Summer is approaching, and the conundrum of swimwear is on your mind. Putting aside the obvious woes of swimwear shopping, this year you\u2019re looking to buy \u201cethically.\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you buy one brand\u2019s bikini made entirely from abandoned ocean plastic, but in a Bangladeshi factory with underpaid workers? Or do you buy from a local brand with zero environmental commitments that produces in an Australian factory and abides by fair working standards?<\/p>\n
What if you manage to unearth an ethically-sound and <\/em>environmentally-friendly bikini, but there\u2019s a pre-order list, it costs $650, and it\u2019s only stocked in sizes 6 to 12. Might you be forgiven for throwing ethics to the wind and grabbing whatever bikini you feel half decent in at the local mall?<\/p>\n The point is, values compete and so does the discrepancy between how \u2014 ideally \u2014 you would like to consume, and what \u2014 realistically \u2014 is available to you. While you may set out to uphold certain standards, that often doesn\u2019t translate to what\u2019s available, and even when it does, those products are not necessarily accessible or suited to everyone\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n The multidimensional nature of the issue makes it virtually impossible for the average consumer to make purchases completely free of ethical flaws. Even with the best intentions, honouring one standard may violate another. While ethical consumerism has become fashion\u2019s latest buzzword, it\u2019s never been easier to feel powerless in this dizzying economy. And here\u2019s why.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a new generation rising in the fashion industry that is witnessing a rapid emergence of brands with sustainable credentials. Buying clothes that are mindfully made has never been easier, but is it really better to buy sustainable than it is to buy less<\/a>?<\/p>\n The fact remains that Australia throws away about 6000kg of clothing every 10 minutes, 85 per cent of which winds up in landfill, a fact revealed by War on Waste<\/em>, an ABC<\/em> three-part documentary that aired in 2017. Explicitly branded sustainable or otherwise, clothes thrown away contribute to the inordinate amount of waste polluting the earth.<\/p>\n A \u201cgreen\u201d clothing campaign that encourages consumers to buy more isn\u2019t a fix; it\u2019s reinforcing the problem. As long as wants are valued over needs, and the trend cycle continues to churn, the aspirational culture of consumerism will continue to damage the planet, regardless of how consumption is greenwashed.<\/p>\nIssue #1: Buying sustainable versus buying less<\/h1>\n