What Is Ethical Clothing
From the start, we at Doxa Clothing wanted to ensure that child labour would not be a part of the process of creating our garments, and we can guarentee that the products we offer are sweatshop-free. We didn’t want to compromise what we stand for, just to gain a quick buck.
“If you describe something as ethical, you mean that it is morally right or morally acceptable.” – Collins English Dictionary
Here at Doxa we are striving to take this even further. We are DESPERATE to help reduce poverty, to offer skills and thus create a way of income for people that is sustainable and to minimise environmental issues/concerns.
What does this mean?
The clothing factory that is used for Doxa Clothing is audited by the ‘Fair Wear Foundation’. Effectively this means that companies who join this and follow their code of practice, ensure that there is No use of child labour, No use of forced labour, Safe and healthy working conditions, Legal labour contracts, Payment of living wage, and reasonable working hours.
We are delighted to be supporting this code and morals at the ‘grass roots level’ of production.
Along with fair wages and working hours and conditions etc, we also feel that as humans on this earth, we have a responsibility to maintain it and not to destroy it. In the next step of getting the product to us, shipping is involved.
What does this mean?
The Carbon Footprint of a product is the total the amount of CO2 and other greenhouse gases emitted as part of a product’s manufacture, distribution, use and disposal. Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are so called because they trap heat in the Earth’s atmosphere and keep the planet warm.
The majority (soon to be ALL) of our products are EarthPositive apparel which is 100% Organic with 90% Reduced CO2
This huge reduction has been reached via a combination of low-impact organic farming, efficiency in manufacturing and transportation (meaning our products are shipped by sea and not by air where possible) and the use of renewable energy.
What does this mean?
As our clothing supplier website says: Cotton, the most valuable non-food agricultural product, is labelled as the world’s “dirtiest” crop.
Vomiting, paralysis, incontinence, coma, seizures and death are some of the many side effects suffered by farmers and children in the developing world who are routinely exposed to pesticides, many of which are banned or restricted in use in the West.
Steve Trent, Director of Environmental Justice Foundation, says “With no less than 99% of the world’s cotton farmers living in the developing world, the pesticides are applied in fields where illiteracy is high and safety awareness is low, putting both the environment and lives at risk”. He adds “The dangers faced by poor illiterate children and farmers, to keep our clothes cheap, is unacceptable”.
At Doxa, it is vital that we stand up for what we believe is right, and this again is another step in the right direction.
GOTS (global organic textile standard). The aim of these standards is to define requirements to ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end consumer.
The following social criteria currently apply to the textile processing level only. As far as a practical quality assurance system for the farm level will be in place, these social criteria also apply for the farm level:
- Employment is freely chosen
- There is no forced or bonded labour
- Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected
- Working conditions are safe and hygienic
- Child labour must not be used
- Living wages
- Working hours are not excessive
- No discrimination is practised
- Regular employment is provided
- Harsh or inhumane treatment is prohibited
Read the full standard here
