Ethical Shopping Made Easy
Watch the full series ...
The women's apparel industry is estimated to be worth almost $100 billion - twice the size of men's. As women, the industry is selling to us, so the power to change it is in our hands. We dig deep into super fast fashion, why it's getting cheaper, the link to human trafficking AND what we can do about it.
For an excellent guide to fast fashion, go to The Ethical Fashion Guide, from Tearfund and Baptist World Aid. This has info on over 400 brands, and provides a handy guide to help you know where to shop (and where to avoid!). The Fashion Guide also makes it super easy to email your favourite brands and let them know that shopping ethically is important to us (their customers).
But we know that even the most ethical fast fashion has a long way to go. Here are some other easy tips for being more conscious about our shopping:
- The easiest and most fun is to hit the op shops! You can also buy second hand through Trade Me or Facebook Marketplace - but nothing beats the Sallies very own Family Store!
- Show your support for human trafficking legislation in New Zealand. Ultimately, it's not up to us as consumers to make change - real progress will happen when corporations are required to show exactly where our goods come from and how they have been made.
- Spread the word, through content like our video!
- This one is so simple it sounds silly - don't go into shops that tempt you. If there are brands you want to avoid, make a commitment not to go into those stores. You know how it works ... we didn't know we needed that item, until we saw it! If we don't know it exists, we don't want it.
- Finally ... and we know this isn't for everyone because our budgets are stretched ... but, if you're able, begin exploring the ethically made fashion industry. Remember how our grandmothers talked about buying that one new outfit a year? Instead of lots of purchases, we can save up and buy just a few things that will last us a life time. Check out these ethical brand guides, who have have done the research for us:
