Sustainability is a broad term that can mean many things. When it comes to fashion, there are two main definitions: 'sustainable fashion' and 'ethical fashion'.
Ethical fashion is about working conditions. It means avoiding harm to people, ensuring that workers are paid a fair wage, treated well and free from abuse or exploitation. The fast fashion industry notoriously relies on cheap labor and low environmental standards. Cheap labor means that workers are paid poorly — sometimes as little as $1 per day — which puts them in debt to their employers. This makes it difficult for them to speak out about workplace abuses or poor working conditions. Ethical fashion also means ensuring that workers have access to healthcare and education, and that children are not forced into labour.
Sustainable fashion goes beyond this by including the planet in its definition of sustainability - so it's about making sure that no harm is done to people or the planet during the production process and also about ensuring that any waste created by the industry is disposed of responsibly. Sustainability also looks at how our clothes are reused after we've worn them only once or twice. While the idea of sustainable fashion is not new, it is a relatively new concept in the mainstream.
In order to help the environment and the workers in textile manufacturing, we must pay attention to what we buy, how much we buy and how often we buy new clothes. As consumers, we can make sustainable choices by asking ourselves: What makes this company ethical and sustainable? How open and honest is this company about its practices?
At Milpali, we refuse to purchase products from suppliers who won't give us information about their processes and workers conditions. The quality might be high, but transparency is key for us. and because we are experts in manufacturing, we know how to recognise an ethical production company who treats their workers fairly and continuously practices meaningful waste reduction activities.
And if you don't have the time to do your own research, a good way to have a positive impact is to buy local. When you buy something from a local business, chances are that they pay more attention to where their products come from, how the workers are treated and how much energy they consume.
- Charlotte