In April 2013, at least 1,134 workers in a Bangladesh garment factory were killed, and more than 2,000 were injured when the building collapsed. Due to growing demands of cheap and fast clothes within the fashion industry, companies were cutting corners on fair wages, building inspections, and even clean air for their workers, leading to catastrophic conditions.
As the truth about fashion brands using slave and child labor begins to break through the seams of news outlets, many consumers are left wondering if there are any companies that produce clothes ethically. Here are 5 fashion brands that not only ethically source their clothes, but also try to reduce their footprint on our environment.
Everlane
Everlane is making sure that they have identified and removed more than 900 potentially harmful chemicals. With these harmful chemicals removed, they have been verified by the bluesign® system, which has standardized sustainable textile production. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) has also verified Everlane, meaning that they have reduced their energy consumption in everything from their machines to the design of the building themselves. They create relationships with the owners of the factories that produce their clothes and they give these factories audits so they can evaluate the fair wages, reasonable hours and the environment. Everlane is clearly all about transparency when it comes to their brand because they break down the costs of each piece of clothing and they even identify which factory they were made in. Their minimalistic aesthetic and ethical clothes making process makes it hard for their clothing to ever go out of style!
PACT
PACT has made a promise to their customers that no matter what piece of clothing they get, it will be manufactured in safe facilities that are against child-labor and sweatshops. A lot of their clothing items are Fair Trade Certified which means that the cotton farmers get to work under better conditions if that item is purchased. Any clothing item that isn’t Fair Trade Certified is because the country the item is made in already has a union and wage protection for their workers. The fashion industry as a whole uses a lot of water, so to reduce their environmental footprint, PACT uses organic cotton for their clothes. It uses 95% less water during its washing phase and it doesn’t contain the harmful chemicals conventional cotton uses. PACT is certainly a brand you can purchase from guilt-free!
SiiZU
This New York-based fashion company has traveled to many different manufacturers in order to find the best and most trusted ones to work with. To reduce their carbon footprint, SiiZU decided to manufacture all of their products in the countries and regions where the material is sourced from. Their silk is manufactured in Suzhou, China while their cashmere is manufactured in the Inner Mongolian region. To further reduce their carbon footprint, their packaging is made from a recyclable paper bag. They believe that ethical manufacturing has to start from the ground and work upwards so when working with manufacturers, their team walks through the new factory floor to have conversations with workers to ensure that they are getting paid and treated fairly.
Fair Trade Winds
As implied in their name, this company is Fair Trade Certified which not only gives workers a better lifestyle but also “empowers those living in poverty, especially women who are often the most marginalized, to create positive change in their lives and their communities.” Their website has a feature that allows customers to choose what cause they would like to contribute to with their purchase, which is something that very few websites offer. Fair Trade Winds is dedicated to celebrating traditional craft, using sustainable materials, empowering women, protecting children and fighting human trafficking. Their company offers an array of products, so whether it be jewelry, clothes, bags or felt flowers- Fair Trade Winds has a product for everyone!
Tradlands
Inspired by classic menswear, Tradlands offers an array of clothing items that break stereotypes of typical “women’s clothes”. They use up to 98% of the fabric they make and any remnants they have go into the recycling program they started. This fashion brand partners with manufacturers all over the world and they make sure that every worker has a paid living wage, a bright, clean air working environment, and that each worker chooses to come to work. Like many fashion companies that don’t use slave labor, Tradlands regularly visits their facilities to ensure a healthy and happy working environment. Any clothes that do not meet their standards during inspections gets donated to local women’s shelters and Dress For Success.
Do you have any favorite fashion brands that ethically produce their clothes? Let us know in the comments!
By: Kerasa Tsokas