How to Not Support Sweatshops

This one website makes ethical shopping easy.

Photo Courtesy of Pexels Stock Images by Aline Viana Prado

As someone who is continually working on their Eco footprint and trying to establish a lifestyle which reduces my impact on the planet, I am always looking for new ideas, sources of inspiration, life hacks or websites which help make this transition easier. One part of my own consumption I want to work on, is making sure I source my clothing ethically and buy pieces that are going to actually last the test of time. While some may think that there are bigger things to worry about other than clothes, have a look at some of these statistics…

1. 30% of clothing in the average UK wardrobe has not been worn in the past year or so. This equates to around 1.7 billion items of clothing not been worn for at least a year. (WRAP 2011)
2. The average Australian consumer spends $2,288 on clothing and footwear per year. (Choice 2014)
3. On average a person consumes 11.4kg of apparel each year. (Quantis 2018)
4. The carbon emissions generated by the clothing of the average UK household is equivalent to driving an average modern car 6,000 miles. (WRAP 2011)
5. On average, the global water footprint of a UK household’s clothing exceeds 200,000 litres per year — enough to fill over 1,000 bathtubs. (WRAP 2011)
6. Over 50% of workers within the fashion industry are not paid the minimum wage in countries like India and the Philippines. (Global Fashion Agenda 2017)
7. In Pakistan’s garment sector, 87% of women are paid less than the minimum wage. (Global Fashion Agenda 2017)

And those are just a few of the statistics I have uncovered. It is clear to me how imperative it is to be a conscious consumer in all areas of our lives. Thankfully for us, the people at Ethical Made Easy are doing exactly that, making ethical fashion easy. No more excuses.

Their website https://ethicalmadeeasy.com/ breaks down all of the brands which adhere to their 3 values: transparency, freedom, and integrity. These brands are paving the way for ethical fashion and are brands you can wholeheartedly know and trust, have the best interest of everyone at heart. As the image below shows, their website is easy to navigate, has all the essentials one would want, and is not just fashion.

Ethical Made Easy Brand Directory Page

Although it’s impossible for a company to be truly ethical, it is possible to be completely transparent in their processes and supply chain, which is why we only ever feature the ones that are. — Ethical Made Easy

Being a more ethical shopper is something I believe everyone should try and work on where possible, and if this website helps at least one other person become more conscious of their Eco-footprint, then I feel I have done my job.