Fairtrade Steering Group Takes Part in Fashion Revolution Week

The Alanus University Fairtrade Group raises awareness of sustainable fashion and conscious consumption.

Since 2018, Alanus University has held the official title of Fairtrade University. We have, among others, former students to thank for this, as they founded the Fairtrade steering group. Our goal is to draw attention to fair trade and to provide information about the working and living conditions of people in the Global South. Until 24 April, the “Fashion Revolution Week” is taking place. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is being held digitally.

Fashion Revolution Week is an annual campaign week dedicated to the topic of fair fashion. Through awareness-raising work, it advocates sustainable development and fair working conditions in garment production for millions of people. Under the motto “Who made my clothes?”, people all over the world are being called upon this week to ask fashion labels where their clothes come from. This simple question is intended to put pressure on brands and retailers to create more transparency throughout the supply chain.

The coronavirus is having a severe impact on the lives of countless people who produce our clothing. Due to the pandemic, global trade is “on hold,” resulting in unexpected production stoppages. As a result, many retailers and fashion brands are currently cancelling the productions they commissioned (cancellations worth more than 1.5 billion dollars in Bangladesh alone) and stopping their payments. They are taking no responsibility whatsoever for the people working in their supply chains. The consequence is that millions of people are currently losing their jobs and thus their livelihoods. At the same time, these people are the most vulnerable and lowest-paid workers in the fashion supply chain, with no financial or social safety nets and who were previously only just able to cover their living costs. More on the topic Impact of Covid-19 on the people who sew our clothes.

With our campaign, we would like to inform you via the university’s social media channels about the textile industry, Fashion Revolution, and sustainable fashion. We would also like to encourage you to question your own everyday relationship with fashion and to ask yourselves #whomademyclothes?

To make it easier for you to get started with more conscious and sustainable clothing consumption, we have a few tips for you:
Of course, you should not throw your clothes in the bin and replace them with a whole new fair fashion wardrobe. Even if you have only bought fast fashion up to now, you should definitely wear your clothes for as long as possible. More than 100,000 tonnes of clothing are thrown away in Germany every year. The quality of the clothes plays less of a role here. Rather, it is about trends and fashion. For precisely these clothes, there are now many alternatives, such as flea markets, clothes swap parties, and online second-hand shops. These options allow us to handle clothes more consciously and reduce consumption. Borrowing, swapping, and recycling also offer ways to use clothes sustainably.

Of course, there are also brands that sell Fairtrade-certified fashion and make their production and supply chains transparent. On the one hand, emphasis is placed on environmentally friendly materials; on the other, social aspects such as fair working conditions are taken into account.
We look forward to revolutionising the fashion industry together with you.

Stop by and join in – on Instagram and Facebook.

Kind regards
Your Fairtrade Steering Group