Have you been following Yoxi’s Trim the Waste of Fashion competition? Well, it’s time to get your vote in with Round 1: Perspective. There are 9 teams competing in this round, with only 6 advancing.
FOREVERMORE, by Amy DuFault, Managing Editor at Ecosalon, and Eliza Starbuck, of the Uniform Project, is one of the great projects being pitched. Head on over to the Yoxi site to check out the other competitors and to vote for your favourite entry!
Good luck everyone!
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 the current classification of virgin wool.” (Made-by)
Please note: This is an environmental benchmark, and does not include information on any labour rights issues that may or may not be associated with the growing, processing, or manufacturing of the fibres.
For more information, click here.
The Research Journal of Textile and Apparel is seeking papers for two Special Issues:
1) Fashion and Textile Strategies for Sustainable Design and Consumption
Submission of original papers: December 2011
Reviewer’s feedback and evaluation: February/March 2012
Notification of acceptance: April 2012
Publication: August 2012
2) The influence of natural colorants in modern textile design and production
Submission of original papers: September 2011
Reviewer’s feedback and evaluation: November/December 2011
Notification of acceptance: January 2012
Publication: March 2012
Submissions for each are encouraged (but not limited to) the following topics:
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
1) Fashion and Textile Strategies for Sustainable Design and Consumption:
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
2) The influence of natural colorants in modern textile design and production:
Click through for the details, and to meet the editors. Good luck with your research!
Source: Cumulus – International Association of Universities and Colleges of Art Design and Media
War on Want has published a new report outlining current conditions for garment workers in Bangladesh—Stitched Up: Women workers in the Bangladeshi garment sector.
Of the many issues addressed in this report, the research outlines the true impact of short lead times, explaining how wages earned can depend on whether or not a worker meets production deadlines. It also showcases certain worker rights that have been denied as a result of an absent rule of law.
“The research conducted for this report reveals that women in the garment sector have been systematically denied their rights to maternity leave under Bangladeshi law.” (Stitched Up: pg 8 )
The report investigated 41 garment factories (there are an estimated 4,825 garment factories in Bangladesh) and interviewed nearly 1000 workers (there are an estimated 3 million garment workers in Bangladesh) (Stitched Up: pg 2). 86% of the mostly women interviewed (988/1000) were between the ages of 18-31 (Stitched Up: pg 2).
Head on over to War on Want to read the report and to learn more.
No matter where we sit—consumer, designer, marketer, researcher, educator, etc.—on the global apparel supply chain, our understanding of responsibility stems from our values, individual or shared.
“By design, we start with values” (William McDonough)
We must constantly ask ourselves: “What are my values? What are my intentions? Do they align? How do they translate in practice?” Easier said than done? Not with Cradle to Cradle (C2C) design theory: C2C encapsulates values in design, by design.
Designers Accord – Sustainability in 7 – Bill McDonough from Core77 on Vimeo.
Image Source: “Am I happier now?” image by Carlotta Cataldi, of Slow Fashion Forward
Video Source: Core 77, Sustainability in 7 (via the Designers Accord)
Earlier this year, Fashioning an Ethical Industry (FEI) and London College of Fashion joined forces to produce Steps Towards Sustainability: Snapshot Bangladesh — A resource for fashion students and educators.
“the seeds for creating a vibrant, more sustainable fashion industry in Bangladesh have started to be sown”
(Steps Towards Sustainability: Snapshot Bangladesh: pg. 4)
This must read report presents case studies as a snapshot that “[e]ducators and students can explore them from design, business and apparel management perspectives.” (Steps Towards Sustainability: Snapshot Bangladesh: pg. 6)
Case Study 1
People Tree: Designing differently
Case Study 2
New Look and Echotex: Addressing long hours, low pay and buying practices
Case Study 3
Aranya Crafts: Pioneers in natural dyes
Citation: Parker, E. (2011) Steps towards Sustainability in Fashion: Snapshot Bangladesh, edited by Hammond, L., Higginson, H. and Williams,D., London College of Fashion and Fashioning an Ethical Industry.
The Textile Arts Research Centre at the University of the Arts London along with Craftspace are running the fourth in a series of open lectures this year. This particular lecture entitled Slow Summit, features Professor Alastair Fuad-Luke and Professor Helen Carnac who is also co-curating this event along with Becky Earley.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about Slow Fashion!
To know more about Professor Alastair Fuad-Luke check out his website and for more on Professor Helen Carnac check out her blog.
Special thanks to Clara Vuletich from Love & Thrift for letting us know about this event!
You may recall the BBC One documentary “Panorama: Primark – On the Rack” (June 2008) that, allegedly, uncovered Primark subcontractors exploiting children in India for cheap labour.
Well, if you’ve been following the latest in the BBC/Panorama/Primark scandal, you’ve likely heard the news this month that footage from the BBC report is now said to have been fraudulent.
According to the BBC Trust, “Primark complained about the programme to the BBC Executive and then appealed to the Editorial Standards Committee of the BBC Trust (“the Committee”) against the decision of the BBC Executive’s Editorial Complaints Unit (“the ECU”).”
The Committee determined that Dan McDougall’s reporting was, essentially, staged; “the Committee concluded that, on the balance of probabilities, it was more likely than not that the Bangalore footage was not authentic.”
UK Guardian reporter James Robinson writes “[t]he decision by the trust is understood to have infuriated BBC News staff, who privately say that the Primark case has demonstrated that the corporation’s complaints procedure is flawed.”
What did McDougall have to say on the Committee’s findings? McDougall claims to “have rarely seen a finding so unjust in outcome, flawed in process, and deeply damaging to investigative journalism.”
It’s important to remember that the reporting in question was the footage from Bangalore alone, and that there was other footage within the documentary depicting work done by children and homeworkers:
(Source: Finding of the Editorial Standards Committee of the BBC Trust: Pg. 15)
And so, in the end, the BBC says it will apologize to Primark for claiming the company was guilty of using child labour in India….when the company is allegedly guilty of using child labour in India? Right.
Well, at least we know the Indian Government will be happy; a recent post by Clothesource Comments breaks down the true impact a scandal like this has in the Indian context quite poignantly, claiming the incident has crippled the tireless efforts of organizations working to eradicate child labour within the country.
Be sure to keep your eye on this story—only time will tell how it all will play out.
This past Friday, Kalpona Akter, of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), addressed Wal-Mart shareholders at their annual meeting to present the NYC Pension Funds’ shareholder proposal for Wal-Mart Supplier Human and Workers’ Rights Reporting, with the support of New York City Comptroller John C. Liu.
You can listen in on her empowered speech here (you’ll have to move ahead in the video—she addresses the shareholders from 2:14:30 – 2:19:22). You can also hear from Akter in a recent interview on Free Speech Radio News.
As we have reported, Akter is facing a potential life sentence, even possibly the death penalty, on what she says are fabricated charges from an alleged Wal-Mart subcontractor, among others.
Why is Wal-Mart such a big player to have on board in the struggle for decent work in Bangladesh? According to Akter, 12-15% of garments made in the country are produced for Wal-Mart. What’s more, of the 11 cases filed against labour activists as a result of the large-scale protests last year, 4 have allegedly come from a Wal-Mart subcontractor.
The New York Times reports that the Pension Funds’ shareholder “proposal states that there is a ‘significant gap between general policies against labor and human rights abuse and more detailed standards and enforcement mechanisms required to carry them out.’
Wal-Mart’s initial response claimed that such a policy would threaten access to certain products, acknowledging the difficulty in convincing their suppliers to get on board. “The company contends that even if it could enforce such a plan, to do so might threaten the availability of certain products from those who did not comply.” (New York Times)
“To sustainably reduce poverty, guarantee food and nutrition security and provide decent employment for growing populations, we must make the most intelligent use of our natural capital.” (UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon)
Achim Steiner UNEP Executive Director from UNEP on Vimeo.
WED Challenge behind the scene from UNEP on Vimeo.
Happy World Environment Day! Environmental security is a human right!
What can you do? Get involved and register your activity or pledge an action here.
One of the best ways to take action is to spread the word! Educators, there are a ton of resources over on the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) site to assist you in your classroom—like the Forest Facts page, for example.
