Fairtrade Cotton

Made-by updates fibre benchmark to reflect current research

August 3, 2011
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Made-by updates fibre benchmark to reflect current research

The Made-by  Environmental Benchmark for Fibres has been updated to reflect new research. The benchmark considers six categories: greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) until spinning, human toxicity, ecological toxicity, energy and water input and land use (Made-by). “In response to feedback we have included new fibres in this updated Benchmark; mechanically and chemically recycled polyesters are now differentiated to represent the different environmental impacts of the recycling technologies used, and recycled wool has been added in Class A. Whilst we are keeping an eye on this area, there have been no new studies made publically available to help us review...

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Interactive lesson plans educate learners on responsible fashion

May 30, 2011
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Interactive lesson plans educate learners on responsible fashion

The Creative Commons is embedded into our responsible education ethos; we have researched and aggregated content to create educational resources because we believe that accessibility leads to accountability. Of course knowledge is power, but without access to knowledge we will not move forward. In 2009 we brought you “ Sifting through the ‘Ecofashion’ Lexicon” and our “Fibre Analysis”. In 2010 we worked further to bringing you lessons on the social, cultural, economic and environmental interdisciplinary challenges facing the value system that is the global apparel supply chain. Social Alterations 2010 // Corporate Social Responsibility ...

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VOICES // Sourcing Change — Charlie Ross, Offset Warehouse

April 12, 2011
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VOICES // Sourcing Change — Charlie Ross, Offset Warehouse

This post was written by Charlie Ross, Founder of Offset Warehouse and tells the story of one woman’s determination and drive for change. VOICES // a feature space on SA where community members are invited to share their journey in responsible design. What’s your story? The first time ethical design came onto my radar was whilst I was studying for my BA in Fashion and it immediately struck a chord. Inspired by a friend to find out more about the social and environmental horrors underlying much of the fashion industry, I made an early decision to do everything I could...

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Educating and Engaging // Shared Talent India, Centre for Sustainable Fashion

December 16, 2010
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Educating and Engaging // Shared Talent India, Centre for Sustainable Fashion

Shared Talent India encourages “fashion designers to exchange expertise with other protagonists across the supply chain, transcending traditional divisions, be they linguistic, geographic, or discipline based.” (Shared Talent India) Designers can now access much needed information on opportunities and limitations of materials in India such as cotton and silk (among others). While designers may feel discouraged when they learn that genetically modified (GM) cotton “has found its way into almost every Indian supply chain,” they will no doubt understand the opportunity for change, as it exists in India, when they learn that “eed exchange projects empower farming communities” (Shared...

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Cocoa, Coffee & Cotton

December 6, 2010
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Cocoa, Coffee & Cotton

                  Consumers be forewarned!  The price of your cotton clothes will rise!! Brands, retailers and suppliers are doing everything they can to keep costs down but they are in “a no-choice situation”, “prices have to come up.” Cotton futures increased to around $1.4 recently; the highest price measured in 140 years of trade and with inventories at an all time low, there’s been some massive panic in the apparel industry. Other than the increase in cotton clothing costs, there are a variety of other consequences: 1. It’s expected that in an attempt to...

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VOTE// Fashion Takes Action, Design Forward Award

March 25, 2010
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VOTE// Fashion Takes Action, Design Forward Award

Who’s your favourite responsible Canadian designer? Fashion Takes Action (FTA) has officially launched Canada’s 1st annual eco design award, Design Forward. I had the pleasure of working on this project, and I am so excited that Social Alterations could support this important initiative in Canada,  and I will explain the extent of our participation in an upcoming post, so stay tuned! Here are the nominees: Thieves Elladora   Elroy Paper People Clothing Laura Chenoweth Revolve Clothing Co. Nicole Bridger Salts Organic Preloved Lav & Kush deux fm Nixxi flora&fauna We3 (twigg&hottie) All the information you need has been made available...

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WATCH// Social Alterations @ FEI

March 4, 2010
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WATCH// Social Alterations @ FEI

Here are just two of the videos we took at the conference. We have more videos to come, so stay tuned for those. The first video is of my Pecha Kucha talk. I’ll be posting the slides and my notes a little later on. Please contact us if you have any questions on the works cited in the presentation. Social Alterations @ FEI from Social Alterations on Vimeo. The Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) held the table next to ours during the Market Place on day two of the conference. We asked them what exactly responsible fashion meant to the...

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Social Alterations: Fibre Analysis

October 5, 2009
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We’re working on developing some ready-to-use curricula for fashion/textile/apparel instructors and designers. First up, is the Social Alterations “Fibre Analysis: Possible Social and Environmental Impacts.” Data for this document was aggregated from resources you will find in the “Works Cited” section, on the last page of the PDF. This document is licensed and protected through the Creative Commons, which basically means that you can use it wherever/whenever you want, assuming you do so within the guidelines outlined in the Creative Commons licensing for which this document is registered (see below). This is only the beginning folks; Social Alterations has...

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