Welcome to a new post!
This on definetely is different to the other blogposts that I have made before, but I feel like it would be a great topic to talk about.
In the first half term, we had to do a presentation on a certain topic in school. The second half term is starting on Wednesday, and this time we have to write a bigger essay. The topic that our teacher has chosen for us is sustainability.
I personally have had times before when I thought about fair trade and sustainability, but I never thought about it that deep. I mean obviously you hear things about H&M on the internet and tv about how they treat the people that make their clothes badly and don't pay them enough and whatever, but you never really hear much else about it. This is going to be the time that we are finally going to talk about it a bit deeper, and I am quite exited for it, as I find it an topic that is quite interesting.
I wanted to blog about this, since this quite a long process, but I thought I would keep you up to date and tell you about everything that I find out and that we talk about, as I find it an important topic to talk and know about. It follows our every day life, even though we don't even notice it. Wether it's when we are going shopping or when we are eating or when we are throwing away certain thinks like bottles or clothes for example. There is a hell of a lot to think about, and I feel like I need to share these things, so that people finally find out more about these things, than the typical H&M stuff that always gets connected to this topic.
This blog isn't supposed to only be about some beauty and fashion bits. I also want to talk about things close to my heart, and the things that I feel like they need to be talked about a bit more. That is why I have chosen to make this a little series, at least until the end of the project, where I am going to update you from time to time about what new things I have learned and what I feel like we need to talk and do something about.
So let's start with the first update, I guess.
The first thing we did was brain storming everything that came into our minds when thinking about sustainability. We actually came up with quite a few things. Here is some inspiration:
After that our teacher gave us a sheet full of things that she herself came up with the night before, already proposing some ideas for a topic name and question to add to it. There were quite a lot of things on it, that I never would have thought about, and that they had anything to do with sustainability. It is incredible how many things have to do with it, that you wouldn't even connect to that topic. Here is some more inspiration for topics that have to do with it:
- Cotton
- Who produces our clothes and where do they do that?
- big enterprises (H&M, Primark etc.)
- What does fair clothing mean?
- What are low-wage countries?
- How many animals had to die for Polyester?
- Quinoa and it's impact on it's origin country
- Aluminum in deodorants
- Chemicals in cosmetics - What impact do they have on our body?
- Clothing out of PET bottles?
We also watched a film called 'The True Cost' in class. We didn't completely finish it, but I can't remember any movie from school that would have made me think any more about my actions, and the one's of others. The film talks about how the fashion industry and the workers that work hard everyday for our clothes, their pay, and life. It sounds like the typical movie that shades H&M and how the workers don't get enough money, bla bla bla. Everything we already know about basically. But it literally is the best film I have ever seen about sustainability and fair trade. It got quite deep, and really grapped at every little piece that has to do with that topic and the fashion industry. I had goose bumps literally the whole way through the film. If you only have the tiniest interest in that topic, please go and watch that film! It such an eye opener! It's available on Netflix, iTunes and amazon. They also have a website, so if you want to find out more and have a look at the trailer first, here you go: http://truecostmovie.com/ . I would really recommend you to do so - it's an amazing documentary.
The film made me think a lot, especially because I had to go to the city right afterwards, because I had to get a few things for a birthday coming up in the next month. I went to H&M with a whole different feeling. I was torn between the things that would be best to do and not, but I also kinda felt guilty. I will talk a bit more about that soon.
I actually did end up buying something from them, but only because I have been wanting that shirt for literally forever, and I really haven't bought many clothes in 2015. Our teacher said one thing that really grabbed me. She said that maybe we should at least try to buy less, or buy more clothes from 'green' brands that care about fair trade. Think more about if you actually need the things, instead of them just hanging in your closet and you throwing them away after years. That might sound a little bit weird and ridiculous, but the film also talked about how only 10% of the clothes that you give to charity actually end up being sold, which I find ridiculous! The people that work for those big brands work hard every day and pretty long for little money, and when the thrown away clothes get send back, they can BUY them! They have to buy the clothes they paid so much for already! Like what even...?! Whatever, I will talk about this whole fair trade topic in a different post, when I know a bit more about it.
Next to the checkout, they actually had two papers, about their new project named 'Conscious'. It actually is named to be about sustainability and also fair trade. After seeing that film, I literally opened them and sat their shaking my head.
They literally want to tell you that they are doing everything they can for sustainability and fair trade, which we all know isn't true. They sell these words like their clothes. Yes they might have started working on that, but there is quite a big chance that they are not doing even half as much as they are saying. They are a big brand, they know how to sell the things they want to sell. If they say things like that, they should keep their promises and actually do work for all of the things that they say that they do. In that magazine they say, that they have created sooo many new work spaces. That is amazing, I honestly think so, but creating them isn't the only thing they have to do. It is amazing that they give so many people a place to work and earn some money, but does that really make it so much better when they earn so little for so much hard work and sweat, that they can't even live from that money. I could talk about this forever, but I better leave you here, before this get's way too long and boring for you.
So far I am thinking about talking about natural cosmetics in the essay, together with a friend, but we will see, as I also find fair trade quite an interesting and important topic.
That is all I can update you on so far. I will let you know about more when I know more. Maybe next week, maybe in a month or whatever. We'll see.
I hope you enjoyed this kind of post, even though it was quite different to other ones, and that you are as exited to find out more about this topic. :)
If you have anything that you want me to talk about in this series in particular, let me know, and I'll see what I can do. :)
Have a great day and weekend.
Love, Jacqueline Xx
