Street credibility?
Clare Degenhardt and Jenny Edwards look at
urban street fashion and find out who the real victims are
Fashion has always been about self expression. A newer phenomenon is the
globalisation of style through brands and labels. Popular urban streetwear brands of jeans, t-shirts and
hoodies are often associated through lavish advertising and sponsorship with extreme sports,
surfwear, workwear or 'independence of spirit'. We look here at some of the main brands, as well as
some of the growing number of ethical clothing producers, in the urban fashion market.
Workers' rights
In 2004, the EU imported 71 billion Euros worth of clothing. Over 50% of this was from five
countries — China, Turkey, Romania, Bangladesh and Tunisia(1)— all countries where labour
costs are low and workers have few rights. The clothing industry generally is notorious for its
poor treatment of workers — many of whom are from the most vulnerable social groups,
especially women and children. Of the major brands we surveyed in this report, only Rip Curl
responded to our request for a company code of conduct for workers' rights, and it stated that
it did 'not have formal policies'.
Fair trade
There is, however, a growing number of smaller ethical clothing companies striving to
produce urban gear while providing good conditions for their workers, and having minimal
environmental impact.
- Footprint Clothing claims to insist that "suppliers...ensure...workers receive...a living wage, the right to
independent unions and...(negotiation of) mutually acceptable working hours and conditions".
- Tonic claims that its T-shirts are ethically sourced or fairly traded. It defines
'ethically sourced' as "manufactured in workplaces that meet the core standards set by the
ILO on workers' rights". Its definition of 'fairly traded' is "manufactured in very good
conditions at a price that allows for a premium that can be reinvested into the local
community".
- Equop claims to support 100% fair trade production, stating that its workers
are "fairly paid and treated".
- Funky Gandhi claims to pay
fair trade prices to its suppliers, insisting on
IFAT (International Fair Trade Foundation) membership and verification as a condition of
future trade.
- The Hemp Trading Company claims to be "committed to fair business
practices" and inspects factories to ensure fair working conditions. All its workers have labour
unions, health care and pension schemes, and are aged between 18 and 55.
- Gossypium's monitoring and verification of labour standards is limited to
cotton production, rather than garment manufacture, though the company claims to "protect
and promote human rights", guaranteeing non-sweatshop labour, through partnership and
transparency. It works in partnership with one owner-managed factory, sharing its financial
figures with the owner. It guarantees a regular supply of raw materials and orders, to avoid
putting the factory under the kind of time pressure that leads to worker exploitation. "If you
allow a flow of materials and orders out, they don't need to work all night to meet supply
deadlines", said Abi Petit, joint founder of Gossypium.(2)
- Howies states that its company mission is to operate with a social
conscience, and cites full pay for maternity leave as an example of its practice — though no
further information was provided about its workers' code of conduct.
Cotton production...
Cotton production involves the intensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, with crops
being sprayed up to 10 times in a season.(3) It takes roughly one-third of a pound of
chemicals to grow enough cotton for one t-shirt.(4) This takes its toll environmentally,
depleting wildlife, impoverishing soil, and poisoning water systems, as well as endangering
the health and safety of cotton growers.
The main global producers of cotton are China, the USA and India,(1) and
it is in developing countries, with the fastest growing pesticide markets and limited health and
environmental regulations, that cotton workers are worse affected. At least 20,000 people in
developing countries die every year from poisoning by agricultural pesticides.(5)
...and GM
Over 75% of US cotton is now genetically modified (GM), with 90% of all GM seeds sold by
one US company. Farmers in India and China are now beginning to use GM seeds, with 5%
of Indian cotton farmers adopting GM in three years, despite their higher cost.(1) The long-
term implications of widespread use of GM crops are unknown, and the British Medical
Association has stated that there is not enough evidence that GMOs are safe.(6)
Organic clothing
In a shop search on 2 December 2004 none of the main brands surveyed for our report was
labelled as using organic or GM-free cotton. Many of the smaller, ethical companies were
however producing garments made of organic (which also means GM free) cotton.
Equop produces only 100% organic cotton t-shirts and hoodies, from one
mill in India (placing orders alongside Gossypium, with the eventual aim of providing enough
orders to enable the mill to process only fair trade organic orders).
All Funky Gandhi t-shirts are made from 100% organic cotton, dyed and
printed using environmentally friendly techniques. It uses only three factories in Syria which
are independently monitored for compliance with environmental regulations.
Gossypium produces t-shirts and hoodies using only certified organic
cotton from small-scale farmers in India who belong to Agrocel, a fairtrade cotton broker with
whom Gossypium is in partnership.
Some of Howies cotton clothes are 100% organic cotton, including
trousers, shirts, hoodies, and t-shirts, and it also produces recycled cotton jumpers.
Tonic T-shirts produces some 100% organic cotton t-shirts.
The Hemp Trading Company uses 100% organic fabric for its t-shirts and
hoodies, made from 55% hemp and 45% cotton. Hemp's pest-resistant properties and capacity
for rapid growth enable it to be grown organically on most of the world's farmland, including
areas prone to drought. The cotton is produced on a farm in Northern China.
Alternatives
You can always choose to opt out of the world of brand fashion, and create your own look
from charity shops, or swap clothes with your friends. You can also get creative with needle
and thread or sewing machine, to customise clothes or make your own.
References
1 Billabong International Full Financial Report 2003-2004
2
ECRA shop survey urban fashion EC93 2/12/04
3 Store listing www.diesel.com
viewed on 1/12/04
4 Burma
Campaign UK website: Coming Clean British Clothing Retailers and Burma
a report by the Burma Campaign UK 16/12/03
5 www.oneilleurope.com
viewed on 8/12/04
6 www.hoovers.com
viewed on 1/12/04
7 www.ripcurl.com
viewed on 11/1/05
8 www.misssixty.com
viewed on 15/12/04