Everyone knows that the term ‘organic’ means something is better for the environment, but often the specifics are unclear or just how much ‘better’ something is for the environment isn’t known. With organic fashion however, the statistics speak for themselves and its impact on the environment is obvious.
In the fashion industry, many third world farmers use pesticides to treat their cotton. So much so, that according to figures released from the World Health Organisation (WHO), 20,000 people die every year from pesticide poisoning in third world countries. Organic fashion is made without the use of these pesticides, so if everyone wore organic fashion, 20,000 fewer people would die each year. That alone should be enough reason to wear organic fashion items.
Eco fashion also applies to the way that animals are treated on farms in the production of materials, such as the sheep that provide wool for clothing. In ethical fashion, the sheep are treated well and are raised organically, without the barbaric processes often used on non organic farms. The same applies to leather, where the animals are raised organically – although organic leather is in much shorter supply than organic wool.
Eco fashion isn’t just a label; it means that no chemicals have been used in the creation of ethical fashion items. It means that animals have been treated fairly and have led a good life. It means that the risk of farmers contracting pesticide poisoning is nullified, reducing the death rate among third world workers.
