CLOTHING & TEXTILES

Everyone needs clothes. They shelter us from the elements and define our personal style. Unfortunately, the shirt on your back may be more expensive than you thought—both for the environment, and for the workers that made it.

Textile products can have significant adverse environmental and human- health impacts. These range from agricultural practices such as the use of biocide in the production of natural textile fibres, to oxygen depleting substances emitted to waterways from the manufacturing process, to skin irritation during use. 

The conventional way of growing cotton, the most common fabric material, relies on heavy inputs of insecticides, herbicides, and chemical fertilizers, many of which are known or probable carcinogens (substances that cause cancer). Dyes used in clothing can contain toxic chemicals, while permanent press treatment can release formaldehyde gas, also a likely carcinogen.

Most of the world's clothing is manufactured in sweatshops in poorer countries, where workers earn less than they need to live, face cramped or unsanitary conditions. First-hand accounts from factories producing for many designer companies report that people often work more than 100 hours a week, and unions are not permitted.

As global awareness of the real price of fashion grows, many consumers as well as some clothing manufacturers are leading the push for more eco- and worker-friendly apparel.

For more specific information on these products use the Good Environmental Choice Standard for Textile Products. This standard is used to assess the environmental performance of clothing & textiles sold in Australia and determine if they deserve the Australian 'Good Environmental Choice' Label.

GECA 19-2007 - TEXTILE PRODUCTS

GOOD ENVIRONMENTAL CHOICES

• Buy Australian-made textiles and clothing

• Avoid brands known to be manufactured using exploited labour

• Purchase clothing made from organic cotton and other natural organic fibres

• Avoid clothing made with toxic dyes