Can a $5 T-shirt ever be ethical?
Everyone loves a bargain, right? But can a $5 t-shirt ever be ethical?
Probably not, says Lisa McEwan, AUT senior lecturer in design for sustainability and fashion.
While Max sells women's T-shirts for about $50, Temu lists them at $5 or $7. Glassons might sell jeans for $60, but Shein has them for $20. And the market is being inundated with cheap, off-shore products.
GDP data shows a steady increase in the imports of "low-value goods". There was an 18% jump between December and March and then another 3% in the quarter to June. Imports are up more than 50% compared to March last year.
Lisa says while "democratised" clothing allows people on lower incomes access to a broader range of clothing options, the fact is extremely cheap clothing cannot be made ethically.
"Externalised costs such as environmental impacts are simply not factored in, nor are the raft of human costs, such as arduous working hours, prolonged separation from family, exposure to the textile toxins and unsafe workplaces."
She says people need to ask themselves if they really need to buy a particular item.
"Yes, fast fashion has allowed the less well-off in our communities to be able to feel well dressed. However, the impossibly low prices have encouraged shoppers across the board to buy throwaway fashion garments that they might literally wear only once. There are much better options for shoppers who want, and have the budget, to buy better.
"If they do, and they want to be sure it has been made ethically, the best thing they can do is to buy a T-shirt made in Aotearoa, because here we have a minimum wage provisions and legal protections that prevent worker exploitation. I am not suggesting that all offshore workers are exploited, but the problem with supply chains is that they are murky, so even with the best will in the world, a New Zealand company might still find its garments being made unethically.”
Lisa says it's important we stop characterising clothing as a consumer product. “We consume food, but we shouldn't 'consume' clothing. So firstly, we need to buy less, and secondly we need to buy garments with longevity - enduring styles made from high quality fabrics, from companies with robust social and environmental policies."
She says people need to return to the practice of saving up and spending judiciously on fewer but better clothes. And we should also be aware of schemes like the Better Cotton Initiative and buying from fair trade organisations.