Teens Turning Green has empowered students around the nation to lead a movement devoted to education and advocacy around environmentally and socially responsible choices for individuals, schools, and communities. As today’s challenge says, most people don’t realize that thousands of chemicals and massive amounts of energy and resources are used to turn raw materials and crops into the textiles that make our clothing. This process poses numerous environmental and human health threats, not to mention social justice concerns. Young people will be a vital part of the movement to make the fashion industry an industry that helps the world instead of hurting it. You can take action, and today’s Challenge helps you learn how. You can also find tips on our Take Action page.

We also want to pay tribute to the Project Green Challenge’s amazing Eco Look Book, which features a different eco look for each day of the Challenge. The model is activist and co-founder of Teens Turning Green, Erin Schrode. Styling and art direction was done by Megan Lynn Kott. We recommend checking out some of the companies below to learn about what sustainability means in fashion.

Brands who either loaned or donated pieces for 30 Looks for 30 Days include:
Lara Miller, Curator by She Bible, Threads 4 Thought, Stewart + Brown, Indigenous Designs, Prairie Underground, Me to We, Sock Dreams (Dreamy collection), Olsen Haus, Juleselin, Neuaura Shoes, AK Vintage, Feral Childe, The Podolls, Matt & Nat, Eco Optics, Chinti & Parker, Annie Greenabelle, Be Sweet, The Reformation, Yala Designs, Rebagz, Eileen Fisher, Covet and Victoria Camp Designs.

AND Etsy shops:
Ellembee, MarchelloArt, RecycledFabric, SandeeKnits, SweetandLush, JenniferJonesJewelry, UpCycleYourWorld, IndustREAL, InLoveAgain, ReEcoShop, Jaydemia, TripleGemini, MountainLotus, DenimSource, RicRacandButtons, OllieandWillie, ErinsApparel, ChicVintageWear, BabyBirdVintage, MissThingFashions, TheDuskyJewel, DeathByVintage, BirdsChasingBugs, AccordionFund and Tapiseria.

Hair: Jesse Bones and Anna Phipps
Makeup: Melina Anne
Photos: John Eagle, Seth Andrews, GG Merkle, and Megan Lynn Kott

While GATF’s participation weighs heavy in the fashion aspect of the Project Green Challenge, challenges will cover many aspects of daily life, including food, fashion, bodycare, energy, tech, fitness, and more. (Do you have any idea what nasty ingredients you may find in your shampoo?)

How it Works
Throughout October a daily green challenge will be outlined on ProjectGreenChallenge.com and in an email delivered to each participant who has signed up . Each challenge will be supported with resources, tips, facts and a green glossary.

Over the course of the 30-day Challenge, participants will share their responses to challenge tasks on ProjectGreenChallenge.com utilizing Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Get Your Green Diploma
Contestants who complete the 30-day Challenge can apply for the Challenge Finals. Ten finalists will be selected to participate in Green University, a two-day eco summit held in California this December. Students will be flown to San Francisco where they will learn from esteemed eco leaders, present experiences from the 30-day Challenge, and work together to create unique platforms for social action.This new slate of projects will be implemented by Teens Turning Green and youth nationwide in 2012.

Challenge Champion
A panel of judges will name one finalist as the Project Green Challenge Champion. The winner will receive a one-of-a-kind prize package and the opportunity to work with Teens Turning Green and its partners in the coming year.

Join the Challenge!
Be apart of a world changing initiative – sign up today!

And be sure to get your friends and school involved in Project Green Challenge. Two students from participating schools will be invited to participate as Project Green Challenge Campus Reps and to lead the effort on their school campuses. Click here if you want to see what the job entails and to sign up.

The symposium from 7-8pm featured speakers Eve Blossom of Lulan Artisans, Lynda Grose of CCA, Kindley Walsh-Lawlor of Gap Inc. Social and Environmental Responsibility, and Domenica Peterson of Global Action Through Fashion, and moderator Connie Ulasewicz, author of Sustianble Fashion: Why Now?. Guests had the opportunity to engage in discussion about issues related to fashion and solutions for the future.

Speakers Eve Blossom, Kindley Walsh-Lawlor, moderator Connie Ulasewicz, Lynda Grose, and Domenica Peterson.

From 8 – 10pm guests enjoyed a cocktail party featuring sponsors FAIR. – The Fair Trade Spirits Company, Casa Noble Organic Tequila, Greater Purpose Wines, Ciao Bella Gelato, and delicious local and organic catering provided by Stacy Scott.

Ethical Fashion pieces hung around the room and a photo booth run by photographer Mark Leibowitz captured guests. A silent auction featured goods from eco brands, including Epi Center Med Spa in San Francisco, PACT Underwear, Olive Boutique in Danville, and more.

Many thanks to our sponsors!

The Host
Hub SoMa

Food & Beverages
FAIR. – The Fair Trade Spirits Co.
Casa Noble Organic Tequila
Ciao Bella Gelato
Greater Purpose Wines
Stacy Scott Catering
The Moser Family

Silent Auction
Adria Peterson
Align Healing Center in Danville
Andrea Gutierrez Jewelry
Camilla Olsen
Connie Ulasewicz
Cityzen Green
Epi Center Med Spa
Olive Boutique in Danville
Gail Bough
Global Exchange
Leibowitz Pictures
L’uvalla
Multiple Threads in Oakland
Nick Onken
Phil and Julie Leibowitz
Spray di Solé

Media
Alice 97.3
Ecofabulous

On Display
Ambatalia (prayer flags of locally dyed textiles for Fibershed)
Camilla Olsen
Convert boutique in Berkeley
Discarded to Divine
Eco Citizen boutique in San Francisco
Edun
Feral Childe
Mr. Larkin
Multiple Threads Boutique
Myrrhia Knitwear
Nina Scarra
PACT Underwear
People Tree
Platinum Dirt
Vie PR

Host Committee
Christine Aylward
Clarissa Nicosia
Claudia Ross
Heidi Petit
Hooman Khalili
Jeffrey Leifer
Joel Goodrich
Karen Tamblyn
Mary Macrae
Mike del Ponte
Nadine Weil
Vicki Liviakis

Tomorrow I am graduating from San Francisco State University and after all my hard work I decided this week that I would pamper myself and get my nails done for the big event. Getting my nails done is something I often do myself and I rarely go to the nail salon. My roommates and I have a ritual of painting our nails while watching our favorite shows, which led me to think, what exactly is in nail polish? Is nail polish safe? Are there ethical nail polish companies or nail salons out there? My questions led me to my search for ethically nail polish companies and where I could get a spa treatment without sacrificing my health.

In my research I discovered that there are three main ingredients most nail polishes contain and are highly toxic. Luckily, most companies in the last several years have banned the use of the “toxic trio”; however, the scary part is some companies are still using them. The three big ingredients used are formaldehyde, toluene, and DBP (dibutyl phthalate). Formaldehyde is often used as a nail hardener and helps nails dry faster. It is not usually found in nail polish colors, but rather nail treatments to strengthen nails. The downfalls to the use of formaldehyde in nail polish are that it is a known human carcinogen and is an irritant to the eyes, nose, and throat. Continual use of formaldehyde on the skin can lead to irritation and an allergic rash called dermatitis. According to Organic Consumer the use of the dibutyl phthalate, or DBP, is to work as a binder to ensure long lasting nail color. The chemical has been linked to cancer in lab animals, and underdeveloped genitals and other long-term fertility problems in newborn boys. The chemical toluene, a nervous system toxin, used to allow nail polish to go on evenly, and adhere to the nail is often an octane booster in gasoline fuels used in internal combustion engines. Toluene can cause eye irritation, headaches, dizziness, and nausea. Inhaling high amounts of toluene can also lead to birth defects, developmental abnormalities, kidney and liver damage and according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can lead to spontaneous abortions.  Toluene can also fall under the ingredient label of phenylmethane, methylbenzene, or toluol.

Due to the hazardous health effects these chemicals cause, the European Union in 2004 banned the use of any personal-care product ingredients known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutations or birth defects. Therefore, companies, like O.P.I., who were using DBP in their nail colors, were forced to change their European formula but still continued to use DBP in their polishes sold in the U.S. So the question is: knowing that these chemicals are hazardous to our health, why can companies, like O.P.I., continue to sell products with toxic chemicals. The answer is: the United States Food and Drug Association does not require cosmetic companies to test their products for safety. Although, if you are lucky and live in a state like California, companies must declare the use of compounds of which appear on the state’s Proposition 65 list of chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects, or reproductive harm.

Despite the fact that the US does not require companies to test their products for safety, nail polish companies like O.P.I., Sally Hansen, and Orly International have faced considerable criticism from consumers, health and environmental groups and have since 2006 changed their formulas to contain none of the “toxic three” chemicals. Other “three free” companies include Chanel, China Glaze, and Revlon. Companies who still use these toxic chemicals are Essie and Creative Nail Design. For a more complete list of companies who are “three free” you can click on this link.

San Francisco has taken the step in supporting nail salons that do not use products containing the “toxic trio”. In October 2010 the San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Public Safety Committee passed the Healthy Nail Salon Recognition ordinance. The ordinance establishes a voluntary recognition program for salon owners who stop using nail polish colors, base coats, and top coats containing the “toxic three”.  This is a groundbreaking step in recognizing worker health issues in terms of nail salons. Workers experience several health effects caused by working with toxic chemicals on a daily basis.

San Francisco residents can also benefit from the Bay Area’s first green salons Nova Nail Salon “is the first nail spa in San Francisco designed with ‘green’ interior building materials and finishes, producing a healthier experience for our guests in addition to being energy efficient and environmentally responsible” and doesn’t use products containing the “toxic trio”. After discovering this salon I immediately set up an appointment to get my nails done. I had a thoroughly relaxing, and pleasant experience and definitely plan on going back the next time I deserve some pampering.

It is important to remember that how you dress yourself, from your toes, to your finger nails, that you must consider every ethical implication. While we usually think of ethical fashion in terms of clothing, how we accessorize ourselves, with jewelry, nail color, hair dye, is also a part of fashion. Although the results I discovered were shocking I am happy to now know, what nail polishes to use, and what chemicals to avoid. I can rest assured my roommates and I will not use anything containing the “toxic three” and you should too!

When thinking about sustainability in terms of garment production, what comes to mind first is if the fabric is sustainable? Was the pattern cut using a jig-saw method to eliminate fabric waste? Was unfair labor used? Rarely do consumers or producers realize the labor or waste resulting from all non-fabric related materials to put the garment together, meaning buttons, thread, zippers, embroidery etc. This overlook is causing some concern in the apparel industry.

Socially consumers are unaware of what it takes or how their clothing is produced. To them, clothing is a trend, something to be tossed away when the next trend comes. However there are several social and environmental issues surrounding the use of non-fabric materials.

The Issues.

For one, often child labor is used to perform tedious jobs such as button sewing, embroidering, and cutting threads according to IHS, Child Slave Labor News. Whether these children are forced to work to add to the family’s monthly income, or whether “bonded” into labor to pay off their parents debt, these child laborers are forced to work six to seven days a week in locked shops, with armed guards. Children make for ideal candidates for tedious, repetitious jobs, like button sewing, because they require low skill and training and can be forced to be paid low wages.

Another issue arises from the use of children in the sewing of non-fabric materials, is the unknown use of child labor. While a company may contract with one factory to create a garment, that factory might contract with another factory, without the company’s consent, to finish the garment. What consumers must realize is that when clothing is produced, the production of it is not all done in one place, although that would be environmentally ideal. Often garments are cut in one factory, shipped to another to be sewn, and then shipped to a third to put the final buttons, rivets, zippers, and other details. According to the child labor of exports and imports facts and figures, 80% of garment and home furnishing exporters finish their production through sub-contractors. These third-party contractors are often housed in the poorest parts of the city, which make for ideal locations to avoid government interaction, escaping labor laws, and can pay workers much less. When these sub-contractors are used, unknowingly to the company, the use of child labor becomes an issue as they go undetected.

The post-consumer aspect to non-fabric materials has become a critical issue, as well. According to Deborah Mitchell, of Volunteer Guide, if you are a typical American, you throw away about 67.9 pounds a year of used clothing and as a whole, Americans throw away two quadrillion pounds of used clothing and textiles into the landfills each year, 95% of which can be recycled. However, often times what makes clothing unrecyclable are the notions attached to them. We have the ability to grind up fabric and make new fabric, but if things like buttons and zippers are attached they have to be cut off before being ground up. Think of it in the same terms as recycling paper products used to clean up hazardous waste. They cannot be recycled because it would spoil the whole batch.

What producers and consumers can do.

As consumers, you have the chance to take off those notions like buttons, zippers, and unique embroidery and use them to revamp an old coat, dress, pair of denim short or even handbag in your closet instead of buying a new one. As a producer of garments you have a chance to do your part. For one, know who you are working with. Making audits on the factories you are working with is crucial in making sure that the finishing details of your garments do not go into the hands of low-paid, forced child laborers. Second, choose your materials wisely. Allocate materials that have been recycled, for instance plastic buttons made from recycled plastic, or items taken from old garments. The used clothing industry is home to a supply of zippers, buttons, and other notions. Using existing products will eliminate unnecessary waste of creating more non-fabric materials.

Lastly, producers and consumers can work together to recycle and donate their old buttons, thread, and zippers for causes like Notions for Tajikistan , as mentioned in my first blog. The women of Tajikistan have a thriving fashion industry, but lack things like buttons and zippers. Your contribution to their cause could make a difference. And if that seems like too much work, take your non-fabric materials to a local school. The Bay Area is home to FIDM, Academy of Art, SF STATE, SF City College, to name a few who have design programs that would welcome donations.

That bubble wrap sure is fun to pop! Those styrofoam chips are so easy to throw in a box to protect your perfect package, and that plastic bag protected you shirt so well for how far it travelled, but what are the consequences for using these fossil fuel based products? And who or what is being harmed in the process?

Many manufacturers are unaware, or dismiss, the environmental and social issues that are linked to both the process of creating the packaging for apparel, as well as the consumer disposal patterns of that packaging.

Every single day people purchase items, from food and wine, to apparel and cosmetics. All of these items come in some form of packaging, mainly used for the protection of the product, as well as the aesthetics, trying to lure customers into buying more products. Manufacturers often forget what effects the process of creating their packaging can have on the environment, and on the people creating the packages. Many times companies do not settle for environmentally friendly production because of the higher costs that can be linked to it. Because manufacturers do not feel responsible for the usage, disposal, and clean-up of packaging waste, they rarely consider what happens to the packaging after the product has been purchased.

What effect does this have to the environment and us?

In the production of packaging, many manufacturers choose to use non-biodegradable, fossil fuel based materials like polyethylene plastic, fiberglass, styrofoam, and silicon based materials.These are all inorganic compounds that cannot decompose in their own state and most of which are oil based products. This waste contributes to the 1600 lbs of waste generated by the average American each year. It is found that 66% of this waste is sent to landfills- never solving the issue of the earth not being able to ever break down these materials (Clean Air Council).

Into the air and our lungs it goes.

In certain areas landfill waste is burned, having a tremendous impact on air pollution, causing green house emission during the process. Like many other non-renewable materials, polystyrene is used in building materials, cups and packaging, and coincidentally happens to be a carcinogenic that causes massive amounts of air pollution during both the manufacturing process and after it is burned. The styrene gas that is emitted during the burning process is known to affect the human nervous system. This means that a toxic chemical is routinely being released into the air and affecting the surrounding ecosystem and persons living in the area (Go Green Advocates). This is only one of many other harmless substances that is burned in landfills and emitted into the air.

Chemical breakdown.

When creating different aspects of product packaging, like labels and prints, usage of toxic chemicals can be used in the process. Chemicals like phthalates and organotins are additives that are not chemically bound to the packaging and may migrate out of the product causing toxic hazards to those producing the product, as well as consumers. Organotins and diorganotins, both found in PVC, are also potent developmental toxins that are regularly found in packaging. All these above have been found to have negative impacts on ones nervous system, skin, immune system, and reproductive system (A Call for Congressional Action).

What you can do!

Issues discussed above in relation to packaging all can be eliminated or reduced through the cooperation of consumers, private sectors, the community and the government. Consumers can change their purchasing habits by supporting companies that use recycled and 100% biodegradable goods, including environmentally safe materials in their packaging. After purchasing their product, consumers must be sure to reuse and recycle materials to eliminate unneeded waste in landfills.

What can be done on the business, city, school and government end?

Businesses can change the demand for un-sustainable materials from step 1 by only using materials that are non-hazardous, recycled, and recyclable. Businesses can change the packaging production industry by purchasing less fossil fuel based products and enticing producers to change their ways. Cities and schools can implement waste bins throughout areas that include a slot for recycling, compost, and waste, making it more likely for those in the community to discard items in the correct bin slot. Cities and schools can also educate their residents, local businesses, parents and students to purchase sustainable materials and dispose of them properly. Governments can make laws and regulations to help promote reusable, recyclable, and compostable packaging that is not harmful to the environment. Banning toxic chemicals in the use of packaging is a great start to head the community in the right direction. Cities like Oakland and Malibu have recognized the issues above, and have made the initiative to ban the usage of polystyrene-made products!

While issues of sustainability in apparel design have been at the forefront of ethical issues to consider in the fashion industry, the idea of promoting sustainable business practices within corporate offices and retail store locations is something often not considered.

At the retail store level each day waste is created from coupons, brochures, and magazines. Often things of this nature are not printed on recyclable materials, or they are treated with chemicals to give them a glossy appearance that makes them unrecyclable and hazardous to the environment. Items like coupons are often demanded by consumers in order to get the best deal. In order to give consumers what they want retail stores give out thousands of these handouts, many of which never get used or recycled. Retail stores also create waste by throwing away fixtures, such as lights, T-stands, mannequins, tables, shelving, and marketing materials like window decals and posters which also end up never being recycled. Demand for new store items comes from consumers who always want something “new”. They do not want to walk in the store day after day to find the same boring layout, fixtures, and marketing. This in turn, causes the corporate offices of retail locations to constantly be updating in-store marketing materials and redesigning their stores to keep customers excited and coming in for more.

In order to keep customers happy, the production of marketing materials, and in-store fixtures, are often made using not necessarily the most environmentally friendly materials but rather materials the company can gain at the cheapest cost. When retail companies only have four stores choosing the environment over cost might be an easy thing to consider. However, when a retail company is responsible for thousands of stores across the U.S. cost is a major factor in distributing the necessary marketing and materials needed to make each store look similar.

When new materials come in often the old materials go out – but what happens to them? Often the answer is the trash. Companies know that time is money, and do not take the time to consider using recycling, or other methods of disposal for their in store materials. Therefore these materials end up in the landfills adding to the accumulating waste we continue to create each day. As well, the amount of greenhouse gas emissions it takes to produce and transport new materials to stores adds to the accumulating pollution of our global climate.

Utilize in-house creativity!
Just because consumers demand new does not mean we have to constantly be creating new materials to enhance a store’s image. Corporations should utilize the materials they already have, and update less often. The amount of money lost and waste created every time they update their “look” is astounding. Everything from the boxes and shipping materials used creates a phenomenal amount of waste, all for it to be changed a month later. Train your employees to utilize the materials they have from one season to the next and this will save your company millions of dollars. The retail industry is meant to be a creative sector. By using creativity from your employees throughout your corporate offices and in-store, you can create effective displays that will save you time, money, and the environment. Along with utilizing materials you already have, use materials that can be recycled so that if you do choose to dispose of them they can be recycled.

Some organizations will take care of your company’s waste for you.
There are companies out there that accept used store fixtures and marketing that can be recycled for another store’s use. Not only can companies make a profit off of their old fixtures, they eliminate the waste in the landfills. For instance in the Bay Area, Mannequin Madness works with corporations such as Gap, Nike, and Ralph Lauren in recycling their mannequins and display fixtures. They received an award from the Environmental Protection Agency for recycling over 100,000 pounds of mannequins each year.

Educate employees.
Recycling doesn’t stop at the corporate level though, it needs to come from within. Educating employees about the importance of recycling is crucial for businesses to promote a sustainable business environment. For example, create a light bulb recycling bin at your store. When light bulbs go out, educate to your employees about placing dead light bulbs in the bin, and make sure to follow through with recycling the bulbs. As well, when it comes to recycling store fixtures, try to find a home for them. Whether it is a mannequin, a table, or a clothing rack, there has to be a school, an employee, or another company that would be willing to take it off your hands. Your donation will not only give your company positive accolades, it was also eliminate unnecessary waste.

Your company’s buildings could have a better impact on the environment and save you money.
Corporations also need to look at their own buildings and retail locations to see if the structure and materials used are environmentally sound. Companies, like Levi’s, have reduced their energy use in its U.S. retail stores by nearly 7% and have begun using more energy-efficient store designs, and have begun implementing lighting systems that have energy savings from 20-40%. And the energy saving doesn’t stop there. Levi’s has also begun remodeling its corporate headquarters in San Francisco to a more eco-friendly design using recycled denim insulation, up cycled flooring, daylight harvesting light fixtures and sensors, high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, and furniture and construction materials that were either recycled or locally-sourced.

Consumers, it is your job to demand the best!
Lastly, demand for environmentally responsible design of stores and marketing materials needs to come from consumers. What consumers demand, is what stores will create and implement in order to keep their customers coming back time again. Therefore we are equally responsible in demanding stores that perform sustainable business practices.

This past semester in my Textiles in the World Marketplace course we have been studying the textile and apparel industries of several countries around the world. We have discussed economic treaties like NAFTA (North American Free Treaty Agreement), ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), as well as, how the apparel/textile global complex has come to affect the overall well being of each country’s inhabitants.

In class, we were required to read Factory Girls, a novel by Leslie T. Chang. The novel takes place during the 1990’s and explores the lives of female garment workers living in Dongguan. In the novel, the female garment workers were left with no other choice than to work for the garment factories, at low wages, and long hours in order to support their families back home.

Although it is twenty years later these issues I read about in Factory Girls are very much alive in today’s culture. The female garment workers of Cambodia work for $90 a month in order to support their family members back home. For most women this is the highest paying job they can get, as it also provides more security than working in the fields.

But it is not only the families of these Cambodian women that are depending on them, the government of Cambodia counts on these garment workers to boost its economy. After several years of recovering from political unrest, and the economic downfalls of 2009, with the garment industry shrinking 20% , good news was brought to Cambodians as the rise of export of garments grew to 24% in 2010. After losing several thousands of jobs in 2009 due to the global financial crisis, the garment and footwear industry has created 55,300 new jobs for Cambodians.

These new jobs have created employment for women and Cambodia’s large youth population. This has helped Cambodia significantly in raising its people out of poverty. In 1994 the number of inhabitants living in poverty was at 43% and decreased before the economic depression in 2009 to 34.79% due to the garment industry.

While there is still much to learn, what I have gained from this course and this story, is that there is another element to dressing “sustainably”. While purchasing from local designers, and reusing clothes cuts down our carbon footprint, I have to stop and think that if we didn’t make our clothes overseas, what would happen to these women of Cambodia and their families. Would their garment industry continue to thrive if it didn’t depend on large countries to export to, like the U.S.? It is something to think about and consider. A strong importance lies within fair trade fashion that by developing lasting business relationships you are not only helping your business to thrive, you are helping the people of a less developed country continue to grow.

Scientists in Singapore have recently discovered a method in developing naturally colored silk. The findings were first published in Advanced Materials, a weekly scientific journal, described as “intrinsically colored and luminescent silk.”

Not only does the traditional textile dyeing process depend heavily on water consumption, but it also requires toxic chemicals that seep into the environment. The textile industry is accountable for a significant percentage of industrial water pollution. Intrinsically colored silk completely eliminates the dyeing stage, ultimately reducing financial expenses, possible pollutants and the demand for water.

Silk is a natural protein fiber secreted by a silkworm when forming its cocoon. Cultivated silkworms are placed on a strict mulberry leaf diet, which is essential in order to produce fine, luxurious silk. In their research, Dr. Natalia Tansil and her team incorporated fluorescent dye into the usual diet, which in turn allowed the silkworms to produce colored silk when wounding their cocoons. Interestingly, the process does not alter the fiber’s desirable structure.

The intrinsic dyeing process is still in its developing stage, however, is a major breakthrough that may eventually aid in the textile industry becoming more environmentally efficient. Because the addition of the dye to the diet is substantially inexpensive compared to the conventional dyeing process, the advancement of intrinsic dye has the potential to catch on quickly. Like naturally colored cotton, the fiber’s color is created organically without the manual dyeing stage. Dr. Tansil and her team’s discovery may even further spark exploration in a similar dyeing process in other fibers, such as wool.

Photo by Institute of Materials Research and Engineering via Australian Geographic

Apparel labels are to inform us of the content of each piece of clothing we purchase. The information they are to disclose is the garment’s country of origin, brand, size and care conditions. Many consumers were not aware of the importance behind these labels until the last decade as the buzz around child labor laws and fair treatment of workers was brought to attention. Sadly it was not until bad news hit the headlines, but nonetheless it made us more aware of our little white labels inside our clothing.

Because of the reputation China and other large clothing production countries like India were given many consumer became weary of purchasing imported clothing as a whole. Made in USA became an easy recognizable way of thinking your clothing was produced ethically, in our country, giving jobs to our own workers, right? Wrong.

The truth is that only the final phase in the manufacturing of a garment is necessary to be in the country of which is stated as the “country of origin”. This is unfortunate as it gives consumers the false belief that these garments were produced and only touched by hands of our workers. In reality the cotton to make the 100% cotton, Made in USA, t-shirt could have been grown in China, shipped to Peru just for carding and spinning, then back to China for dyeing, to India for weaving into fabric, then finally to the United States to be cut and sewn into a t-shirt and distributed to retailers, wholesalers or online distribution centers. That is a lot of traveling for our little t-shirt!

Do not feel to shot down at this point, as I, being the fashion conscious environmentalist I am, did not know this until about a year and a half ago, when Professor Ulasewicz, our Chair on our Board of Advisors and professor of my Textiles in the World Marketplace class at San Francisco State, enlightened me. I can distinctly remember my her telling the class this and my good thoughts about Made in USA labels shattering, but I am here today with more knowledge to better understand how to decode these simple little white labels.

Misconceptions are also common with labels that read, made with love, or made just for you. These phrases are put on garments and it automatically means to consumers, made with better quality, but how do we actually know this and where was the garment really made. That t-shirt with the label reading, made with love, could very well have been made of cotton produced and picked by underpaid workers, and then shipped to underpaid workers in factories across the world.

The only way to ensure that your clothing was made in an ethical and environmentally conscious manner is to look for certifications the brand has acquired like, Fair Trade USA, Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO), Sustainable Cotton Initiative, Cradle to Cradle, or ask questions! If the designer states, made with love, on their labels, ask why? The designer could have had the garment produced in an ethical manner and not been certified because of the high cost of certifications. The most important thing to remember is to not take that little white label at face value, really question how far this garment has come, how it was produced and whether or not the workers were treated fairly.