Check out The Story of Stuff- This project is a great teaching resource to provide the context for addressing the social and environmental issues plaguing the industry today. Incorporating this resource into your course curriculum gives an opportunity to discuss extraction, production, distribution, consumption, disposal, and more, with your fashion students.
The book, which will be available March 2010, will no doubt also act as an important teaching tool, as it could easily be incorporated into your curriculum as a required text or suggested reading. Check out the video on the site, and make sure to check out the resources section too.
"From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a 20-minute, fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever."