Ethical Clothing was founded with a simple goal, to make ethical decisions easier when it comes to buying clothes and accessories.

Despite being clued up on ethical shopping, we didn’t know a single place to find a large range of ethical clothing from different brands. Because of course, in order to make ethical purchase decisions we need to find authentic ethical options first, and this is where it gets complicated.

The problem is that the fashion industry has become expert at green washing, pulling the wool over our eyes, leading us to believe that all is fair, humane, and environmentally conscious. Many brands know exactly what to say, and how to ‘dress up’ their products with sustainable messaging, whilst falling so far short on the fundamentals, such as supply chain transparency, fabric choice, build quality, human rights, and recycling.

Behind the haze of branding and carefully curated narratives, there are products, and what really matters is how these products are sourced, manufactured, and disposed of at the end of life. This is the part we almost never see, and there’s a reason for it…

Over the last 20 years, the explosion of fast fashion has led to a doubling of clothing production, and a shift in culture. We now consume and dispose of clothing faster than ever before. We want what we see, and we want it for a price that’s simply unsustainable.

But somewhere, someone or something, always pays a price for our unrealistic demands. This aggressive consumerism has generated an industry that’s already stretching natural resources and people to their limits.

The fashion industry is broken.

It’s now moving at such a pace that it creates 10% of global CO2 emissions, a figure that’s expected to reach 26% by 2050. Textile dying alone already accounts for 20% of global waste water. And cotton production uses 16% of the world’s pesticides. We could go on, but needless to say, we are sleepwalking into an environmental disaster.

Unfortunately, the overwhelming majority of the industry has put profit ahead of sustainability time and time again. As consumers we have to lead the way, and our currency really does count. So, through conscientious purchasing decisions we can help grow the small section of the industry that puts ethics at the top of their agenda.

Ethical brands do exist, and there are perhaps even more than you think. By supporting these brands, and neglecting those that are blatantly unsustainable, together we can make the incremental changes needed to drive a new, cleaner, conscientious fashion industry, that’s fit for the future.

Knowing our own limitations we set out to do our bit to help you, the consumer, to find ethical clothing more easily. Our first incarnation of the platform attempts to conglomerate products from the top ethical retailers in Europe, so you can discover them all from one site.

With time, we’ll develop our algorithms to ensure that every product we are listing is ranked and graded, to help customers understand exactly how ethical/sustainable a product is.

Finally, before you buy anything we encourage you to stop and ask yourself - do i really need this? As the first step in this battle is to stem our personal level of consumption. Then with forethought and consideration, we hope to help you make your necessary purchases as ethical as possible.

Thanks,

The EC Team :)