T R A N S P A R E N C Y

“Every time you spend money, you’re casting a vote for the kind of world you want.”

-- Anne Lappe

Transparency in the business world has become more important than ever. With the recent recessions and scandals such as Merrill Lynch, and Morgan Stanley, society is demanding better. People are beginning to see past the lies of the large corporations and expect crystal clear evidence of supply chains and working conditions. This makes it very easy to distinguish the ethical companies from not.

There are a lot of things to think about when investing your money in a brand. Buying clothes made from natural fibers such as cotton, linen, hemp, and bamboo will not only last longer, but also make less of an environmental impact. It can take synthetic fabrics, like polyester and rayon, up to two hundred years to decompose! It is not only about the fabric content however, but also how that content was farmed. Was it grown organically with minimal water usage? It is essential to also buy clothing dyed with natural, chemical free dyes. It even goes as far as the washing process. What kind of soaps are they using and how much water?

We can’t forget about the socio-economic aspects of the industry as well. Are the employees at every level of the supply chain being treated humanely in safe working conditions? Are the employers only providing the basic level of human needs, or are the employees thriving? Is the company creating strategies for their customers to have sustainable consumption of their goods? If you email the company, or reach out on Instagram, and they don’t eagerly answer all of these questions, this is a huge red flag and you should move on.

McKinsey reports that clothing production has doubled from 2000 to 2014. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2019/10/07/why-sustainable-fashion-matters/#24a1b00c71b8. This is largely due to the fast fashion industry creating cheap garments that only last on average eight wears. This brings us back to the need for a global minimalistic lifestyle shift. No matter how sustainably made a garment is if it is created in access, it is still harming the planet. Embrace the freedom that comes from mitigating the all-consuming passion to possess more.