Frequently Asked Questions


2. Sourcing  and the role of fashion designers and businesses

2.1. What can I do as a fashion designer/ business/ employee?

2.2 There are so many things to consider- where do I start?

2.3 How can I source ethical fabrics?

2.4 How can I ensure/ encourage fair labour conditions in my supply chain?


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


2.1. What can I do as a fashion designer/ business/ employee?

If you work in the fashion industry, as a designer, a buyer, a business
owner, on the shop floor or any other role, regardless of the level of responsibility you hold, you have the opportunity to influence the way fashion business is conducted.

Given the complex nature of fashion industry supply chains, implementing sustainable business practices is not something which can be addressed in detail here. Every business is unique and needs to develop an ethical trading/ sourcing policy in line with the specific challenges and opportunities presented by its products, sourcing options and market.

The Ethical Fashion Forum was initiated as a means to facilitate this process- becoming a business member of the EFF will include an annual consultation process with specialists in the sector, as well as access to training, information and resources to make it easier for fashion businesses to implement sustainable practices. Go to Sign up! for further details on EFF business membership.

The EFF will also be offering ethical standards training for individuals and businesses in the fashion sector from 2008. This will focus upon the development of a sustainable sourcing and trading policy and strategies to achieve progressively sustainable practices.
If you would like to register interest in EFF ethical standards training, send an email to info@ethicalfashionforum.com
The following pointers are designed to give an introduction to the ways fashion businesses can take steps towards social and environmental sustainability. As a fashion designer or business owner you may have control over sourcing and production decision making. As an employee you play a part in the process- and have an opportunity to influence decision making on these issues. As an employee the first step may be asking questions.

6 sourcing, production, and supply chain issues to consider;

1. Fair wages and working conditions and workers rights, throughout the supply chain;
2. Supporting sustainable livelihoods and communities;
3. Addressing toxic pesticide and chemical use;
4. Minimising water use;
5. Addressing energy efficiency, recycling and waste,
6. Education, training and awareness raising initiatives

Fashion businesses: 5 places to start asking questions

1. Sourcing
Where are raw materials, fabrics and components sourced from? Where and how are they actually made?
How can existing supply chains be encouraged to become more sustainable?
What options are available to address the six issues outlined above?
What guarantees are in place to ensure fair trade, social conditions, organic or sustainability standards?

2. Production
Where and by whom are products made?
What options are available to address the six issues outlined above in production processes?
What guarantees are in place to ensure fair trade, social conditions, organic or sustainability standards?

3. Processes & packaging
What processes are behind the final product?
How can these be made more sustainable or designed out?
How can packaging be reduced?

4 Environmental Footprint
Has the environmental footprint of the business itself been considered- in terms of day to day energy use, recycling, and waste?
What measures can be introduced to reduce environmental footprint?

5. Business/ Financial model
How does the company business model contribute to support the people behind products- for example-
-Giving suppliers shares in the company and in final profits
-Percentage of profits going towards community funds/ training/ capacity building/ sustainability initiatives
-Social enterprise structure (see www.socialenterprise.org.uk for further details)



2.2 There are so many things to consider as a new designer or fashion business- where do I start?

For many fashion designers, the most interesting part of the process is the final product. Fashion design courses tend to focus on the final product and a conceptual approach to this- rather than the supply chain for this product, or the market it is designed for.
For designers and entrepreneurs looking to incorporate sustainable practices in their work, the initial focus can often be the components behind the product or the supply chain- for example the use of particular organic or fairly traded fabrics or processes, or links with specific co-operatives, values led, or fair trade networks of producers.

Considered in isolation of a critical evaluation of the market for the final product, neither of these approaches are likely to lead to a sustainable financial business model.

Fashion is one of the most competitive industries- and to succeed in it, careful and continual evaluation of the market – and flexibility in the development of products to meet this, is essential.
There is little chance of achieving social and environmental goals associated with a business plan if financial targets cannot be met.
The “triple bottom line” means putting equal emphasis in business planning and development on social, environmental, and financial goals.

If you are considering setting up a values-led business in the fashion sector- developing your business plan- or introducing sustainable product lines or sustainability goals- the first step might be to evaluate the market, the product, and the supply chain as an integrated model.

The Ethical Fashion Forum will be offering an advice service from 2008 to fashion businesses, designers, and start ups, with regards to sustainable sourcing and business practices.
To register interest in this service, please send an email to info@ethicalfashionforum.com

2.3 How can I source ethical fabrics?

The most commonly asked question by designers and businesses when approaching the Ethical Fashion Forum is “How can I source organic/ fair trade/ ethically produced fabrics for collections?”

Details of companies which stock and distribute organic and fairly traded textiles will be available on the EFF business directory later this year. In the meantime, some details of relevant companies and links are outlined below.

It is important to consider that the source of fabrics used for collections is just one part of the equation when it comes to addressing sustainability issues in the fashion supply chain.

See questions 2.1 and 2.2 above for further details


Directories/ Sourcing resources


Printing and making

T Shirt and Sons Ltd, the UK's only Soil Association certified t shirt printer, produces high quality printed and embroidered promotional clothing for a broad range of high profile clients, specialising in Fairtrade t shirts and organic t shirts.
www.tshirtandsons.co.uk


Wholesale Tshirts and other components

ECO T
www.eco-t.co.uk
ECO T offers
• A variety of fibre and factory certifications including SKAL (Control Union), Eco-cert and Fairtrade Foundation
• Sustainable fabrics including organic cotton, hemp, bamboo viscose & recycled PET
• Core garments like T-shirts, Polo Shirts. hooded tops, caps and sweats
• Eco-Printing, embroidery and labelling
• Bespoke design & consultancy


Fabrics and textiles

Bishopston Trading Company sells wholesale organic fairly traded hand-woven cotton from India.
www.bishopstontrading.co.uk

Loop Fabric offer an exclusive range of textiles derived from sustainable, biodegradable and/or certified organic fibres.
www.loopfabric.co.uk

Cloth House sell organic cotton, hemp and peace silk online and in their soho (London) shops.
www.clothhouse.com

Greenfibres supply a range of organic fabrics, stuffings, hemp and wool yarns.
www.greenfibres.com

Hempfabric sell a range of hemp fabrics
www.hempfabric.co.uk

Nearsea Naturals have a range of natural and organic fabrics
www.nearseanaturals.com

Organic Cotton Plus are based in the USA and sell a range of organic cotton.
www.organiccottonplus.com

Annie Sherburne sells ecological yarns
www.anniesherburne.co.uk

Denise Bird sells organic, ecological, eco-therapeutic and socially responsible woven textile designs
www.denisebirdwoventextiles.com

2.4 How can I ensure/ encourage fair labour conditions in my supply chain?

Supply chains in the fashion industry can be extremely complex, with components and manufacturing processes behind clothes coming from different parts of the world, often thousands of miles apart.
This makes it difficult for fashion designers and companies to monitor every step in the chain and ensure that wages and working conditions are fair.

As a fashion designer or business, especially if you are new or starting out and have limited time and resources, it can be difficult to know where to start.

Many fashion designers and businesses address ethical sourcing one issue at a time. This could mean starting out by working with manufacturers with specific ethical certification or affiliated with fair trade networks- or it could mean focusing upon ethical fabric sources- and then working with manufacturers to encourage and support fair labour practices.

There are a number of organisations which provide information and resources relating to labour conditions in supply chains:

The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
The Ethical Trading Initiative, which focuses upon labour standards, makes the following suggestions on different approaches to finding suppliers:

The information in italics below is taken from the ETI’s fact sheet for small businesses
The fact sheet also includes suggestions on how to get information on suppliers’ labour practices, and can be freely downloaded from the ETI web site.

No initial ‘ethical’ screening
It is perfectly valid to choose your supplier solely on the basis of commercial criteria, then work with them to help them resolve any issues over time. You may well have more positive impact with suppliers who may not be perfect but are willing to improve, than with those who are already doing well.

Look for trade union membership
If you do want to check suppliers before you start sourcing from them, as a simple rule of thumb you could find out if any potential suppliers have a unionised workforce, as this should at least mean that workers have the space to bargain for their rights with management.

Check for SA8000 certification
There is also a certification scheme called SA8000 run by US-based Social Accountability International (SAI), whereby manufacturers who want to provide a public report of their good labour practices can obtain SA8000 certification. A list of SA8000-certified
manufacturers can be found at www.sa-intl.org. Note that even if a supplier has gained a certificate, this is not a foolproof guarantee that they will continue to be compliant in the future. Supplier companies are getting very adept at hiding problems.

The ETI has developed a work book for businesses with further information on ethical sourcing

The ETI base code lists a set of standards or rules setting out minimum labour standards that suppliers and sub-contractors are expected to comply with.

See 1.5.3 Affiliation with ethical and fair trade bodies, above, for a summary of the work of the ETI

The International Fair Trade Association (IFAT)
www.ifat.org
Another option for fashion designers and businesses is to work with IFAT registered suppliers.
IFAT is a global network of Fair Trade Organizations whose mission is to improve the livelihoods and well being of disadvantaged producers by linking and promoting Fair Trade Organizations, and to speak out for greater justice in world trade.
IFAT members tend to be small scale and may have limited production capacities. However for small fashion businesses, they may offer the advantage of having no minimum order requirements and allowing direct and long term working relationships to be developed.
The IFAT catalogue of catalogues includes catalogues of products by IFAT members all over the world, including some which produce garments and textiles. Specific product requests can also be made to IFAT members fortnightly update through the organisation.

See 1.5.3 Affiliation with ethical and fair trade bodies, above, for a summary of the work of IFAT

Sedex
www.sedex.org.uk
Sedex - the Suppliers Ethical Data Exchange - uses technology to enable companies to maintain and share data on labour practices in the supply chain. Sedex is a secure, web-based system for companies to input data on labour standards at their production sites.

Fashioning an Ethical Industry
www.fashioninganethicalindustry.org

The Fashioning an Ethical Industry website includes extensive resources and fact sheets on labour issues in the industry.
Fashioning an Ethical Industry is a Labour Behind the Label project

Other things to consider:

As well as the above fashion businesses may consider the following in their sourcing practices:

Direct relationships with suppliers
Working directly with suppliers allows sustainable relationships to be built up and direct communication- which may make it easier to get a better understanding of labour conditions and standards. Working through agents or intermediaries can make it more difficult to establish working conditions in factories where products are made.

Long term relationships with suppliers
In order to provide employment contracts and sustainable employment opportunities, garment factories and suppliers need to maintain consistent levels of orders from buyers. If fashion companies move their sites of production or cancel or reduce their orders, this has an impact on factories, which may need to lay off workers/ may find it difficult to ensure long term employment for workers.

Buying practices
Pressure on suppliers to reduce lead in times and prices can encourage unfair and unsafe labour practices. To meet deadlines and prices, workers may be the ones who lose out, working overtime and being paid very little. Fashion companies buying from garment manufacturers have a responsibility to practice fair buying policies, which make it possible for suppliers to comply with labour standards.

Sub contractors
Be aware that suppliers may outsource work to sub contractors or home workers, particularly if they are under pressure to meet delivery deadlines. Sub contractors may not comply with labour standards you have negotiated with your suppliers, and home workers are often some of the most vulnerable workers in the supply chain earning low pay, with little or no employment rights.