Ethically made custom t-shirts can be great for the environment.
Custom t-shirts are a great way to promote your business and create unique gifts, but not many people stop to think about how they are made and who is making them.
Without proper considerations, clothing production can have a negative effect on the environment. There are over 15 million tonnes of textile materials going to waste every year, and that number isn’t slowing.
In addition to copious amounts of waste, the industry often suffers from exploitation – leaving many workers underpaid. It’s why you need to care about what you are buying and where it’s coming from.
Thankfully manufacturers like PrintLocker are dedicated to creating and promoting ethically made clothing.
Our accreditation with FLA (Fair Labour Association) and WRAP (Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production) prove our commitment to caring about the workers who make our cotton t-shirts and their safety. We’re committed to providing our customers with ethically made clothing.
Customise your own ethically made clothing by heading over to our custom t-shirt designer tool.
What is ethical fashion?
You’ve probably heard this term used before but may not understand what it really means. Ethical fashion focuses on being aware of the social and environmental impacts of fashion production.
This design philosophy aims to improve the working conditions of labourers and aims to help minimise the environmental footprint throughout the fashion industry.
The end goal of ethical fashion is to create a sustainable system of clothing production for small and large fashion labels. Ethically made clothing should be a goal for all fashion labels looking to make a positive impact on the world.
Why does this matter?
Fast fashion now dominates the fashion industry. This has seen major clothing brands prioritise new styles according to new trends which peak in popularity and die out fast.
Fast fashion has seen labels continually pushing out cheaply made and “disposable” clothing for customers. As a result of this, factory workers in developing countries are often treated poorly and paid unfairly. They may also be working in unsafe environments, putting their lives at risk every day.
Everyone should be able to feel safe at work and work in a clean environment that will not be harmful to their health. Sadly, not everyone is afforded this luxury, which is why the ethical fashion movement is so important.
The environment
As well as the impacts that clothing production has on humans, the effect on the environment should also be considered. If we don’t take steps towards reducing our ecological footprint from clothing production, there won’t be much left of the environment for future generations to enjoy.
A recent study from ethically made clothing ambassadors, Greenpeace found that over 80 billion pieces of clothing are produced every year. Three out of four of these pieces will end up in landfill or be destroyed. Sadly, only one-quarter of these items are recycled.
Textile and water wastage are only two of the major issues caused by mass clothing production. Textile dyeing is still the world’s second largest polluter of clean water with approximately 1.7 million tonnes of chemicals used every year.
How you can make a difference
With people becoming more aware of how their clothing is produced, certain standards and accreditation groups have arisen. These groups give clothing suppliers the ability to improve their manufacturing process and for customers to identify ethically made clothing.
At PrintLocker, we only use water-based inks, offer organic products and only use WRAP certified suppliers. If you want to create your own personalised t-shirts with an ethical t-shirt printing company, PrintLocker can help you get started.
Contact PrintLocker on 03 9858 3292 to find out more about getting ethically made custom t-shirts.
