Ethically Manufactured Clothing: What is Ethical Clothing and How to Identify the Best Brands?

To be ethical isn’t just about doing less harm, it is about making decisions that have a positive impact for the world and everything in it. In the fashion industry, it is about brands designing, producing and distributing their clothing with a focus on reducing the negative consequences on people and the planet. The term ‘ethical fashion’ strives for improvement across a range of issues plaguing the fashion industry such as poor working conditions, not paying workers a fair wage and lack of consideration for animal welfare. 

Many of the brands we know and have enjoyed for many years do not place a great deal of consideration into these ethical factors, prioritizing profit over people and the planet. Although in recent years there has been a huge shift in focus towards ethical fashion, some brands are a lot more successful than others. Unfortunately, many brands have incorporated buzz words such as ‘sustainably made’ or ‘ethically made’ to greenwash and confuse shoppers into believing they have taken ethics a lot more seriously than what is true. 

Eco-Stylist is here to demystify what this all means. Keep reading to find out what it is for clothing to be ethically manufactured, and how you can ensure that the brands you support are doing good whilst making you look good!

What’s the Difference Between Sustainable Manufacturing and Ethically Manufactured Clothing? 

Largely the two terms, ‘sustainably’ and ‘ethically’, can be used interchangeably. Sometimes the term ‘ethical fashion’ can often focus more on morality and the social repercussions of the fashion industry. This is in contrast to ‘sustainable fashion’, which can sometimes be used to emphasise the management of earth’s resources and reducing carbon emissions. However you cannot consider the social consequences without also considering the ethical perspectives of disastrous environmental damage as a result of the fashion industry, such as CO2 emissions accelerating climate change, or irreversible damage to water sources and ecosystems. Essentially, humans, nature and everything in between is interlinked, so when considering if something is ethically manufactured there are all of these factors to consider, as well as the social consequence of workers rights and animal welfare. 

What are Some of the Ethical Concerns with the Fast Fashion Supply Chain?

Fast Fashion brands operate with a business model of mass-producing the latest catwalk trends as quickly and as low-cost as possible, with the aim of maximizing profit . Although very cheap, the environmental and social cost is very high, as these are not important factors for the brands. Trends are quickly changing, and brands rely on customers wearing garments once or a couple of times, then discarding and purchasing the next latest thing – consumption and production is HIGH and quality LOW, keeping prices cheap.

‘Fast’ is the essential and defining characteristic – fast changing trends, fast production, fast sale and fast use (find out more about how our clothes are made here). As you can see within this model, the focus is on profit, and one of the key ways brands keep the profits high and prices low is by cheap manufacturing costs, jeopardizing any sense of ethics during the production process. For a Zara hoodie selling for an average of €26.66 ($28.29), just €1.53 ($1.62) went to the textile factory and €1.10 ($1.17) being paid to the garment worker making it. 

Here are Some Direct Ethical Concerns with Fast Fashion Clothing Brands: 

• Wages – In order for brands to keep prices as low as possible, the costs of production needs to be very little and that includes the wage in which they pay their workers. For many years brands have outsourced to countries such as Bangladesh, China,  Vietnam, and India, where the cost of labor is very low as well as poor protection over achieving a living wage for workers. However in recent years small garment factories have also been found in the UK, specifically Leicester. In a bid to keep costs down, factories have been discovered to be significantly underpaying workers – as little as £3 or £4 an hour in comparison to the national minimum wage in the UK being £8.72/hour for those over 25 (rates accurate for 2020 when these factories were uncovered). Think about that for a moment – some garment workers in the UK are being paid less than the price of a coffee! This is a recognisable characteristic that runs throughout the fast fashion world – if you paid a very small price for the item you are purchasing, chances are almost certain that the person who made the garment was not paid a fair wage for making it.
• Conditions – It is not only by driving down the wages of garment workers that brands can keep their costs low, poor working conditions are also a very common consequence of the cheap price tag. Incredibly long hours, frequent injuries, short breaks (if any), unsafe working environments and a continuous workload is the reality for many of the garment workers around the world. Garment workers frequently work 10 to 16 hours a day, six days a week, in very dimly lit factories and with toxic chemicals that can cause respiratory problems. Regulations, if any, are poorly enforced in these outsourced factories, and do not protect garment workers from working in these awful conditions.
• Chemicals  – Toxic chemicals used throughout the fashion industry. Conventional cotton production uses phosphorus-based fertilisers, pesticides and insecticides which is unbelievably unsafe for workers, and have been linked to workers developing acute and chronic health conditions, such as neurological disorders, reproductive disorders and certain cancers. Directly exposing workers to these chemicals is just half the problem, as the use of such chemicals in the growing process of fibres for the fashion industry also releases hazardous chemicals into the environment, polluting freshwater sources and soils that are used for drinking water and growing food. In the dyeing, processing and finishing of clothing there is an extensive list of chemicals used which are proven harmful to human health. Fabrics are often treated with chemicals such as trichloroethane and nonylphenol ethoxylate, two chlorinated solvents which are either restricted or banned in the European Union due to being potentially harmful to human health.  If you want to read more on the extensive risks of toxicity in our clothing for manufacturers and consumers, click here.
• Child Labour – The use of child labour throughout the fashion industry is no secret. Child Labour is defined as work that could interfere with a child’s physical, mental or social development as well as deny them access to a proper education. Studies have shown that 51 countries globally use child labour in at least one part of their garment or jewelry supply chain. Approximately 106 million children are used for their labour, specifically in agriculture (often being cotton production). Non-governmental organisations have found that Turkey’s garment industry was using Syrian child refugees to help produce clothing. The impact of both chemically toxic and non-hazardous work can greatly impact not only the physical development of a child but also robs them of years of fundamental social development as well as an education. The impacts of this labour can greatly impair their life as an adult physically, mentally and limiting access to alternative employment opportunities due to limited or complete lack of education. Trapped in a vicious cycle, all of these factors will only increase the likelihood that their children will need to begin work early in these same unethical but easily accessible and unregulated spaces.
• Gender Inequality – Approximately 80% of the clothing produced is made by women aged between 18-24 years old. Gender based violence has been recorded throughout many of the factories that fast fashion companies use for manufacturing. Recent research into factories in the manufacturing hubs in India spoke to 90 women across 31 factories (factories that supplied garments to retailers such as Primark, Levi Strauss & Co., H&M and Marks & Spencer). The research found that ALL of the female garment workers had witnessed or directly experienced a form of gender-based violence in the workplaces, from male supervisors pushing workers to meet unfair production targets that fast fashion companies set.
• Animal Welfare – Animals are used in various ways in unethical manufacturing, and the standards of animal welfare are incredibly low as they are not a priority for profit. Animals such as rats, rabbits and dogs are often used for testing and many animals are also used in textiles. The animals are kept in huge numbers, kept in confined cages, and bred specifically to produce as much of the resource needed as quickly as possible, until the day they are killed. In the fur industry, different species of animals, such as foxes and mink, are bred and kept in cages for their entire lives and eventually killed to be used for their fur. Although some materials, such as leather, are described as a co-product of the beef industry (which is notorious for its awful treatment of animals), the demand for other materials, such as fur, creates an entirely individual exploitative industry.

Some Indirect Ways that Fast Fashion’s Lack of Ethics Can Affect People and the
Planet:

• Marine Life – Many of the fast fashion brands use materials made of plastic (such as polyester), and when washed the clothing emit microplastics that inevitably end up in the ocean (here you can find out more about micro-plastic pollution and how to reduce this!) Marine animals can mistake these micro-fibres and eat them, causing great damage to marine life as well as the ocean’s ecosystems. The damage to these ecosystems threatens the reliability and quality of food sources for subsistence fishers around the world.
• Water Pollution – The fast fashion industry is also incredibly dangerous for the amount of chemicals used during manufacturing. Often, these chemicals are not disposed of safely, and end up polluting freshwater sources such as rivers, lakes, which eventually lead to the ocean. This contaminated freshwater is then used by humans and animals for drinking, growing crops and bathing in, leading to serious illnesses and diseases. Many of the factories that fast fashion companies outsource their manufacturing to have little or no regulation, and poor enforcement. This does not phase the fast fashion brands as outsourcing shifts the accountability across to the factories as well as keeps the costs of their products as cheap as possible.
• Landfill – The world consumes approximately 80 billion new clothing items every year – that is A LOT of new clothes! Fast fashion relies on this constant consumption to continue to make a profit, however there is only so much space for these clothes to go. One of the ways countries with incredibly high levels of consumption have dealt with this is by shipping textiles overseas. Ghana is one of the countries suffering from this, receiving 150,000 tonnes of used clothes dumped every year, with approximately half of these unusable. The clothing is commonly dumped and burnt, polluting local ecosystems with dangerous industrial chemicals, and damaging freshwater sources for local people. This exportation of textile waste is a new wave of ‘clothing colonization’, in which exponential consumption in the ‘Global North’ flows to the ‘Global South’, polluting people’s lives who are not responsible for the consumption. 

What is Ethically Manufactured Clothing? What Does it Mean for Something to be Ethically Manufactured? 

So we have seen what unethical manufacturing looks like, but what does it mean to ETHICALLY manufacture something? Broadly it means to consider the social and environmental effects of where the materials are coming from, how a garment is made, by who and in what conditions, as well as the long-term effect of this garment being brought into the world.

When something is made, it must go somewhere! Here are some of the ways in which initiatives are transforming what the fashion industry looks like.

Have the Raw Materials Been Responsibly Sourced?

When producing a garment it shouldn’t need to contain harsh chemicals that poison the people making it or the ecosystem, and cause damage for decades to come. Fundamentally ethically manufactured textiles should not be using industrial chemicals throughout the process, and should not cause damage to the environment when raw material is being grown and harvested. Workers should be paid a fair living wage and not forced to work long hours in awful conditions, with no protection against violence and discrimination.

Standards such as the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) certification, have a clear and defined set of criteria making it easy for consumers to know that the materials they are sourcing are ethical. Some of the key feature of this certification include: 

• Compliance Support – GOTS has a traceable sustainability framework that helps companies meet the international guidelines. The criteria covers a six-step due diligence process that covers lots of traditionally unethical practices within the fast fashion industry, including lack of human rights and poor environmental standards. This ensures that every part of the process in producing textiles is done ethically. 
• Organic Fibers – Any textile that has the GOTS certification MUST contain at least 70% certified organic fibers. This means the fibers for the textile have been grown according to organic agriculture principles: no use of pesticides; herbicides and genetically modified organisms. By producing textiles this way, we can protect the health of people as well as longevity in ecosystems and soils. 
• Human Rights and Social Criteria – There are many ways that GOTS criteria improve the ethics of textile manufacturing which are in line with the UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights. Some of these include prohibiting child and forced labor, ensuring gender equality, eliminating violence and discrimination against workers,  protecting the wage for workers, and working hours must also comply with national laws
• Environmental Criteria – The “No hazard in, no hazard out!” policy protects people and the environment from being exposed to toxic chemicals, such as heavy metals or anything that could pose a threat to human or environmental health. The promotion of organic fibres (explained above) is also a significant guarantee to human and environmental wellbeing. 
• All Processing Stages – GOTS cover various stages of the process, including the processing, manufacturing and trading of organic textiles. This guarantees protection of ethics across the textile production chain. The strict criteria that textile manufacturers must meet to receive a GOTS certification helps to stop the greenwashing epidemic that has flooded the fashion industry in a bid to appear more ethical than is true. 
• Traceability – GOTS is an independent verification that follows the product throughout the production chain, from the sourcing of raw material to the point of final delivery to the end consumer. Traceability is vital to ensuring ethics in manufacturing by providing clear, honest information on how things are being done to protect people and the planet. 

GOTS and organic cotton is just one example of many independent certifications and ethical textile choices. Another great certification is the OEKO-TEX Standard 100, which unbelievably tests an array of textiles for harmful substances. They test fabric, thread, button and accessories against over 1,000 harmful substances and set a great benchmark for looking after workers and consumers. For a future where consumers can shop with confidence in the purchases they make being traceable and tested for harmful chemicals, as well as supporting better working conditions and a healthier planet, the OEKO-TEX is fundamental.

The GOTS and OEKO-TEX Standard 100 are two reliable certifications essential in the future of ethical fashion. It can be hard to decipher true ethical certifications through the greenwashing noise, but do not fear! At eco-stylist we have done the leg work for you, here you can find an extensive list of ethical fashion certifications to look out for. These certifications, as well as many others, are great indicators for consumers to know that what they are buying has been ethically manufactured from the very beginning of a garment’s life. 

What are Some Ethical and Sustainable Materials? 

It can be confusing to know what materials are really the best. What clothing is made of is very important when considering ethical manufacturing for both the producer, consumer and wherever it may end up. Here are some great materials that are good conscious choices to make when shopping around. 

Plant-Based Fibres

• Organic Cotton: Although cotton is one of the most common fabrics used, the production of conventional, unregulated cotton requires various chemicals, damaging the environment and people growing it. Organic cotton is a good solution, as it prevents the use of such chemicals, and also guarantees rights for workers. However the best solution to the cotton crisis is recycled cotton, it can prevent the demand on farming and weaving virgin textiles, reducing water and energy consumption. It also has the added bonus of stopping clothing going to landfill. 
• Organic Hemp: Organic Hemp has been used for many years to make clothing, and is a great alternative to the plastic and chemical intensive alternatives. Hemp (specifically organic hemp) requires very little water to be grown, no pesticides and also puts some of the nutrients back into the soil naturally as it grows! The importance of seeking out ‘organic hemp’ specifically is it also ensures no fertilizers are used, and that keeps everyone happy. 
• Organic Linen: Similarly to hemp and cotton, linen is derived from a plant – the flax plant –  which can be grown without fertilizer, requires very little water and can also be grown in poor quality soil. Linen is strong, moth-resistant, biodegradable and is made without any dyes, so is a safe option for producer and consumer. 
• TENCEL Lyocell: Lyocell is a form of regenerated cellulose, made of wood pulp, usually eucalyptus trees which don’t require a lot of water and pesticides. TENCEL lyocell is the most sustainable option of lyocell, certified by OEKO-TEX and the Forest Stewardship Council, so when shopping look out for that one! 

Innovative Alternatives

• CIRCULOSE: This is a new material made from 100% recycled cotton. Any old cotton clothes or cotton production waste left to decay is a ‘dissolving pulp’ that can be repurposed to make lyocell, viscose and other regenerated fibers. It is then woven into fabrics or spun into yarns which can be used to make new clothing. 
• Bananatex: Made entirely from the regeneratively grown Abacá banana plant! Launched in 2018, this fabric is durable, biodegradable and plastic-free! The plants are cultivated in a natural ecosystem in the Philippines, combining agriculture and forestry. The Abacá banana plant has many great qualities – it is sturdy, self-sufficient, requires no pesticides, no fertilisers or extra water. All of this has helped contribute to reforestation of previously rainforested areas, enhanced biodiversity and the economic prosperity for local farmers. 

Textiles not containing or requiring any harsh chemicals in the manufacturing process are your go to when looking at what materials your clothes are made from. They protect the workers and the environment during manufacturing, with the added bonus of protecting you when you are wearing it! 

Ethical Manufacturing Goes Beyond Borders

As we have seen, unethical manufacturing is a global problem, so shopping by ‘where’ the clothing has been manufactured isn’t necessarily a complete solution to avoid unethically made garments. If a brand operates with great transparency, it will be simpler to understand if their operation is ethical or not.

Transparency allows you to trace the entire supply chain, and often if a brand’s clothing is made ethically, their full transparency will allow them to get certified. Luckily, many of the certifications mentioned plus many more operate in all countries around the world.

However, it is important to consider if a certification uses local laws and living wages EXCLUSIVELY as these do differ drastically country by country. It is important for certifications to take international standards into account, as this is the best way to guarantee high ethical standards for garment workers.  

Can Clothing be Fair Trade and What Does this Mean for Workers? 

We have established some of the awful conditions that workers making fast fashion garments are subjected to, whilst being massively underpaid for their work. Luckily fashion CAN be Fair Trade, and there are many certifications that look after workers, allowing consumers to know the people who are making their clothes have been protected.

A leading certification program is the SA8000 Standard, created by Social Accountability International (SAI). The certification provides a framework for organizations to operate to the highest social standards in any country and in any industry. Here are the 9 areas brands must meet in order to achieve SA8000 Standard: 

1. Child labour – All workers must be of legal age, according to local laws and international standards. 
2. Forced or compulsory labor – Workers must be free to terminate employment if they want to. 
3. Health and Safety – Manufacturers have the responsibility of ensuring a safe working environment that does not risk the workers health, this includes preventative measures against accidents and injuries. 
4. Freedom of association and right to collective bargaining – Workers have the right to form or join a workers association or trade union. They can therefore collectively communicate any concerns without the risk of individual penalisation. 
5. Discrimination – There must be an equal treatment of workers by manufacturers, regardless of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation, including in their hiring processes. 
6. Disciplinary practices – Manufacturers must not use unfair methods of disciplining employees. 
7. Working hours – All workers’ contracts must comply with legal working hour laws. 
8. Remuneration – Employees are compensated with a fair living wage for limited overtime hours. 
9. Management System – There should be a clear and effective implementation, as well as maintenance of these ethical standards. 

There are plenty of benefits that workers, employers, brands and consumers can reap from such an accreditation: 

• Workers: For garment workers they can actually be paid a fair wage for their work! They are not forced to work ridiculous hours in awful conditions, and are treated respectfully by manufacturers – all important criteria for what ethical manufacturing should look like. 
• Consumers and brands: The certification makes it simple clear for both brand and consumer to know the clothes are ethically manufactured.

The SAI also constantly monitors emerging social and human rights issues, and responds accordingly by updating the SA8000 standard regularly. This is important as industries evolve to continuously find the cheapest way to manufacture, jeopardising ethics. By keeping the standard up to date, it guarantees the maintenance of ethical standards without evolutions slipping through the net. In a world where the attention of consumers is turning to sustainable and ethical alternatives, certifications such as these help filter out the noise of greenwashing by fast fashion brands. 

Ethical Concerns Beyond Clothing Manufacturing

It may seem confusing as to why we would consider what happens to garments at the end of their life when looking at ethical manufacturing.  However, it is a change in standards at the point of manufacturing that could have a long-lasting effect.

When a brand wants something to be made, and the manufacturer produces it, this garment has to go somewhere. Usually it is transported to stores and then bought by a shopper, but what about after that? The clothing produced can’t simply disappear, and this is important in a world with already too many clothes!

By brands specifically sourcing materials (like the ones listed above) certified by legitimate organizations, shoppers can purchase new clothing with a sense of stewardship – respect for resources and the environment, to preserve them for future generations. By using good quality materials and by workers being treated in a respectful way during manufacturing, it also provides clothing and the fashion industry with longevity. These clothing items can be reused, sold on or simply and effectively repaired. 

Considerations when Looking for Ethically Made Clothing Brands

Although there are incredible initiatives that are achieving great things and many brands have used these certifications responsibly within a wider framework of ethical principles, fast fashion brands know they must clean up their act. As more information is being spread on their unethical practices brands have attempted to exploit such standards to appear to be doing a lot more in the way of ethical manufacturing than they really are.

Brands such as Primark have boasted the use of organic cotton (certified by GOTS) in their Primark Cares range as part of their sustainability initiative. This is great for the very small percentage of their company that uses organic cotton, however Primark still operates as a fast fashion brand. The majority of what they sell perpetuates a lack of morality in fashion manufacturing, and their business model, like many other fast fashion brands, still relies on rapidly changing trends, manufacturers churning out garments at the speed of light, to provide for the never-ending consumption from the consumer. 

Considering Your Own Ethics When Shopping for Sustainable Ethical Clothing

When shopping, it is important to not get too detached from where your clothing comes from. In a globalized world in which we are constantly bombarded with the pressure to be better by buying more, it is easy to disassociate from the awful experiences many garment workers have to live everyday. What if the roles were reversed? How would you feel?

By shopping with brands that DO meet ethical manufacturing standards, while avoiding the ones that don’t, you the consumer are sending a strong message as to what the standards are that you expect! In the economy, demand drives supply, and if the demand for unethically made, hazardous micro-trends disappears, so does the need to make it. Within this, it is also important to reflect on how much we consume, why we are buying it? Is it a NEED or a WANT? Ethically manufactured clothing is the brands and manufacturers responsibility, but it is ours too – the consumer. 

It is also important to consider that different brands may prioritize different things. Some brands focus on ensuring workers are paid a fair wage and work in safe conditions. Others may try to reduce their carbon footprint by using renewable energy to power factories, some may focus on using organic/recycled materials with no chemicals or operate as an entirely Vegan brand – sometimes all of the above! As we’ve seen, many of these issues do connect, so it is important to consider your own ethics to find brands that align with you. Find out where you can shop to support people and the planet not just now, but also for generations to come. 

Where to Shop Ethical Clothing Brands

If you’re looking for ethically manufactured clothing look no further than our certified brands! Here’s 5 Eco-Stylist Certified brands to get you started:

1) Outerknown 

Outerknown is a pioneer for ethical and sustainable fashion and has made a bold commitment to protecting the environment and supporting fair labor. They are fair trade certified and have even invested $133,000 into improving workers’ livelihoods through the Fair Trade Premium. The premium offered workers scholarships for their children, housing support, extended healthcare insurance and more.

They also run initiatives such as the SEA Jeans “Guaranteed For Life”, which means if you buy a pair of jeans with this label and they get damaged at some point, they will swap them out, for LIFE! There is even a section of their site in which you can buy or sell pre-loved Outerknown clothing.

2) Girlfriend Collective 

Girlfriend Collective focuses on comfortable, ethical loungewear and activewear. Their clothing is made from recycled materials like used water bottles, discarded fishing nets and fabric scraps amongst other salvaged waste. Girlfriend Collective sources their recycled materials from a specialized partner in Taiwan. The materials Girlfriend Collective use is certified Standard 100 by OEKO-TEX – world leader in testing fabrics for substances that could be harmful to people or the planet.

In charge of assembly is a SA8000 certified sewing partner based in Vietnam. The SA8000 is a standard ensuring social accountability for production, protecting workers the standard of worker conditions and wages. Their packaging is 100% recycled and recyclable. As well as championing ethical and sustainable fashion, they also promote health and wellness for all body types, promoting inclusivity. 

3) DEDICATED

One of the best things about DEDICATED (besides the stylish menswear, womenswear and accessories) is the commitment they have made to ethical fashion. They have achieved many very credible certifications, some of which include the Global Organic Textile Standards (GOTS), Fairtrade Cotton, SA8000.

The Fairtrade Standard protects farmers’ health and safety, GOTS prevents any use of toxic chemicals and SA8000 maintains socially acceptable practices in the workplace. That means that they can guarantee safe working conditions during textile production and the manufacturing process.

But it gets better yet – the materials they use are as ethical and sustainable as it gets, and predominantly use plant-based textiles, ensuring when they do use wool that it is recycled! DEDICATED offers a wide range of reasonably priced yet ethical basics, graphic tees, underwear and outerwear for all! 

4) Etiko

Etiko uses 100% organic cotton in all of their products, as well as using natural rubber in their shoes, an 100% biodegradable alternative to petroleum-based rubbers. They offer everything you could imagine including menswear, womenswear, kidswear and unisex clothing as well as footwear. Their products are entirely cruelty free and vegan, so no animals are harmed in the manufacturing of their clothing.

Etiko also have a highly transparent supply chain and they regularly audit their farmers and manufacturers to ensure the ethical, environmental and organic standards are met. They have various accreditations including being Fairtrade Certified, meaning they pay their farmers a fair, living wage for all of their work!

5) Pact

Pact clothing is made out of organic cotton (GOTS certified), which is often more durable, softer and of course better for the environment. Their apparel is affordable and comfortable without the negative social and environmental externalities.

Pact is Fair Trade Certified which means shopping with them supports better conditions for cotton farmers. They are also carbon neutral and compared to conventional farming uses 81% less water and 62% less energy, so when shopping with them you are not only investing in yourself but people and the environment too.

100+ Ethical Brands

For more options check out our Brand Guide where you can see all of our certified brands. You can even filter by which brands pay living wages, which are vegan, which are plus size, and more!

Amy Applin

Amy previously studied Environment and Development at the London School of Economics with a particular interest in climate injustice. Currently she works in the travel industry hoping to hear more of the unique perspectives held by people all over the world, and has taught herself how to crochet and sew her own clothes at home.