News Roundup: February 2014

As you can see from this list, I did a lot of reading this month! Lots of good stuff to share, so read on!

Is my "right" to look cute worth supporting brands that treat other human beings poorly?

This question reflects my thought process perfectly. (Pinterest via Delightfully Tacky)

Tips for Ethical Shopping Abroad – A primer on trading kitschy souvenirs for more meaningful and ethical vacation purchases. (Melibee)

Can Fashion Be Both Cheap and Ethical? H&M Thinks So. – I was intrigued to see this article on the Glamour website—I’m not used to seeing ethical fashion covered in mainstream, consumer-focused fashion magazines. It’s not a hard-hitting article, but it raises important questions to an audience who perhaps haven’t considered them. (Glamour.com)

Dangerous Third-World Factories Made US Military-Logo Clothes, Report Says – A report from the International Labor Rights Forum says that clothing for U.S. military exchanges was being produced in the Tazreen factory in Bangladesh that caught fire and killed over 100 workers last year. (ABC News)

Public Eye Award Goes to Gap, Inc. – Greenpeace Switzerland and the Berne Declaration have given Gap, Inc. the 2014 Public Eye Award to highlight the company’s failure to sign the Bangladesh Fire & Building Safety Accord and its insistence on promoting a weak, non-binding alternative program. (Public Eye Awards)

Why We’re Saying No to Dirty Gold – This article describes the environmental and social impacts of conventional gold mining and offers resources for ethical alternatives such as recycled gold. (Triple Pundit)

The Note Passer – I have recently discovered this blog and there are so many helpful and insightful posts I don’t even know where to start. Elizabeth also keeps an extensive Resources section of ethical fashion, home, and finance options.

Objects with Meaning – This neat project from Zady invites readers to submit a photo and description of an object they hold particularly dear. The idea is to emphasize those objects with real value and de-emphasize meaningless “stuff.” (Zady)

Online Fashion Retailer, Accompany, Makes Ethical Shopping Easy – This profile on new ethical retailer Accompany made me question the relationship between trends and ethical production. If you click through to the Accompany site, you’ll see some wacky styles, and as ethically as they may have been produced, I can’t help but think the sheer trendiness of the garments makes them inherently unsustainable. What do you think about trendy “ethical” fashion? (Huffington Post)

Are We Witnessing the Rebirth of American Textile Manufacturing? – A New York Times article highlights increased demand for domestic production of textiles and apparel. (Modavanti)

Fair Tax makes its Mark – This article argues that corporate tax avoidance should be a key consideration when evaluating a company’s social responsibility and describes a new certification in the U.K. that businesses can get for paying their taxes fairly. (New Internationalist)

Sales & New Retailers

Hipcycle – This site features only products made from items diverted from landfills. They have funky, unique products made from circuit boards, tires, liquor bottles, records, railroad parts and more. They are not part of a fair trade organization, but according to their FAQ their products are made primarily by small businesses both in the U.S. and abroad, and each product page lists the country of origin.

Fair Indigo is clearing out their winter merchandise with some items discounted up to 75%. As you’ll recall from my previous post about fair trade sales, their stuff is legit—cute, high quality, versatile, practical. Don’t get me started on the organic dresses again…

Mayan Hands, a long-time member of the Fair Trade Federation, works with weavers in rural Guatemala to make beautiful tablecloths, scarves, pouches and more. Check out their sale section for savings on these lovely textiles.

6 Comments

  1. Oh I hadn’t read that article in glamour, but I did read this one on Reuters: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/30/us-hm-sustainability-idUSBREA0T00C20140130

    And I really do appreciate H&M’s intention by 2018 paying living wages to it’s garment workers overseas. It’s a far far larger step than all the lots of fast fashion retailers in the world. I honestly think H & M is getting ahead of the curve, ya know?

    Another great roundup , thank Julia!

    • Julia

      I hadn’t seen that article, thanks! I should look up their fair wage plan and see how they’re going about it.

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