How to make a better world, fashionably

I heard a fact last night that warmed the cockles of my heart. According to Emma Freud from Comic Relief – speaking at a fundraising event run by TK Maxx – despite these credit crunch times, as a nation we’re reaching deeper into our pockets. This year’s Comic Relief looks set to be the best yet.

This got me thinking… is this recession-busting generosity translating into more ethical purchasing too? After all, whilst donating to charity is certainly worthwhile, making sure our everyday purchases are more sustainable could potentially do more to alleviate poverty across the globe, by ensuring that the people who make our products are paid a fair wage for doing so.

Recent research from War on Want showed that in 2008 garment workers producing clothes for our UK highstreets were not being paid enough to live on. The workers they interviewed in Bangladesh were being paid between £13.97 to £24.37 per month. The average (£19.16) was less than half the ‘living wage’ calculated for a Bangladeshi garment worker with a family (£44.82). With this in mind I found it pertinent that London Fashion Week coincided with Fairtrade Fortnight this year.

The good news is that it looks as though the clothing industry is beginning to take action. Defra launched the industry’s Sustainable clothing action plan last week after more than year of consultation. Companies such as M&S, Tesco and Nike have all committed to specific actions.

Tesco, for example, has made 15 separate commitments ranging from using sustainable and recycled materials to developing Green Factory guidelines, and reportedly stocked up on ethical clothing supplies at Estethica – London Fashion Week’s sustainable fashion section, where the Action Plan was launched.

So to bring this back to my original question, does this mean we’re shopping more ethically despite the recession? Well, it’s a fairly safe bet that at least part of the reason retailers are taking action is because they think there’s a market for more sustainable clothing.

To move things on a step further and create the biggest impact, the larger retailers should learn from the pioneers, like Howies and People Tree, who scrutinise their supply chains to make sure that all their clothing (not just Fair Trade or Organic ranges) is made in a way that benefits people and planet.

If they did, shopping for the clothes we need could potentially give us the same warm fuzzy feeling as donating to fabulous causes like Comic Relief. Now there’s a happy thought for any fashionista!