My jeans are starting to get worn in the seat (common cyclist problem) and I'll have to replace them within the next couple of months (pants with holes in the butt aren't really wearable haha). Generally, I try to buy sustainable products because I think our culture and its consumption patterns exploits people and taxes the environment to a dangerous extent. I don't want to be part of the problem, so I try to buy products that do less harm. I realize that at the end of the day, it's not really possible to live a 100% harm-free, sustainable lifestyle. Sometimes, I have to buy things that don't fit my "ideal" because I can't afford the alternatives and sometimes, better alternatives don't really exist. However, that doesn't stop me from at least trying.
Now, I find jeans problematic for a few reasons. For one, cotton is pretty resource intensive and taxes the environment. Synthetic blue dye is also pretty harmful. On the labour end, even higher end denim companies tend to rely on low-wage labour overseas. I figure my options are generally buying from a eco/fair trade brand (I found a few of them kicking around) or buying a pair of second hand jeans. So far, my general feelings and research lean towards the following:
Eco/fair trade:
-Sustainably sourced and produced
-Workers paid a fair wage
-May still have issues somewhere in the supply chain. The supply chain for fashion is fairly long and complicated and there is lots of room for abuse there.
-I can try them on and see them in person (I'd go for a store here that sells sustainable clothing over an online shop, I think)
Second hand:
-Cheaper
-Does not involve any new resources
-Reduces waste
-Still involved unsustainable practices on their initial production
-Can't try them on - I am smaller than average and the selection in second hand stores is really limited here...I'll look, but I think I'm limited to eBay
-Involves shipping an individual item through the post (ie car), unless I can find a pair that fits at a thrift store.
I know that a lot of people here are into sustainable living, so I thought I'd ask for some additional input!
Now, I find jeans problematic for a few reasons. For one, cotton is pretty resource intensive and taxes the environment. Synthetic blue dye is also pretty harmful. On the labour end, even higher end denim companies tend to rely on low-wage labour overseas. I figure my options are generally buying from a eco/fair trade brand (I found a few of them kicking around) or buying a pair of second hand jeans. So far, my general feelings and research lean towards the following:
Eco/fair trade:
-Sustainably sourced and produced
-Workers paid a fair wage
-May still have issues somewhere in the supply chain. The supply chain for fashion is fairly long and complicated and there is lots of room for abuse there.
-I can try them on and see them in person (I'd go for a store here that sells sustainable clothing over an online shop, I think)
Second hand:
-Cheaper
-Does not involve any new resources
-Reduces waste
-Still involved unsustainable practices on their initial production
-Can't try them on - I am smaller than average and the selection in second hand stores is really limited here...I'll look, but I think I'm limited to eBay
-Involves shipping an individual item through the post (ie car), unless I can find a pair that fits at a thrift store.
I know that a lot of people here are into sustainable living, so I thought I'd ask for some additional input!
Comment