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    News — sustainable fashion

    How Ethical is Your Favourite Fashion Label?

    A comprehensive report has ranked all your favourite fashion labels based on how ethical and transparent their supply chains are, and whether workers have the right to a safe workplace, a living wage, and freedom from forced and child labour.

    Baptist World Aid Australia has launched its fifth and largest Ethical Fashion Report. This report grades 114 apparel companies (407 brands) from A to F on specific standards around the environment, labour and gender-discrimination, the systems that the companies have in place to uphold the rights of workers. Higher standards that correspond to the systems and processes brands have in place that reduce the risk of modern slavery, child labour and exploitation.

    This year, Baptist World Aid included two new standards — Gender-Based Discrimination and Environmental Impact which increases the effectiveness of the report by becoming even more robust in rating brands. In previous years the report focused solely on labour as the only definitive for ethical fashion. The increase in standards means brands who may have previously rated well, now receive a lower rating because the environment is now being considered.

    American retailer that focuses on upscale casual wear for young consumers, Abercrombie & Fitch has decreased its rating from a D+ in 2017 to a D in 2018 report.

    Several companies, such as Decjuba, Bras N Things, Trelise Cooper, Bloch and Wish, have received the lowest grade for consecutively failing to report on their manufacturing and sourcing processes. Their non-responsive attitude has ultimately seen them receive an F for demonstrating no transparency in the supply chain, nor any attempt to do so.

    Low-cost clothing chain Cotton On Group (which includes the brands Typo, Rubi, Supré, and Factorie) has turned around an ethical-fashion black mark to become one of the country’s top performers. Being one of the most improved performers, lifting its grade, from a B- in 2013 to an A in 2018.

    Women’s and men’s designer collection apparel, Calvin Klein has increased their rating from last year C+ to this year B- because of the addition of new standards.

    Only a small number of companies in the report were found to have exceptional labour rights management systems. A star performer was Melbourne’s label Etiko, their mission is to empower and lift people out of poverty and create a better life for themselves and their community.

    We believe such reporting has benefited consumers to look up their favourite brands and check their shopping impact. Another great way to do so would be to hop on the Good On You App, it has a collection of the top ethical brands from Australia.

    Thread Harvest: Shop Emma Watson’s Ethical Look for Under $250

    It’s no secret that we are big fans of Emma Watson here at TH HQ, so when Emma added Guest-Editor for Vogue Australia to her résumé we were very keen to hear what she had to say.

    Watson has long been a proponent of sustainable fashion. For her Beauty and the Beast  and The Circle  press tours, she only wore outfits that had been approved by a sustainability consulting group, Eco-Age, and documented it on Instagram. For the March 2018 Vogue Australia edition, she partnered with Aussie-based Tech company, Good On You to rate the brands she highlighted. If you haven’t downloaded their app (where have you been!?) you should definitely do so right now!

    What we love most about Emma is that she fully embodies the philosophy that it’s possible to look good and do good at the same time with what you wear. So we decided to take some of her most classic looks and show you how easy it is to have an Emma Watson Wardrobe.

    Don’t forget: Get 10% off on your first order from Thread Harvest.

    Rocking the Pixie cut, Emma shows us that “casual” and “lace” do go together and we couldn’t agree more. Our Raven Top does the same, showing just a flash of skin.

     

    Raven Top by Threads 4 Thought

     

    Classic style at it finest! Recreate Emma’s look with The Voyager Shirt from Tasi Travels. Tucked in or tied-up – you can’t go wrong either way!

    Voyager Shirt by Tasi Travels

    Emma shows us why The LBD should be a staple in any ethical wardrobe! We love the Karis Dress by Threads 4 Thought, it’s the perfect day-to-night piece.

     

    Karis Dress  by  Threads 4 Thought

    Where would we be without gorgeous ethical accessories to complete the look!? We love Emma’s taste in jewellery and whilst we couldn’t find an image of her wearing a Giving Key, we believe this pic is proof that Keys never go out style.

     

    Dainty Pendant Necklace by The Giving Keys

    So there you have it – an Emma Watson Wardrobe is easy to find, especially when we have taken the guesswork out of it for you.

    Each brand we partner with must meet 2-3 of our Impact Badges. For example, The Giving Keys meet the standard for Employing The Marginalised and Upcycling their products, while Threads 4 Thought use sustainable materials to make products while respecting their employees and treat them humanely and fairly. They meet the Eco-Friendly, Fair Trade and Organic impact badges. The Tasi Travels range if primarily made from Tencel, the most environmentally friendly fabrics available while empowering women. Thus, they meet for the standards of Cause Supporting, Living Wage and Empowering Women.

    We want to hear from you – what’s your Emma Watson Wardrobe staple item you can’t live without? Share in the comments below!

    How Green is Your Red Rose?

    The influx of overpriced flowers, tacky-shaped heart chocolates and the distant sound of a stampede to the nearest card shop can only mean one thing. Valentine’s Day is around the corner.

    But before you make your romance bloom, have you ever wondered where it’s all come from? Just how green is the red rose?

    Flowers are imported to Australia from countries like Kenya, Vietnam and Ecuador. Employees in the flower industry in those countries are often exploited, live in poverty and/or work in inadequate working conditions. Some earn as little as $1 a day for a regular shift, which could be up to 12 hours a day. Many are exposed to dangerous chemicals without protection or compensation.

    Despite growing demand for sweet treats, many small producers struggle to earn a sustainable income. Disease and age are damaging cocoa trees, and rising production costs mean farmers and their families remain in poverty. Child labour, a significant issue in the cocoa industry, is perpetuated by poverty and unfair terms of trade.

    So how can you do your bit? What changes can you make to promote fair trade and ensure a slave-free Valentine’s Day? Thread Harvest has a few ideas.

    You could shop for ethical gifts which send a meaning to your loved ones, like the Giving Keys, where each key is unique and meaningful in design, and supports job creation for people transitioning out of homelessness.

    We know they say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach but we think his feet are where it’s at. Instead of chocolates or beer this Valentine’s Day, why not give him a pair of socks that provides 18 months of clean drinking water, or plants trees to fight deforestation, or ends poverty? A longer lasting gift says so much more!

    Emma Watson is Vegan!

    Emma Watson is Vegan!

    Well kind of.

    The definition of Veganism “is both the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A follower of either the diet or the philosophy is known as a vegan.”
    which means technically she is a vegan given she rejects the commodity status of animals, however, is not a follower of the diet.

    Regardless of her food choices, Emma is the epitome of sustainable style and ethics always promoting ethical and sustainable fashion in all her red carpet looks. We particularly love her Met Gala dress which was made from recycled plastic.

    Emma also signed up for the Green Carpet Challenge in 2015, agreeing that every single piece she wears on the red carpet would be sustainable. Leading the charge in promoting sustainable fashion with other celebrities like Alicia Silverstone, Pharrell Williams, Kate Mara, and dozens more committed to making cruelty-free and Eco-friendly fashion mainstream.

    Emma chose to wear a whole host of brands on her Beauty & Beast movie tour, which included animal-free footwear using sustainable materials such as canvas, hemp, and faux leather produced from recycled plastic bottles. She wore clothes from the world’s first luxury brand that is committed to producing products that do not use leather, skins, feathers or fur. Emma recently launched her ethical fashion Instagram page: The Press Tour which has now over 500,000 followers, she promotes sustainable fashion because she truly believes in it.


    In a recent interview she said

    “I’ve wanted to move away from calling anything ‘green,’ ‘eco,’ or ‘sustainable’, because those words are very non-descriptive in most ways! It’s very difficult to know what they actually mean.”

    She has an in-depth understanding of the fashion industry and has been a great influence over the years.

    Although the star does not follow a vegan diet, her choice to give exposure to cruelty-free, vegan and PETA approved ethical brands on and beyond her tour can only be a good thing for the fashion industry.

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