I have recently been appointed as the Co-Chair of All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion, and I am very excited about this new role. I first became interested in sustainable fashion during my time as Secretary of State for the Environment. At first, I thought “sustainable fashion” was an oxymoron; fashion is by nature ever-changing and new, whereas sustainability refers to re-using and recycling materials.
However, the more I learnt about the burgeoning ecological fashion movement, the more I was excited by it. I am sure I was not the only person to think a little more about the contents of my wardrobe after the tragedy at Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh where over a thousand workers were killed in 2013 when the roof collapsed. When we often pay so little for items of clothing, it is hardly surprising that they are not produced in an environmentally-sustainable manner, nor are the workers in the clothing factories paid a proper wage or employed in proper working conditions.
I am glad that many of the high street brands that have their garments produced in factories like Rana Plaza have committed to check their own supply chains to root out modern-day slavery (as it is common-place for children and adults to be employed on a pittance and are stuck in a spiral of indentured servitude) and to encourage sustainable manufacturing.
Here in the UK, innovative designers are leading the way by demonstrating how effective recycled materials can be when creating exciting new fashion designs. Christopher Raeburn uses parachute silks to create beautiful dresses, and breathes new life into WW2 army trench coats so they can be worn in the 21st century. “Green fashion” has been adopted by big brands such as Topshop, which demonstrates that consumers have a great deal of power. We can use our wallets to demonstrate that working conditions in clothing factories and ecological production influences our spending patterns.
Furthermore, it is not only on the high street that changes to the fashion industry can be seen; many national companies, such as Veolia, are ensuring their uniforms are produced from recycled textiles. It is clear there is a change afoot in the fashion world with greater focus being placed on sustainability and ethical production. I look forward to working with factories, brands and consumers to make sure that the clothes we buy will no longer cost the earth.
C.