Eco- labelling:-
- A scheme being piloted by the EC on t- shirts and bed- linen in Denmark.
- Products must pass a strict set of criteria before being deemed worthy of carrying the eco- label.
- The criteria examine key features of the products life cycle e.g. consumption of water.
- The “cradle to grave” approach (judging the “greenness” of a product right through its life cycle):
Textile recycling:-
- The recycling of woollen textiles into a fibre form suitable for re- spinning has been an industry in England for about 200 years and was started by Samuel law in Yorkshire.
- Although textile recycling has expanded it’s still on a small scale compared to the glass and paper recycling industries.
- Up to 1 million tonnes of old textiles end up in rubbish tips and landfills every year, when 95% of this is suitable for recycling.
- The textile recycling industry can only be expanded to meet demand. Customers need to be persuaded to by a recycled textile product in order to increase the demand.
- The benefits of textile recovery (recycling) are that it:
- Can reduce the amount of landfill space used.
- Reduces the demand for virgin (new, unused) resources.
- Helps the nation’s balance of payments because of the need to import less.
- Reduces pollution and saves energy because the fibres do not have to be imported from abroad in large quantities.
- Because the fabrics aren’t new they don’t need to be dyed etc so extensively so energy is saved because not so many processes need to take place.
- Produces less effluent. E.g. wool has to be washed thoroughly when new, so it uses up vast amounts of water.
- There is a reduction in the use of dyes and agents used to fix colour, some of which may be a risk to the environment.
“Evergreen”:-
Evergreen was started in1990 after many months of planning. The company aims to produce attractive garments with reduced environmental impact by using large quantities of recycled fibre.
The main fibre that Evergreen work with is recycled wool, although cotton and some synthetics are now also being used.
Only mild chemicals are used, when needed and environmentally harmful processes are avoided when possible.
Recycled products must be marketable because a customer won’t buy products of poor quality just because they are made from recycled fibres and have the “green” image.
Pg. 132, Organic cotton.
1) Large scale production of cotton affects the environment and the people in it by using vast amounts of water, (often where there is a draught, as well as up to 20,000 people’s deaths from pesticide poisoning each year.
2) a) (1) The benefits of growing organic cotton are that no chemicals are needed for the use of picking because it is all done by hand and is not treated with poisonous chemicals throughout the production process.
(2) The drawbacks to growing organic cotton is that only small crops can be grown at one time because it all takes up too much time and energy and it costs more for the consumers to buy because A LOT of time and effort has been put in to the growing of the crop.
b) I think so little organic cotton is produced because it costs so much to buy and sustain.
c) Cotton is such a popular fibre because it is so versatile. It can be produced into denim for jeans, velvet for dresses etc.
b) I think growing organic cotton on a mass scale would help the environment because no chemicals would be needed so no one would get ill. If everyone bought organic textile products then eventually the price of them would go down because it would become the normal thing to wear and the makers of the product would want to please their customers.
Pg. 134, Oxfam.
1) I think Oxfam launched its clothes code campaign because they could see the problems that developing countries have and they way they treat their people who work in the clothing industry. It’s inhumane and Oxfam campaign against the unfair treatment of human beings.
2) I think the lives of the people working in the clothing industry will change for the better if the clothes code campaign is successful. Their quality of life will be better because they would be being paid enough to support their families, they wouldn’t be forced in to working, their work place would be a safer environment, and they would not have to exhaust themselves by working long hours.
3) I think the retailer would maybe have to increase their prices to cope with the (probable) increase in their workers wages.
4) We need to consider the workers when mass producing textile items, because it’s them who matter more. People need to work in safe environments with fair, equal treatment and quality of life.
Pg. 141, The Rugmark.
1) In September 1994 the Rugmark scheme was set up to ensure that child labour had not been used in the rug or carpet’s manufacture. The aim of the scheme was to preserve the carpet industry in India but to force it to employ adults rather than children
2) Indian carpet exporters wishing to use the Rugmark have to register their looms. The label carries a code enabling the carpet to be traced to both the exporter and the specific loom. Spot checks are carried out on all registered looms.
3) The effect, the use of child labour in south east Asia, has on the British carpet industry is bad because people shy away from buying rugs that they think have been made by a child. Most people know how wrong it is and want to something about it but don’t know how and most people think that by NOT buying rugs from India etc. then they are helping the problem.
4) I think the supporters of the Rugmark scheme need to publicise it more. Most people have never heard of the Rugmark so they cannot back it. If plenty of people backed the scheme then I’m sure it would be adopted in Britain. They also need to explain how and why the Rugmark scheme works so that people understand it al better.
- If people agree with the argument that it’s the price of a textile item that counts rather than its how and where the item was produced, then their argument would be that everything in this country costs too much anyway and they shouldn’t see why they should have to spend more in a rug just because it was made by an adult rather than a child, that they don’t even know or care for.
A person’s argument, if we should care more about where our products come from, would then be about the inhumane ness of it all and how would we feel if it was our children forced to work for nothing constantly.
Both of these are valid points that need careful consideration.