Frequently asked Questions

 
DEFINITIONS:
For the purpose of this section, and throughout Ethical Fashion Forum website, we define ethical and sustainable as socially and environmentally responsible
See Fashion: Ethics for further information


1.1 Why support ethical fashion?

“We go home when the boss allows us to. We work long hours and are not paid overtime. Our male supervisor harasses young women workers: he makes unwelcome remarks and threatens to keep their wages if they refuse to sleep with him. If you refuse to do overtime, you are sacked. We are not allowed to talk to each other”.
Razia, garment worker in Lahore, Pakistan

“Earthworms emerged from the soil, and then died. Then, birds came to eat the earthworms and they died as well. …fields smelt awful two or three days after spraying because virtually every living thing had been killed and started rotting”
A Borgou province cotton farmer, Benin

‘We have buried our dreams. Our only concern for the future is to make sure that the same thing doesn’t happen to our children.’
Ana, a Honduran garment worker

"In the globalised world of the 21st Century, trade is one of the most powerful forces linking our lives. It is also a source of unprecedented wealth..." Watkins, K, Oxfam, (2002) Rigged Rules and Double Standards

The global garment industry is one of the most lucrative in the world. The worlds consumers spent around US$1 trillion buying clothes in 2000, with around one third of sales in Western Europe, one third in North America,
and one quarter in Asia. The value of the UK clothing market alone is in the region of £27 million.

Yet the garment industry remains one of the world’s most exploitative sectors, both towards people and to the environment.

The majority of clothing manufacture now takes place in Asia , North Africa, and parts of South America, far from the main fashion markets where
it is sold. Low pay and unfair and exploitative conditions for garment workers are still widespread.

When it comes to the environment, the global fashion industry has an enormous impact. Cotton uses as much as 25% of the worlds most toxic pesticides. Blood poisoning in cotton workers, and the use of dangerous chemicals and dyes, are common.

Things are starting to change. Emerging designers are increasingly taking on board the ethics behind garment production processes, and marrying this with cutting edge design and a high quality finish. At the same time, more established fashion labels striving to achieve high social and environmental sustainability standards continue to grow.

However, there are significant barriers for fashion businesses with social and environmental goals. It is difficult to get hold of fair trade and organically sourced fabrics or production processes, particularly for smaller businesses with few resources. There is limited awareness around issues of ethics amongst fashion buyers, suppliers, distributors and industry players; in fact “ethical” fashion for many is still associated with a low quality and badly designed product.

Finally, although we are now seeing companies taking the initiative with respect to sustainable practices; this has largely been in an isolated manner- often work is duplicated, resources are not pooled and information gained is not shared.

The EFF is committed to supporting and facilitating sustainable practices in the fashion sector and collaborating with other organisations to outlaw exploitative practice. The ultimate goals of the EFF are to reduce poverty, create sustainable livelihoods, and reduce the environmental impact of the industry.

Find out more about the ethical issues behind fashion

1.2 What is the Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF)?

The Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) is a network of designers, businesses and organisations focusing upon social and environmental sustainability in the fashion industry.

A not for profit organisation, the EFF aims to reduce poverty and create sustainable livelihoods by supporting, promoting and facilitating innovative values led business practices within the garment industry.

For more information on the EFF go to About the EFF


1.3. How and why was the EFF started?

In January 2004 a number of fashion designers and businesses got together to discuss the challenges facing the industry in terms of social and environmental sustainability.

It was felt that some of these challenges could be addressed by better communication and dissemination of information, networks and links. Better communication and links could also help open markets for fair trade, organic and values led producers in the developing world. By getting together there would be opportunities to prove that there is a demand for an ethical approach and encourage supply systems to meet this.

Pooling resources would allow designers to raise awareness of the issues, collaborate to failitate sustainable sourcing and join forces to influence the industry as a whole, and to encourage change.

The Ethical Fashion Forum was initiated with the goal of creating a unified organisation to support the sector. This initiative was formalized at a cross sector stakeholder meeting held in June 2004.

The EFF has 20 founder member businesses, which have been instrumental in the formation of the EFF and continue to contribute time and resources to support its mission and goals.


1.4. What is ethical fashion?

“Ethical Fashion” means different things to different people. For the EFF, ethical fashion represents an approach to the design, sourcing and manufacture of clothing which is both socially and environmentally sustainable. We work with fashion designers, companies, and industry partners to promote and implement progressive sustainable practices across the fashion industry supply chain.

1.5. Where can I find ethical clothing, and how do I know if it is really ethical?
Because of the complex nature of supply chains for fashion, with each part of the product and production process often coming from a different country, there is no recognised official ethical or fair-trade mark for fashion the way there is for simpler products like coffee or chocolate.

However, there are various ways that consumers can find clothing which is made to ethical standards- and get guarantees about some of the ethical standards employed by fashion companies.

1.5.1 Multi-label boutiques with ethical buying policies
There are several multi-label boutiques/ retailers which carefully evaluate
the fashion products and businesses they stock to ensure that they meet specific standards. Check websites for information on their buying policies.
Adili www.adili.com and equa, www.equaclothing.com  are a good place to start.

1.5.2 Fair trade, organic, and eco- labelling and certification
Fair trade: Fairtrade standards for seed cotton (the raw cotton, before ginning) were developed in 2004, and fair trade labels for seed-cotton were launched in France, Switzerland and the UK in 2005. These labels certify that cotton growers have received a fair deal for their work. For further details, see the Fairtrade Standards for Seed Cotton from the FLO website, www.fairtrade.net

It is important to note that the fairtrade standards associated with these labels only cover the cotton growing process, and do not provide fair trade guarantees for the fabric or garment production phase. However, the label does require a social compliance assessment covering the processing and manufacturing. If a piece of clothing carries the FAIRTRADE Mark, this means that it was made with at least 50% Fairtrade-certified materials (non-cotton materials such as accessories or elastic fibres do not have to be Fairtrade). However 100% of the cotton in this piece of clothing is Fairtrade. Processors and manufacturers are required to produce evidence that minimum national and international legislations with respect to labour rights are adhered to.

Currently there is no fair-trade label which covers the whole garment production process from start to finish, although the Fair trade Labelling Organisation is working to develop this. To get more information on the
social standards behind fashion labels (how workers are treated in the supply chain) which promote themselves as ethical, look out for affiliation with ethical and fair trade bodies- see below.

Organic standards: There are a number of labels which certify organic standards in clothing, including the Soil Association label and the EKO label. It is important to note that if a piece of clothing bears a label saying 100% organic cotton- this normally refers to the cotton itself only, and does not include the processing and manufacturing phases (spinning, weaving, dying, manufacture) In order to be sure that an item of clothing is certified organic throughout the supply chain, look out for one of the following labels:

These labels certify the following for the garment which carries them :
• 100% of cotton fibres are certified organic- no synthetic chemical
pesticides or fertilisers have been used
• The garment does not contain ANY conventional cotton: no farmers have suffered from pesticide poisoning to produce the garments cotton fibre.
• The cotton is guaranteed GM-free. The garment contains a maximum of 10% synthetic or man-made fibres (with restrictions- for elasticity in socks, for example)

See www.pan-uk.org/Projects/Cotton : My Sustainable T Shirt: A Guide to Organic, Fair Trade, and Other Eco Standards and Labels for Cotton Textiles for further details

Eco-labelling: There are close to 100 different labels addressing environmental or social sustainability, or consumers’ health, in the textile
and clothing industry. Those labels have been developed by either public institutions (national or supra-national), private certification agencies, NGOs, industry federations, or by retailers themselves.
Two of the most common Eco-Labels which can be found in Europe are the Oko-Tex standard 100 mark, which looks particularly at health standards, and the European Eco-Label for Textile Products, which looks particularly at reducing water pollution during the supply chain for textile products. For further information refer to www.pan-uk.org/Projects/Cotton A Guide to Organic, Fair Trade, and Other Eco Standards and Labels for Cotton Textiles.

1.5.3 Affiliation with ethical and fair trade bodies

There are a number of organisations which work with fashion designers, organisations and businesses to facilitate, support, or monitor sustainable practices and standards.

The Ethical Fashion Forum will shortly be launching an EFF business members directory. To become a business member of the EFF, businesses
will be required to comply with a set of criteria (including both socially and environmentally responsible practices) set down in the Ethical Fashion
Forum mandate, develop an ethical trading/ sourcing policy which is made available to their customers, and undergo an annual consultation process with the EFF to ensure that progressive standards are implemented. Details of business members of the EFF (which may include fashion designers and labels, retailers, suppliers and manufacturers, and organisations) will be made available online through the members directory. See Sign up! for information on becoming a member EFF members for details of EFF founder members.

IFAT (The International Fair Trade Association) is a global network of Fair Trade Organisations, some of which trade in garments, textiles, and accessories. IFAT’s mission is to improve the livelihoods and well being of disadvantaged producers by linking and promoting Fair Trade Organizations.
IFAT has developed 9 standards for fair trade organisations, which members must adhere to.
These standards are concerned with reaching the economically disadvantaged, transparency and accountability, capacity building,
promoting Fair Trade, and improving the situation of women, child labour, working conditions, the environment and the payment of a fair price. Although all members must meet the same standards, every organization has a different job to do and works in a different way.
A three-step Fair Trade monitoring process is a requirement of IFAT membership. This includes self-assessment against the IFAT Standards for Fair Trade Organizations, mutual review between trading partners, and external verification.
When a member has met all of its monitoring obligations it becomes registered and entitled to use the IFAT Fair Trade Organisation (FTO) Mark.
You can find out more about IFAT at www.ifat.org and browse IFAT members (vendors in Africa, Asia, Latin America and North America) online at http://catgen.com/ifat/EN/

BAFTS The British Association for Fair Trade Shops (BAFTS) is a network of independent fair trade shops across the UK, many of which stock garments and accessories.

BAFTS promotes fair trade retailing in the UK, seeks to raise the profile of
fair trade on the High Street and provides a point of contact and communication for the exchange of ideas amongst BAFTS members. Find out more on the BAFTS website www.bafts.org.uk

Many other European countries have national networks of fair trade shops. Details can be found on  www.worldshops.org

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) The Ethical Trading Initiative is an alliance of companies, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trade union organisations. The purpose of the ETI is to promote and improve the implementation of corporate codes of practice which cover supply chain working conditions. The ultimate goal of the ETI is to ensure that the
working conditions of workers producing for the UK market meet or exceed international labour standards. The ETI has corporate members, trade union members, and NGO members. A number of large high street retailers in the fashion sector are members of the ETI. ETI membership is also open to companies in any other industry sector.

Corporate members of the ETI must commit to a set of membership criteria, including the ETI base code , and must monitor and verify compliance with this. Performance with regard to monitoring practice and implementation of codes must be reported annually to the ETI.
For more information on the ETI and ETI members list see www.ethicaltrade.org


1.6 Which High street shops should I buy from/ not buy from?

Because of the complexity of supply chains, it is difficult to rank fashion businesses in terms of their relative ethical conduct. It is important not to make assumptions about which businesses have more sustainable practices- in some cases those businesses which have received the most negative press in the past have responded by improving their practices.
In addition, boycotting certain companies or goods may impact negatively on the garment workers at the end of the chain- unless it is done in a
structured way (for example by encouraging businesses to improve conditions for garment workers rather than withdrawing their custom from factories, which could result in worse conditions)

More information on company practices and how to take action in relation to this can be found on www.labourbehindthelabel.org (UK) or www.cleanclothes.org (International)

1.7. What can I do to support ethical fashion practices?

Use your consumer power positively
We all wear clothes. As a consumer of clothing, you can choose to use your buying power positively to support businesses with progressive practices to address sustainability. You can also use your influence as a consumer to encourage companies to become more sustainable, through asking questions and taking action. See the Get Active section of this site, and Where can I find ethical clothing?, above, for more details.

Become a member of the EFF: Membership of the EFF is not only open to businesses. As an individual member of the EFF, you get access to special offers on a wide range of ethical fashion labels, as well as regular updates and discounts on EFF events. For more information on becoming an EFF member go to Sign up!

Become a Friend of the EFF: Friends of the EFF are supporters who have chosen to stand behind our work and make a significant donation towards the goals of the EFF. Friends play a fundamental role in making the work of the EFF possible. In return Friends of the EFF have an opportunity to contribute to the social and environmental goals of the EFF. For more information on becoming a Friend of the EFF go to Sign up!

1.8. I would like to volunteer for the EFF/ find work in the Ethical
Fashion sector- what should I do?


The EFF runs an internship programme at its office at RichMix in London. There are also frequently opportunities for volunteers to get involved with our projects and events- these can be both inspiring and creative and range from catwalk shows and exhibitions to competitions and research projects in the fashion sector.

In addition to this, the EFF collaborates with its members and with other organisations to link up individuals seeking work placements/ jobs with businesses and organisations in the Ethical Fashion Sector.

If you are interested in volunteering, an internship, a placement of job in the sector, send your CV with a covering letter/ email, stating your particular area of interest and when you are available to
info@ethicalfashionforum.com.

EFF Intern Required:

Creative textile / fashion designer wanted to create prototypes using recycled fabrics for furnishings (cushions and wall panels). These prototypes will be used to inform the EFF trading line and for creative workshops. We would ideally like the intern to work towards running the creative recycling workshops held at our offices in London.

Send your CV and a short covering letter to info@ethicalfashionforum.com referring to the Creative Recycling Internship.