What to look for on the label
'Organic'
Nobody gets killed by pesticide poisoning, and labour standards are better too. Regulated by the EU. For more detail on what organic clothes really mean see the Soil Association or Pesticide Action Network.
'Fairtrade'
More money goes to the people who need it. The mark only applies to farmed cotton at the moment, not the whole process of making the fabric and clothes. Not many people know that the Fairtrade Mark also has good environmental standards: see for example the list of prohibited chemicals. They still allow some nasty ones so it’s no replacement for organic, but every little helps.
'From natural fabrics'
Polyester, nylon and acrylic are all made from oil. Making them causes pollution, and they don't biodegrade in landfill. And our oil supplies are running out as it is.
'Retro / second hand'
Nearly 2 million tonnes of clothes go to landfill each year in the UK. Raiding retro shops and bargain hunting means you're doing your bit to stop us being overwhelmed by a giant pile of unfashionable rubbish dumps. It’s a good excuse for buying decent quality clothes that will last longer too.
'The Ethical Trading Initiative'
The main way that UK-based companies start to make sure they're not using sweatshops or children to make our clothes is by joining the Ethical Trading Initiative. This commits them to implementing minimum decent working conditions all along the supply chain. You won't find this on the label: the ETI says they don't do labels yet because the conditions for most workers making our clothes, even for ETI member companies, are far worse than any of us would want. You can see a list of companies who are signed up here.
