Ethical Shopping 101: What Should I Ask Clothing Companies?

EcoCult received the following question from a young sustainable shopper. Our contributor Katherine, who used to work for a made-in-America yoga brand, decided to take a stab at it! 

Dear Alden,

I am a 16 year old conscious consumer, trying to learn how to find the ethical places. My question is, what questions do you have to ask to find out if a clothing store has ethical conditions for their workers?

Thank you so much,
Talya

Dear Talya,

Great question! You are off to a great start with your brilliant curiosity and compassionate concerns. The future of fashion is entirely in the hands of you and your contemporaries and by adopting such mindful cognizance now, you are sure to make the future of this industry more sustainable.

Despite my optimism for you and your generation of sustainability-savvy shoppers, there are still many deceiving marketing tactics that can make conscious-consumerism all the more confusing. You’re going to need to do more than read the label (even if it says Made in the USA).

In fact, asking the right questions over half the battle! To find the truth, you need to dig deep and ask specific, pointed questions. If I were you, I’d start with these:

• What is made at this factory? Is fabric production and assembly done in the same place?  Making a garment generally includes fabric production, cut and sew, and final packaging. Figure out what is done where. Sometimes, one piece of the equation happens in an ethical factory and the other parts come from generic vendors–you’ll have to decide where you want to draw the line. My philosophy is that one is better than none, but also like to ask why. For example, is it just because the company is starting out and has a stable budget, and will that change with stable funding? 

• Where is/ are the factory(ies) that produce this clothing? Is it in a state or municipality governed by stringent regulation of social and environmental standards (say, for example, Spain)? If not, has the company made a conscious effort to collaborate with ethical factories? If this info isn’t immediately available online, get in touch with customer support. And if they don’t know, it’s not dooming, but it’s for sure your first red flag.

• What does “fair” mean? Figure out how the workers are treated differently than their unsustainable counterparts. Look at both factory conditions and pay. Make sure there is information that highlights the safety of the factory conditions, and that any treated fabric passes environmental regulations (i.e., some fabric dyes can be highly-toxic before curing).
  
  Remember, payment is not always about the hourly wage/ bottom line.  Some brands, for example, have created recreational facilities for workers, provide health care, child care and advanced education programs, or provide financial counseling.

• Ask yourself: What is my motivation for being a conscious consumer? You might find (like I did), that answers from your favorite retailers are more disheartening than you might have hoped. When you encounter this challenge, don’t give up! Remain conscious of the reasons you’re asking these questions in the first place.

Though it’s tempting to be judgmental, stay compassionate – no company is perfect. Voicing why you are asking these questions, however, is a laudable catalyst for positive action. Know that the core of conscious consumption means active, continuous research. Read the blogs. Listen to the podcasts. Spend a few hours with TED. After all that, developing your own docket of intelligent questions will turn a rigid inquiry into an opportunity for conversation and learning.