October 2008
Is it best to source clothes locally, or from overseas?
Just as our fridges are stocked with international goodies, most British wardrobes hail from all four corners of the globe. But can such an international haul really sit comfortably in an ethical wardrobe?
Clothes miles
We've got used to worrying about food miles – most people agree it's madness to import apples from New Zealand when they're ripe in Kent. So should we have similar qualms about the carbon footprint of clothes from the other side of the world?
Transporting anything unnecessary distances causes environmental damage, but locally produced fashion doesn't necessarily have the lowest eco impact. Production processes in developing countries tend to be based on low-carbon manual labour, whereas in Europe they're highly mechanized, using energy at every stage.
Buying handmade, locally produced clothes can overcome this problem, but the most energy goes into a garment's lifecycle during washing and drying. So, to minimise your wardrobe's carbon footprint, it may be better to choose clothes you can wash less often, at lower temperatures, and without tumble drying, than just trimming clothes miles.
The human costs and benefits of global fashion
The UK used to be a big fabric manufacturer, but the rag trade has moved abroad because UK producers can't compete with low production costs in places where wages are low and working conditions often harshly unfair. (M&S argue that retaining British production would have made their clothes 3–5 times more expensive than the rest of the high street).
But buying from developing countries doesn't have to exacerbate this unfairness. UK manufacturers which used to produce for companies like M&S are now increasingly acting as agents for manufacturers abroad. Some have developed partnerships with factories to bring major long-term benefits to the communities they're based in. And Fairtrade schemes such as those overseen by the Fairtrade Foundation require companies to pay sustainable prices (never below market price), helping developing world communities address basic needs we take for granted – food, shelter, healthcare and education.
So should you buy global or local?
If clothes are produced and priced fairly (for example, through a Fairtrade scheme), buying from overseas can help people in developing countries to trade their way out of poverty. In the long term, raising standards elsewhere should help to make the UK competitive again.
Meanwhile, it's worth supporting the small UK and European companies that are harnessing local products and talent to produce attractive local fashion. Companies such as From Somewhere (an Italian firm which trains disadvantaged young people to make witty pieces using scraps from European textile mills), Ardalanish Isle of Mull Weavers (a producer of beautiful organic tweeds, handmade from the wool of native Hebridean sheep) and Unicorn Design (pictured left, an Irish company that uses certified organic or eco-dyed fabrics made under fair conditions) are helping to safeguard local skills and employment. They're supporting and collaborating with local communities, often have more accountable production processes than overseas manufacturers, and are turning out much more than kilts these days!
Joanna Yarrow is a broadcaster, writer and consultant specialising in green living. She's GMTV's eco expert and presented BBC Three's Outrageous Wasters
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