“Who made my clothes?” Why Fashion is a Social Justice Issue

The Oxford Dictionary defines social justice as “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society”. Social justice is a complex theme which has a variety of aspects, some of which we tend to talk more about than others. In this post, I want to take you along on a journey and introduce you to a topic many of us would probably not associate with social justice right away but once we do, it can be eye-opening to a sphere of our globalized life we have never questioned: Fashion.

Did you know that every year, the world consumes a staggering 80 billion new pieces of clothing - an increase of 400% from two decades ago. The average American generates 82 pounds (!) of textile waste each year. At the same time, s(he) buys an average of 64 items of new clothing (and 7.5 pairs of shoes for the matter). And with over 97% of items made overseas, we are increasingly disconnected to the people who make our clothes.

“Fast Fashion isn’t free. Someone, somewhere is paying.” – Lucy Siegle

In 2018, the fashion industry was valued at more than 2.5 trillion dollars. One-in-six people work in the global fashion industry. There are roughly 40 million garment workers in the world today, who to an overwhelming majority are not protected by basic human rights. 85% of these workers are women - and they earn less than $3 a day.

When we think about the production of our cotton t-shirt, we tend to think of the people who sew them together - but our t-shirt has had a way longer journey before that, impacting the life of many people, from farmers who grow the needed cotton, to the women who take on health hazards to dye the fabric in a "cool" looking way.

Cotton represents almost half of all fiber used to make clothing today. More than 90% of that cotton is now genetically modified, using up vast amounts of water as well as chemicals. Cotton production is now responsible for 18% of worldwide pesticide use and 25% of total insecticide use. 250.000 Indian cotton farmers have killed themselves in the last 15 years, partly as a result of going into debt to buy genetically modified cotton seeds and loosing their land to companies because they cannot pay the increasing seed prices: Genetically modified crops are in need of more pesticide, which do not only cause environmental damage, increased rates of cancer and birth defects which lead to mental and physical disabilities - but are again sold by those companies who have sold the cotton seeds to farmers in the first place - and are sometimes the very ones who produce the then needed medications.

“As consumers we have so much power to change the world by just being careful in what we buy” – Emma Watson

The fashion industry is the world's second-largest polluter (right behind the oil industry)! According to the United Nationds Environment Programme, the fashion industry accounts for up to 10% of global carbon dioxide output - more than international flights AND shipping combined. It also accounts for a fifth of the 300 million tons of plastic produced globally each year. More and more, polyester (which is in fact a form of plastic derived from oil) has overtaken cotton - yet, garment made with polyester as well as similar synthetic fibers are a common source of microplastic pollution. In fact, there are scientific estimations that 35% of micro plastics found in our oceans can be traced back to textiles, making them the largest source of microplastic pollution in the world’s oceans. And no wonder: The U.S. throws away up to 11.3 million tons of textile waste each year - around 2,150 pieces of clothing each second!

Believe me, there are so many more facts and horrible statistics to discover if one only takes an honest look behind the curtain of this shiny industry. With the knowledge we have there really is only one way forward: We have to ask "Who made my clothes?", "Where were my clothes made?", and "How were my clothes made?". "Do I actively benefit from modern slavery by buying this 3$ t-shirt from H&M?" (The answer is most likely YES).

"Every time you spend money, you are casting a vote for the kind of world you want" – Anna Lappe

We as consumers have power! We have power to demand accountability from fashion companies. We have to demand that garment workers are payed fairly and that their human rights are protected. We have the power to advocate for the world we want. Because clearly, the goal of "justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society" could not be more far off when it comes to how the global fashion industry operates.

"There is no beauty in the finest cloth if it makes hunger and unhappiness"- Mahatma Ghandi

The majority of facts and stories you read in the lines above are quoted from the movie "The True Cost" - a 90 minutes documentary that changed my life:

"It is a story about clothing. It’s about the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the industry is having on our world. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing

Filmed in countries all over the world, from the brightest runways to the darkest slums, and featuring interviews with the world’s leading influencers including Stella McCartney, Livia Firth and Vandana Shiva, The True Cost is an unprecedented project that invites us on an eye opening journey around the world and into the lives of the many people and places behind our clothes."

I highly encourage you to invest those 90 minutes and attentively watch this documentary (Find the link to the full, free documentary here). I promise you - you won't regret it!

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