What we buy plays a huge role in so many people’s lives – how much they are paid, health effects of how the clothes are made and environmental impact of the clothing production.
How can you teach your child about fair trade in regards to clothing? How can you be more aware of what you buy so you are reducing your footprint on the earth and it’s people?
Grab some clothes from your drawers and with your child:
- Look at where they have come from. Using a map of the world see where those countries are.
(The closer the clothes are made the better! This means less plane kilometres(less pollution) and the likelihood that the people who made your clothes have been not been paid that well)
- Look at what your clothes are made from – many are plastic based – do you have many natural fibres?
(Plastic based clothes take more time to break down and therefore have a longer lasting impact on the environment. The people who work with these materials are more likely to have their health impacted upon)
- With the same pile of clothes work out which ones you have bought brand new, brought form an op shop or been handed down to.
(Clothes can be quite cheap so many of us are happy to buy and wear once. Try to visit an opshop for your clothes, wear your clothes for more than one season and pass on used clothes to others)
- How many of these clothes are worn out?
(Many cheap clothes will not last very long but will hang around for 100’s of years. Try to invest in clothes that last longer – this doesn’t always mean the most expensive brand will last longer!!)
Talk together about what you are going to do to lessen your clothing impact on the world! Then have a read of these books to inspire some fun activities and change!
