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The Issues The Issues The Issues The Issues The Issues
Ethical Fashion The Issues Take Action Resources Case Studies Links
Fashion crime	Fashion grime
The clothes we wear are branded and link us to the people who make them around the world. Women and children make around 90% of the clothes we wear. They work in factories under sweatshop conditions and at home. Their wages are very low and they unable to maintain a sustainable living i.e. food, clothing, shelter, health and education. The working hours are very long and they are forced to do overtime. Health and safety standards are below acceptable; working in poor and dangerous environment. The workers are often refused the choice to speak out or join a trade union, as doing so would lead them to unemployment or having to seek even lower paid work. LBL mainly focuses on educating consumers about the products they buy and where the clothes they are wearing came from and under what conditions the products were made. The clothes industry has to lower their cost of production to compete for consumers' business and the demands of the fast changing fashion industry. Workers dormitories in China Image source: www.fashioninganethicalindustry.org Worker's dormitories in China, to find out more on the life of a garment worker in China read the fact sheets on the FEI web site. Credit: Clean Clothes Campaign.	The issues this campaign covers include child labour, Trade Union recognition, health and safety conditions and wages. When children work they cannot go to school. Bonded labour, when a worker is indebted to their employer such that they are working to pay off their debt, is a type of modern slavery. As consumers we are contributing to the poverty of women and families through buying goods that are manufactured in appalling conditions. The textile industry exploits children and women, and to maintain cheap products for us, forgoes the expense of ensuring the environment is protected. A factory in Madagascar, Tami Image source: www.fashioninganethicalindustry.org A factory hall in Madagascar, Tami, taken in September 2001. To find out more about the life of a garment factory worker read our fact sheet: Factsheet 6: working conditions Credit: Clean Clothes Campaign.

The real price of a £50 pair of trainers On average, £1.00 of a £50.00 pair of trainers will be shared out between 40 workers.
Image source: http://www.risc.org.uk/
Ethical Fashion The Issues Take Action Resources Case Studies Links