Responsible denim

Whether fashion conscious or just practical, most of us owns at least one pair of jeans. The average American wears jeans four days a week, and even in the UK, not known for it's cowboy culture, we each own an average of seven pairs. Non-organic cotton production uses huge amounts of water, polluting pesticides, insecticides … Continue reading Responsible denim

Ethically woolly – what’s the problem with sheep farming?

Unfortunately, the image of the cared-for sheep leaving its lush pasture to submit to a skilled, respectful shearing is far from the reality of where most of our woollies really come from.

Are you flooding the oceans with plastic pollution?

Personal care products like facial and body scrubs and polishing toothpastes can be found in most modern bathrooms, yet few of us realise how many of our favourite products contain tiny pieces of plastic. Cheap plastic microbeads, some as small as ½ mm, in diameter, have been commonly used in cosmetics for nearly a decade, … Continue reading Are you flooding the oceans with plastic pollution?

Easter Egg shopping list

The annual festival of chocolate over-indulgence known as Easter raises more serious issues than pimples and weight gain for the ethical shopper. The cocoa trade is notoriously bedevilled by child labour, slavery and other workers' rights issues. Palm oil, which can be used in confectionery listed merely as 'vegetable oil', is rarely produced sustainably, and … Continue reading Easter Egg shopping list

Young designers celebrate sustainability in fashion design

Emerging Asian and European designers are 'cutting the waste out of fashion' with support from a prestigious sustainable fashion design competition. The EcoChic Design Award, now in its fifth year, highlights and supports up-and-coming new designers working in Asian and European markets toward reducing textile waste. China alone produces approximately 20 million tonnes of textile … Continue reading Young designers celebrate sustainability in fashion design

Two very different approaches to recycling natural fabrics

The potential for recycling won't on its own make fashion sustainable. Putting months-old purchases in a charity or recycling bin won't undo the waste of resources or make up for any human or environmental cost involved in their manufacture. That said, buying recycled is a great way to avoid adding to a growing problem. UN … Continue reading Two very different approaches to recycling natural fabrics