Fair Trade Practices In The Clothing Industry

When you choose clothing that is Fair Trade certified, you are helping to create a better world. The practices required for Fair Trade certification are designed to guarantee that clothing that bears certification from a Fair Trade organization is produced ethically, using ecologically sound and sustainable practices, and affords a living wage to everyone involved in its production.

You've probably heard about 'Fair Trade' in reference to coffee, bananas, cocoa and other food products. The concept of fair trade practices began in the food industry, and really made its first public mark with reference to coffee, whose growers were barely subsisting on the amount being paid for their beans. Fair trade organizations developed to guarantee that those who worked to grow the coffee received a fair price for their labors. In the years since, the concept of fair trade practices has extended far beyond the price paid for goods sold, and now includes concepts of 'fair' that include fairness to consumers, to the environment, to the economy and to our future.

Fair Trade principles are especially important in the clothing and textile industry, which is often the base upon which a new and struggling economy is built. In developing nations, the textile industry may provide work for as many as 35% of the working population. Fair trade practices ensure that those workers receive a living wage and are able to become active participants in their country's and the world's economy. Fair Trade principles strictly prohibit child labor and eliminate sweatshop working conditions for garment workers.

At the same time, the textile industry - in particular the cotton industry - is one of the most chemical intensive agricultural industries in the world. It is estimated that for every pound of cotton produced, 1/3 pound of chemicals is used as either fertilizer or pesticide. These chemicals make their way into the environment, slowly poisoning the earth and groundwater. Fair trade practices call for ecologically sustainable growing practices, limiting the harmful chemicals used in the growing of crops and greatly reducing the burden on the Earth.

Fair Trade practices are also a major factor in community development. The premiums paid to Fair Trade organizations for organically grown products are used by communities to better themselves - purifying drinking water, building schools and creating community resources. Because workers in organizations that practice fair trade receive a living wage, they are better able to care for their families and work together to help the community grow. Fair trade benefits to the communities of workers include better health, cleaner air and water and more work and educational opportunities.

Implicit in the principles of fair trade is the commitment to buy products as close to the start of the supply chain as possible. By eliminating the middleman - the warehousers, the traders, the speculators - fair trade ensures that the bulk of the profit from an item of clothing or a pound of cotton winds up in the pockets of those who do the work to provide it.

Fair trade also benefits the end consumers of clothing in textiles in many ways. While ethically and organically grown cotton currently carries a premium price, most consumers consider it a small price to pay to ensure clothing that is 100% natural, with no potentially harmful chemical residue. A fair trade label carries the assurance that from cotton seed to packaging, everyone involved in producing the item of clothing was treated fairly and ethically, that they received a reasonable wage for their labor and worked under humane conditions. In a world where ten year old children work 16 hour days to create the fashions on our backs, that's an important and powerful assurance.

Those price differences will also narrow as the demand for fair trade cotton grows. This can be seen in the coffee market, where the price of fair trade certified coffee has dropped considerably as production has increased to fill the demand. The same pattern can be seen in other fair trade products where the laws of supply and demand encourage farmers to take up fair trade practices as the demand for those products grows.

And of course, the entire world benefits when sustainable and ecologically sound growing practices are used in the production of cotton. Cotton is one of the most important fiber crops in the world textile industry. The Fairtrade Foundation estimates that there are over 100 million households involved in cotton production, and millions of small farmers who rely on their cotton crops to sustain their families. Multiply those millions of farms by thousands of pounds of cotton, then by the amount of chemicals that are dumped into the environment in producing them and you begin to see the impact that cotton production has on global ecology. For every 100 pounds of cotton grown according to fair trade principals, thirty pounds of chemicals are NOT dumped into our fragile ecosystem.

By deciding to buy and wear clothing made of fair trade certified cotton, you're doing your part to help save the planet and improve the world. You won't just feel good wearing fair trade cotton - you'll feel good about wearing it.

Yes Clothing engage in fair trade practices in the production of their products, which include women's and men's organic beach clothing, and are a key supplier to the UK High Street