Sustainability and ethics in the textile industry
The textile and fashion industry has had a bad reputation when it comes to sustainability and transparency of supply chains. First, there is the difficulty of tracing raw materials from field to factory and making sure the conditions of workers are fair and legal. Secondly, there is the environmental impact of milling and dying fabric, such as chemical spillage or excessive wastage going to landfill.
Cotton is one of the biggest industries involving forced labour of children. They can be involved in many stages, from picking raw cotton in the fields, to processing it in the textile factories. This is why Zena & Rose is very careful to only use cotton from sources which have passed rigorous inspection.
There are several international bodies, such as SEDEX and OEKO-TEX, which inspect supply chains, ensure there is no forced labour, and that the negative environmental impacts are minimised.
To find out more about child labour in the cotton industry, click here.
Until next time my creative crew,
Joanna
