

As ever, you can depend on Livia Firth to come up with provocative ideas, and squaring up to the big brands on wages is a strong move. We'll be watching for the results of her survey, due in May next year, with interest. As for keeping clothes for thirty wears–we're already on that. Some of my socks are old enough to walk themselves to the washing machine.

The Chemical Cocktails In Your Clothes

A disturbing report by researchers at Stockholm University has revealed that the chemicals used to make our clothes are hanging around for rather longer than we'd prefer.

In fact the research, led by anaytical chemist graduate Giovanna Luongo, (pictured above) found over a hundred identifiable compounds in clothes bought from high street retailers. In a press release, she said:

“Exposure to these chemicals increases the risk of allergic dermatitis, but more severe health effect for humans, as well as the environment, could possibly be related to these chemicals. Some of them are suspected or proved carcinogens and some have aquatic toxicity.”

Oof. So let's dig into what Giovanna and her team found. The chemical cocktails they discovered on our clothes can be split into two main types–'quick release' and 'slow release'. Quick release compounds wash off when they go in the machine. All fine and dandy, except that means that these chemicals end up in the water supply. Aquatic toxicity, remember? More worryingly, slow release compounds stay on the clothes, where they can be metabolised by skin bacteria or absorbed by the skin itself.

The chemicals present include quinolines, a suspected carcinogen linked to liver damage, and aromatic amines, found in tobacco smoke and diesel exhaust. Not what you expect to be rubbing up against when you pull on a shirt in the morning.

Just to add to the worry, even the organic cotton samples tested were found to contain benzothiozoles, which have been associated with respiratory problems. Does going eco make a difference? Well, yes, but not in a good way. Giovanna and her team found between 7 and 30 times the concentration of benzothiozoles in garments labelled as green alternatives. That even includes organic cotton.

The problem is, that Giovanna can't put her finger on what this all means. Some of the compounds her team found weren't even on the list of producer's approved substances. They could be byproducts, or accrued during transport. It's simply unclear where they came from.

So, should we be worried? The simple answer: no-one really knows. The last word on this comes from Conny Östman, a professor in analytical chemistry at Stockholm University.

"We have only scratched the surface, this is something that has to be dealt with. Clothes are worn day and night during our entire life. We must find out if textile chemicals go into our skin and what it means to our health. It is very difficult to assess and requires considerably more research.”

Our View–this is just another example of what can happen in a global supply chain that's so complex that proper oversight becomes impossible. Professor Östman is right. We should be prioritising the long-term effects of the chemicals that go into and, in some cases, stay on our clothes.

For more information, check out the Stockholm University press release, which has links to the science.

Success For SCAP

In Wednesday's post, I talked about the huge potential for ethical success in ECAP–a newly created cross-Europe initative to build a more sustainable textile industry. But this isn't a stand-alone idea. The plan is built on strong foundations. The UK's SCAP (Sustainable Clothing Action Plan) has been in operation for two years, aiming to make big reductions in water and carbon impact across the sector by 2020. At WRAP's annual convention this week, it became clear that action has been taken with a vengeance.

In just two years retailers, brands and organisations from across the clothing supply chain have reduced water impacts by a significant 12.5% per tonne of clothing, against a 15% reduction target by 2020. They are also making encouraging progress on a cut to carbon impacts, achieving a 3.5% reduction per tonne of clothing against a 15% reduction target. Did I say encouraging? It's hugely impressive!

Reaching the 2020 targets would make a huge dent in the UK's carbon deficit and water use figures. There could be an annual carbon saving equivalent to removing 250,000 cars from the road, a water saving equivalent to 170,000 Olympic sized swimming pools and 16,000 tonnes less waste created in the first place.

https://youtu.be/M3hReGi3ovE

In order to meet the SCAP 2020 targets, signatories (which make up over half of UK high street brands including, most recently, George at Asda) must focus on five main areas. They should increase the use of lower impact fibres; build product durability; help consumers care for clothing; guide those customers towards reducing waste to landfill (through WRAP’s consumer campaign Love Your Clothes) and work with supply chains to reduce waste. Like the recently announced ECAP, it's an ambitious plan with ambitious targets. So it's gratifying to see so much progress in such a short space of time.

It's important to note that engagement with customers is a vital part of the plan. After all, you can make all the changes to the supply chain that you like, but if the end user is still binning rather than recycling, all that hard work is for nothing. The Love Your Clothes campaign is a key component of the strategy. John Lewis uses LYC literature as part of its Learning Guide, helping Partners to pass on durability messages on the shop floor. Love Your Clothes recently sponsored Brighton Fashion Week, and Clothes Aid supports the campaign on its collection bags which can be found across the country.

Marcus Gover, Director at WRAP, said:

“SCAP signatories have made great progress against the targets to date, particularly water. This is a positive indication of what can be achieved and we must capitalise on the momentum we’ve built."

Our View: these results are very good news and show how engagement with an idea across business, government and charities can make a huge difference in a short space of time. With five years to go, who knows what could be achieved? All of a sudden, ECAP's ambitious targets don't seem at all unachievable!

Perfect Circle

An important challenge to sustainable fashion is based around a very simple question–how do we keep textiles out of landfill? A million tons of clothing goes to the tip in the UK every year, and a lot of it can be recycled in some form. The question isn't just how. The question is how to make it realistic for businesses to make the recycling process worth their while.

We're starting to see a situation where the fashion and textile industries are aware of both their terrible record on sustainability and how that record makes them look to the marketplace. They're looking for incentives and guidance to do the right thing. WRAP, the trans-national organisation at the heart of promoting ethical practice in the clothing market, is about to give them that very thing.

They've launched ECAP (European Clothing Action Plan), which has received a €3.6m fund from the European Union’s environmental financial support instrument, EU Life. The aim is to reduce the carbon, water and waste footprints of textile industries across 11 European countries, and drop the amount of clothing going to landfill–90,000 tons a year less by 2019.

It's an ambitious project with ambitious goals. But the EU funding means that there's an impetus to get businesses on board and explore new and innovative ways to make clothes with a smaller environmental impact. Closed-loop methods are not just being hand-waved as a blue-sky option that might make things better. They're actively promoted as a way to recapture wasted resources and pick up on new business opportunities.

There's also a strong focus on design. It's estimated that 80% of a garment's environmental impact is set at the drawing board. Educating designers in how to make their clothes easier to break back into their raw material means there's a much better chance of closed-loop-friendly garments becoming the norm.

Let's face it, change needs to happen. Earlier this year, WRAP tagged the textile sector alongside food & drink and electronics as areas that account for 25% of the UK’s carbon footprint, 40% of UK household waste and a whopping 80% of its water footprint. Just by targeting that sector, massive and lasting improvement can be made.

WRAP chief executive Liz Goodwin is cheerfully bullish about the future of ECAP:

“Finding more sustainable ways to work with textiles is an area set to deliver huge benefits – both economic and environmental. To be leading on a project of this magnitude is something I am very excited about, and applying tried and tested approaches such as voluntary agreements and consumer campaigns across Europe will really take our expertise to the next level. I look forward to watching this initiative progress.”

She's not the only one. Our View: major EU-funded initiatives like ECAP shows how seriously both government and business are looking at notions like closed-loop, which even five years ago seemed like a wacky, unattainable dream. With the money and the will in place, we could be looking at a future where clothing is no longer just a one-time deal.

UDITA!

I wouldn't call it light viewing, but a documentary released in May has come across the Pier's News Desk that I think will be of interest. Udita is a film taking on the predicament of garment workers in Bangladesh, and their struggle to organise, unionise and get a fair deal for their work.

Udita (Bangladeshi for 'arise') follows a turbulent half decade in the lives of women on the front line in the garment workers struggle. From 2010, when organising in the workplace would lead to beatings, sacking and arrests, through the tragedies of Tazreen and Rana Plaza, through to the present day, when the long fight has begun to pay dividends. We see this vital period through the eyes of union members, workers and leaders.

Udita is the work of acclaimed activist documentary film-makers Rainbow Collective. It weaves the stories of people they have followed in earlier films like 'The Machinists' and 'Tears In The Fabric' with those of new characters. The narrative they create is compelling, moving and inspiring.

There's a real upsurge in films highlighting the struggles of garment workers and ethical fashion, but Udita is one that's worth checking out for its clear vision and obvious empathy with the people portrayed. Perhaps not the most unbiased of documentaries, but a little righteous anger against injustice never hurt.

Watch Udita in full below.

Tencel: The Wonder Fabric!

A lot of people in the ethical fashion game bang on about organic cotton as if it's the only game in town. While cotton grown without pesticides is a boon to sustainability, the crop is still thirsty and hard to grow. We're better off lessening our reliance on the fluffy stuff altogether.
Of course, there are alternatives. One that's proving to be a game-changer in the ethical fashion game is Tencel. A trademark of Lenzing AG, the science-name for the material is lyocell. It's a product of wood cellulose–the stuff paper is made from. With a couple of tweaks to the treatment process, you end up with one of the most sustainable fabrics around.
Lyocell is sourced mainly from eucalyptus trees, which are fast-growing and quick to regenerate. I should know: I had one in my back garden, and the damn thing shot up like a rocket. The woodpulp gathered from eucalyptus is washed in a solution of amine oxide, which breaks it down to a slurry which can then be air-dried and stretched until it becomes a fibre. That fibre can then be spun and woven and hey bingo, lyocell.
It's what's called a regenerated fibre, needing a few more processes than cotton or silk, without being entirely manmade, like nylon. Lyocell's natural origins give it a number of additional benefits. It's wrinkle-resistant, has moisture-wicking capabilities, and takes on dyes so readily that you need far less to get a strong, vibrant take of colour. It's strong, and naturally snow white in colour, which means it doesn't even need bleaching. And by treating the short surface fibres in different ways, it can mimic other fabrics–not just cotton but linen, silk and even suede!
Best of all, lyocell boasts a closed-loop production technique, where the non-toxic chemicals used to produce it can be fed back into the system. There's very little waste, and no nasties make it out into the wider ecosystem. In short, if you're after a natural, sustainable fabric with which to make clothing, you need to look no further than lyocell.
Tencel has been making its way into the marketplace for a little while now, and can be found in a wide range of clothing. It's especially good in sports-wear and basics. Keep an eye out for the Tencel logo the next time you're out shopping. You'll know you're buying clothes made with a supremely sustanable fabric. And that's good for everyone.
Of course, we have a range of basics made using Tencel here at The Pier.