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More and more resources are emerging to help consumers shop for clothing and textile products that are produced in a sustainable and healthful way…in other words, good for the environment, good for the people who grow the materials and make the things we buy, and good for consumer safety and health.  The following two guides are examples of this – one touches on organic cotton production, the other on child labor.  Both are heavy issues.  But in the spirit of learning, links to the guides are offered below.

Organic Cotton Production and Eco-labelling

The wearorganic project of the Pesticide Action Network UK (PAN UK) just updated its consumer guide about organic cotton and eco-labelling: ‘My Sustainable T-shirt (MST): a guide to understanding cotton production and what eco-labels mean for people and planet’.

The guide explains how cotton is produced and how it works its way up the supply chain from fiber to a garment you could find at a store.

While the guide covers organizations and terms that are specific to the UK, it also provides a great overview of things that apply the world over, such as:

• a little background on cotton production, from farm to finished goods
• the difference between different types of textile fibers
• labeling and standards for eco-textiles
• what different eco and ethics organizations are doing to support sustainable textiles

Visit the site to download your copy of My Sustainable T-shirt.

Ending Child Labor and Sweat Shops

According to Green America,

Sweatshops and child labor are a growing problem, particularly in clothing and textiles.

Sweatshops – manufacturing facilities with very poor working conditions and possibly child labor – have long been a problem in the clothing industry, both abroad and even in the US.

To help combat the existence of sweat shops, Green America has a consumer resource that was published a couple of years ago called “Guide to Ending Sweatshops.”  The guide helps consumers use their buying power to help improve working conditions, pay, and worker health.  The guide provides information on fair manufacturing, resources for making responsible purchasing decisions, and individual actions you can take to help improve the clothing supply chain. Download Guide Now (PDF)