WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.000 [Yen Pham] Hi, everyone. My name is Yen. 00:00:02.000 --> 00:00:04.000 I'm an Eco Rep here at the Office Sustainability, 00:00:04.000 --> 00:00:07.000 and today we'll be talking to you all about ethical purchasing, 00:00:07.000 --> 00:00:09.000 more so in the realm of fashion, 00:00:09.000 --> 00:00:11.000 and what this means it can look like in your life. 00:00:11.000 --> 00:00:15.000 Let's just go over the definition of ethical purchasing. 00:00:15.000 --> 00:00:18.000 What this means, it's a type of consumer activism 00:00:18.000 --> 00:00:20.000 that is based on the concept of dollar voting. 00:00:20.000 --> 00:00:22.000 So you're voting with your money 00:00:22.000 --> 00:00:24.000 and whenever you're purchasing something, 00:00:24.000 --> 00:00:25.500 you're not only thinking about yourself, 00:00:25.500 --> 00:00:28.000 but on the environment and the people who are making your items. 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:32.000 There's actually a really great documentary out there called "The True Cost". 00:00:32.000 --> 00:00:34.000 I watched it 2-3 years ago and it got me thinking more 00:00:34.000 --> 00:00:38.000 into what I buy as a consumer and how this affects the world at large. 00:00:38.000 --> 00:00:42.000 It really dissected the fast fashion industry-- 00:00:42.000 --> 00:00:47.000 how this affects the environment, the workers, and their communities. 00:00:47.000 --> 00:00:51.000 So I highly recommend it to anyone who's not seen it before. 00:00:51.000 --> 00:00:53.000 It was really informative. 00:00:53.000 --> 00:00:56.000 But what exactly is fast fashion? 00:00:56.000 --> 00:01:01.000 First of all, this is just inexpensive clothing 00:01:01.000 --> 00:01:03.000 being mass produced at a rapid rate 00:01:03.000 --> 00:01:05.000 so that retailers can keep up with the latest trends, 00:01:05.000 --> 00:01:10.000 and we as consumers can tell how fast fashion trends come and go. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:12.000 People don't realize that when they're taking something off the shelf, 00:01:12.000 --> 00:01:16.000 the item that they're buying comes from a country 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:19.000 where people don't have the same freedoms and rights as we do, 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:23.000 and these people don't have a voice 00:01:23.000 --> 00:01:26.000 or share their opinion about how this all affects them. 00:01:26.000 --> 00:01:30.000 So in a way, whenever we're purchasing something very ethically made, 00:01:30.000 --> 00:01:32.000 we are also speaking up for the voiceless 00:01:32.000 --> 00:01:38.000 and letting companies know that we care about the environment, 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:40.000 their environmental footprint as a business, 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:43.000 as well as how they're treating their workers. 00:01:43.000 --> 00:01:48.000 We understand these things and we're keeping watch of it. 00:01:48.000 --> 00:01:51.000 Environmentally, the fast fashion industry 00:01:51.000 --> 00:01:53.500 is actually the second largest polluter in the world 00:01:53.500 --> 00:01:56.000 next to the oil industry. 00:01:56.000 --> 00:02:00.000 Factories are releasing so many gas emissions 00:02:00.000 --> 00:02:05.500 and this really affects our our air quality, the environment, 00:02:05.500 --> 00:02:08.000 and the communities who are living nearby these areas 00:02:08.000 --> 00:02:11.000 and having to breathe in these dangerous toxins. 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:15.000 In many countries where garment factories are located, 00:02:15.000 --> 00:02:21.000 factories are dumping toxic waste waters into the rivers 00:02:21.000 --> 00:02:23.000 without even giving a care about it, 00:02:23.000 --> 00:02:26.000 and this is extremely harmful to aquatic life, 00:02:26.000 --> 00:02:29.000 as well as communities living by these river banks 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:33.000 --people who are needing to use this water. 00:02:33.000 --> 00:02:35.000 On top of that, 00:02:35.000 --> 00:02:39.000 millions of trees are being cut each year just to make our clothes. 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:42.000 So we need to keep in check different companies 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:48.000 and how they impact the environment just to make these clothing pieces. 00:02:48.000 --> 00:02:51.000 Secondly, we're going to be talking about workers' pay. 00:02:51.000 --> 00:02:55.000 As of today, there are about 40 million garment factory workers, 00:02:55.000 --> 00:02:59.000 and majority of them are being paid less than $3 a day. 00:02:59.000 --> 00:03:02.000 And of course companies can say, 00:03:02.000 --> 00:03:05.000 "These workers being paid minimum wage in their own country 00:03:05.000 --> 00:03:07.000 and at least we're giving them a job" 00:03:07.000 --> 00:03:09.000 --but there's actually a very big difference 00:03:09.000 --> 00:03:11.000 between minimum wage and a living wage. 00:03:11.000 --> 00:03:16.000 Living wage represents the minimum amount of money 00:03:16.000 --> 00:03:20.000 that you need to live and have basic needs every day, 00:03:20.000 --> 00:03:23.500 such as rent, food in the table, education, healthcare 00:03:23.500 --> 00:03:25.000 --things of that sort. 00:03:25.000 --> 00:03:30.000 Many of these workers aren't really able to put food on the table every day 00:03:30.000 --> 00:03:33.000 or they struggle to find food on the table every day, 00:03:33.000 --> 00:03:35.000 just for themselves or their family, 00:03:35.000 --> 00:03:37.000 so we need to take that into consideration. 00:03:37.000 --> 00:03:41.000 Third is workers' conditions, such as the health and safety of these workers 00:03:41.000 --> 00:03:43.000 and where they're working at. 00:03:43.000 --> 00:03:47.000 Big brands, for example, have cut their prices so low 00:03:47.000 --> 00:03:51.000 to wear a t-shirt can cost as little as $1, 00:03:51.000 --> 00:03:55.000 and in turn manufacturers don't have enough money to take care of their workers 00:03:55.000 --> 00:03:58.000 as well as keep up with factory maintenance. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:02.000 Employees are having no ventilation where they're working 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:04.000 --they're breathing in toxic substances. 00:04:04.000 --> 00:04:10.000 We really got to witness how factory maintenance is so poor in 2013, 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:13.000 where there was the Rana Plaza factory collapse, 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:17.000 there was a death toll of about 1,134 people. 00:04:17.000 --> 00:04:20.000 So garment workers are not only having to work in dangerous conditions, 00:04:20.000 --> 00:04:24.000 they're having to work 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week, 00:04:24.000 --> 00:04:26.000 and especially during peak seasons, 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:30.000 they're having to stay up to 2-3 a.m. just to meet the brands' deadlines, 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:35.000 and the wages are so low they can't really refuse overtime 00:04:35.000 --> 00:04:38.000 --aside from the fact that if they did, they would be fired. 00:04:38.000 --> 00:04:41.000 We need to keep these different businesses in check, 00:04:41.000 --> 00:04:44.000 just have transparency about these issues 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:47.000 so that we can really support the workers as well as the environment. 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:51.000 In today's world we don't really get a way to tell the difference 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:54.000 between good marketing and an actual good company, 00:04:54.000 --> 00:04:57.000 so this is where certifications come in place. 00:04:57.000 --> 00:04:59.000 There are two certifications I'm going to be talking to you about. 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:04.000 One is B Corp and another is Fair Trade. 00:05:04.000 --> 00:05:09.000 To choose a certification, businesses have to meet goals and benchmarks 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:11.000 in areas including how they treat their workers, 00:05:11.000 --> 00:05:14.000 their environmental impact, 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:18.000 as well as how they work with under-served communities. 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:20.000 So any for-profit company can earn certification 00:05:20.000 --> 00:05:23.000 from an LLC to a Corp, 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:26.500 and you can visit bcorporation.net just to see 00:05:26.500 --> 00:05:32.000 which companies out there are the highest in these goals and benchmarks 00:05:32.000 --> 00:05:35.000 and are considered "B Corp Certified". 00:05:35.000 --> 00:05:38.000 Another one is Fair Trade Certification. 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:43.000 In a similar way the certification it also looks out for workers and the environment, 00:05:43.000 --> 00:05:47.000 but I believe this is more in the realm of food 00:05:47.000 --> 00:05:51.000 and produce and coffee and things of that sort, but also in textiles, 00:05:51.000 --> 00:05:56.000 and their basic standards are a minimum price for trade, 00:05:56.000 --> 00:06:01.000 no forced labor, ban on use of GMOs, etc. 00:06:01.000 --> 00:06:03.000 You can visit fairtrade.net 00:06:03.000 --> 00:06:06.000 if you want to look at the basic standards 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:10.000 as well as the different companies that are Fair Trade Certified. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:14.000 When you purchase something new, you can look into companies 00:06:14.000 --> 00:06:18.500 that are B Corp Certified, Fair Trade Certified, and the items 00:06:18.500 --> 00:06:20.000 --making sure that they're ethically made-- 00:06:20.000 --> 00:06:22.000 and buying from them. 00:06:22.000 --> 00:06:25.000 In that way we can vote with our money 00:06:25.000 --> 00:06:28.500 and let different companies know that they should follow 00:06:28.500 --> 00:06:30.000 in the footsteps of those companies 00:06:30.000 --> 00:06:32.000 and really treat their workers fairly, 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:39.000 pay them a living wage, help them work in good and safe conditions, 00:06:39.000 --> 00:06:45.000 and making sure they're keeping track of their environmental footprint. 00:06:45.000 --> 00:06:50.000 But aside from that, another option that you can look into is thrifting, 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:52.000 or buying second-hand, or borrowing from people. 00:06:52.000 --> 00:06:54.000 When you're purchasing second hand, 00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:59.000 you're no longer demanding more CO2 emissions, 00:06:59.000 --> 00:07:02.000 no more water usage, and no more labor. 00:07:02.000 --> 00:07:06.000 This is also a great way that you can get more clothing, 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:12.000 and you can look into this before buying something entirely new. 00:07:12.000 --> 00:07:15.000 For example, I'm going to show you these pieces 00:07:15.000 --> 00:07:18.000 that I've gotten from thrift shops before. 00:07:18.000 --> 00:07:23.000 I buy a lot of my stuff from Goodwill and Family Thrift Center 00:07:23.000 --> 00:07:27.000 --things of that sort-- 00:07:27.000 --> 00:07:32.000 and it goes from casual, everyday clothing, to business, 00:07:32.000 --> 00:07:36.500 and I can find all of this just in thrift stores for super cheap 00:07:36.500 --> 00:07:38.000 -- like $1, $2 -- 00:07:38.000 --> 00:07:41.000 and we know these items are being rebought, 00:07:41.000 --> 00:07:48.000 so they're having no impact on demanding more labor and more environmental footprint. 00:07:48.000 --> 00:07:52.000 If you're wanting to buy something entirely new 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:57.000 you can support ethical brands such as Patagonia, as I mentioned. 00:07:57.000 --> 00:08:01.000 This is a jacket that I had for three years now. 00:08:01.000 --> 00:08:03.000 It's still in perfect condition. 00:08:03.000 --> 00:08:08.000 Most of the time we realize that these brands are extremely expensive. 00:08:08.000 --> 00:08:11.000 However, they're paying their workers fairly, 00:08:11.000 --> 00:08:16.000 they're making sure that the factory is under maintenance, 00:08:16.000 --> 00:08:19.000 and are in healthy working conditions 00:08:19.000 --> 00:08:24.000 and their materials are also recyclable 00:08:24.000 --> 00:08:28.000 or they're using recycled materials to produce these items, 00:08:28.000 --> 00:08:32.000 so we know they're very conscious about the environment and their footprint. 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:35.000 So I hope this video helps you learn more 00:08:35.000 --> 00:08:37.000 about how you can be a more conscious consumer 00:08:37.000 --> 00:08:39.000 and buy more ethically 00:08:39.000 --> 00:08:42.000 and gives you more information that you didn't know before. 00:08:42.000 --> 00:08:46.000 I hope you have a Happy Earth Day. 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:48.000 Thank you for coming to my video.