Society’s shopping habits need a serious attitude change. Fashion Revolution Week calls attention to how some fashion brands are damaging the environment and supporting unsafe working conditions.
Fashion Revolution continuously fights in the struggle for equality in the garment sector. However, the 19th to the 25th of April is a special period for people to reflect and become more aware of their shopping habits.
The week pays tribute to the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013, which killed 1,138 people and injured 2,500. The majority of the victims were women. The Bangladesh factory housed some of the biggest fashion brands across the globe. The collapse was named the fourth largest industrial disaster in history.
Brands and retailers often work with hundreds to thousands of factories at a time. After the disaster, some brands took weeks to discover their connection to the suppliers when their labels were found in the ruins. The majority of fashion brands do not own manufacturing facilities, which makes certain safety protocols and checks difficult to control.
Fashion Revolution is aiming to put a stop to big businesses profiting while supply chain workers struggle to live in dignity. The organisation is seeking transparency from brands by encouraging the use of the hashtag #WhoMadeMyFabric. Meanwhile, producers can use #IMadeYourFabric to connect those who made the fabric and the wearer.
“Fashion Revolution Week will focus on the interconnectedness of human rights and the rights of nature. Our campaign will amplify unheard voices across the fashion supply chain and harness the creativity of our community to explore innovative and interconnected solutions.”
Source: Fashion Revolution
Fashion’s War on the Environment
Many names and brands in the fashion world are overlooking basic human rights. But so too is the environmental devastation of manufacturing clothing, supported by our shopping habits. The desire for new clothing causes the continuous extraction of dwindling resources and pollution in our oceans and land. Meanwhile culturally depleted countries have become dumping grounds. Governments continue to miss climate change targets.
“We need a radical shift in our relationships – our relationships with each other, with our clothes, within fashion supply chains and with the natural world. We need this revolution for our own prosperity and wellbeing, and for the health of our earth and our oceans.”
Source: Fashion Revolution
It can be difficult to source which brands to shop with. However, Fashion Revolution review 250 of the biggest global fashion brands and retailers in the 2020 edition titled ‘Fashion Transparency Index’. This tool allows consumers to discover how brands are disclosing information. This includes the company’s social and environmental policies, practices and impacts.
Meanwhile, there are many ways to join the conversation for Fashion Revolution Week. Follow their social media for live updates, download digital campaign assets such as posters, or find your country’s team and support their campaign.
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