ABOUT THE CAMPAIGN
Campaigning for Ecological & Ethical Clothing
Every time you buy a new article of clothing your purchase has a ripple effect on the environment. The global apparel industry is the second-largest industrial polluter. From the growing of GMO cotton, to the production of wool and synthetic fibers, to the dyes used on those fibers, to the factories where clothes are assembled—each step of the way, soil is degraded, water is polluted, laborers are exploited. Can consumers help drive the fashion industry away from this toxic model, toward a more ethical, regenerative model? Yes, if we buy wisely.
The $3 trillion-dollar global clothing industry’s profits are built on degenerative agricultural practices, exploitative labor practices and relentless, pervasive advertising campaigns that make consumers feel inferior if they don’t wear the latest style.
The “Care What You Wear” campaign’s aim is to educate consumers about why and how to buy clothes that support organic and regenerative farming, responsible production and fair labor practices, and to expose today’s fast-fashion industry which perpetuates ethically and environmentally unsound practices with its “buy more, cheaper clothes” message.
We can’t fix the global clothing industry’s complicated and “dirty” supply chain overnight. But by putting pressure on the worst offenders, and by supporting the brands that takes steps to clean up their supply chain, together, we can move the dial in the right direction.
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Given the importance of clothing and fashion in American culture and the economy, there are a number of rarely discussed, yet crucial issues we need to consider—health, environmental, and ethical—before we pull out our wallets to purchase yet another item of clothing or a textile product.
Read MoreA new crop of small businesses are investing in organic farming, natural dyes and a transparent supply chain that encourages shoppers to think about the effect of their purchases — and they’re selling their products online and in a small but growing number of U.S. stores, from small trendy boutiques to Target.
Read MoreWhen you reach into the closet and choose your clothes or scour the racks at your favorite retailer, the choices you make have an impact on the environment.
Jeans manufactured in the USA or made to fair trade standards, organic cotton T-shirts, and sweaters that can be washed in cold water and hung to dry are far gentler on the Earth than clothing manufactured in sweatshops overseas from chemical-laden fabrics.
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