The future of fashion

EJF‘s reports and films help to build consumer and retailer awareness of the true costs of cotton and the fast fashion industry. EJF urges buyers to choose their cotton carefully, and calls on manufacturers and retailers to develop transparent product labelling, support a far faster transition to organic cotton production and bring an end to harmful textile production.

EJF is encouraging designers and retailers to address human and environmental injustices in our 5 Point Plan to Protect People, Nature and Our Shared World.

EJF is calling on the fashion industry to:

• Commit to supply chain transparency, traceability and disclosure. Transparency lies at the heart of sustainability. EJF is asking fashion brands and retailers to map their full supply chain, from soil to store, identifying and addressing environmental risks. Transparency also means making vital information publicly available, contributing to open-source data platforms to inform consumers, support change and benefit the wider industry.

• Commit to decarbonising the fashion industry by 2030 by using 100% recycled, organic or regeneratively produced raw materials, phasing out the use of virgin synthetic fibres such as polyester and acrylic, and by switching to renewable energy and sustainable transportation in supply chains.

• Commit to protecting biodiversity and natural environments by setting science-led, timebound, externally-assessed and measurable targets for impact reduction.

• Commit to supporting the wellbeing and human rights of workers throughout fashion’s supply chain by identifying and addressing where people and communities are at greatest risk of harm.
  

• Commit to addressing over-consumption by identifying opportunities for reducing production by volume, placing value on quality and durability, and introducing circularity into business models.

We urge governments, the European Union and other trading partners to support traceable supply chains and the eradication of forced and child labour in textile production. This can be achieved by bringing a ‘carding system’ into the Forced Labour Regulation currently being drafted in the European Parliament.

EJF encourages consumers to recognise the power their decisions make in shaping the future of fashion. Our work promoting the organic cotton movement helps buyers to choose products that ensure our shared right to a secure environment and protect communities around the world. As consumers, we also need to make clear our expectations of retailers, demanding that they create effective plans to achieve decarbonisation and supply chain transparency.

As part of our Cotton Campaign in 2006, EJF launched its own organic, fairly-traded and climate neutral t-shirt line. This line continues today, amplifying our messages and contributing to the vital work we do across all our campaigns.

Working with high-profile celebrities and designers - including Katharine Hamnett, Christian Lacroix, Luella, Vivienne Westwood, Lily Cole and Jenny Packham - Just-For shows that sustainable cotton can be fashionable and affordable, with t-shirts designed to last from one season to the next.

Offering bespoke designs, with a carbon footprint 90% lower than a conventional, non-organic t-shirt, all of the profits from our sales go back into EJF projects and campaigns uncovering and combating environmental and human rights abuses across the globe. Visit the shop here.