A survey, carried out by Populus, reveals that while the overall rating of every other high street clothing retailer has either gone up or remained steady over the past year, Primark’s has fallen. The findings follow a recent Panorama investigation, revealing that some Primark suppliers in India were contracting out embroidery to firms that used child labour. And a survey by Drapers, the fashion industry magazine, shows that – as a result of the controversy – 44% of Primark shoppers say they would switch to another retailer.

The Populus survey also showed that nearly half of the consumers who expressed concern said that that their biggest worry when judging a clothing retailer is its treatment of workers in developing countries. Quality beat price as the most important factor when it comes to deciding where to buy an item of clothing for most consumers, reflecting a prevailing feeling that consumers are seeking value in terms of quality now that we’ve entered the credit crunch, rather than merely paying the cheapest price.

Such concerns are addressed by The Organic Exchange and Dutch-based fashion transparency label MADE-BY who have created an event focusing on sustainable fashion in Europe. It will be held at The National Library in Copenhagen, Denmark on 2^nd and 3^rd December. The theme of the event will be how retailers can respond to changes in consumer opinion and the shifting economic situation. There will also be talks on eco-friendly fabrics, consumer communication and marketing and textile labelling and certification.

And there’s a supply line response to this issue too. Intertek has launched a new system for measuring the environmental and socially responsible performance of textile mills. The new Mill Qualification Program (MQP) picks up on the challenges faced by retailers and brands to assist suppliers achieving their social, environmental and quality expectations. MQP quality evaluations cover the stages of textile production: fibre production, fibre processing and spinning, yarn preparation, fabric production, bleaching, dyeing, printing and finishing.

It’s been forty years since the swinging sixties, when the T-shirt has become a must-have for all summer wardrobes. But today it’s not the old tie-dyed version that has to be considered as both a fashion and a political statement.   The modern T-shirt has to be made of organic cotton and generally bears a slogan for a charity or cause.  Everybody from H&M to M&S has found room for T-shirts made of environmentally-friendly materials, most of them with slogans like ‘preserve Mother Earth’ or ‘no sweat in my T-shirt’ with a picture of a sweatshop worker underneath.  

According to a recent MSNBC report, around 2 billion T-shirts were sold worldwide in 2007 and this year sales will rise again.   Choices for organic versions of the classic T-shirt include hemp, bamboo, tencel, soy fabric, modal and organic cotton and while wearing a T-shirt is an obvious way to promote a favourite cause or announce a belief system, it also helps to save the planet. Literacy T-shirt courtesy of Wrote

The supermarket chain has announced that it’s found a new way to deal with that pesky plastic packaging we all complain about – by turning it into clothing that it will sell back to us!

 Apparently, in the next twelve months, we can expect to see clothes on their shelves made from recycled plastic that has been thrown away by shops or returned to recycling bins, including: soft drink bottles, fruit and vegetable packaging, and even meat trays.  The plastic waste will be made into shirts, T-shirts, trousers and skirts which will then be sold at around 250 large Sainsbury’s stores, at a price comparable to the Tu fashion range that is Sainsbury’s in-house line. The clothes will be manufactured in Europe to save on transport emissions and costs, and in addition, Sainsbury’s has committed to having only Fair Trade cotton clothing in the next two years. 

It’s an interesting approach – but several commentators from the sustainability world have already suggested that Sainsbury’s would do better to reduce packaging in the first place, and some consumers have raised their eyebrows at the idea of being asked to pay for clothing made from packaging recycled through Sainsbury’s, as it does seem a bit like paying twice for the same thing!

Recycling bins courtesy of soylentgreen23