COTTON: A CASE STUDY IN MISINFORMATION

WWD: Cotton Misinformation Is Harming the Industry’s Aims: Report

A new report on misinformation in fashion by Elizabeth L. Cline and Marzia Lanfranchi on behalf of the Transformers Foundation claims that figures have been wrongly rattled off on how much water a cotton T-shirt or jacket takes (not thousands of liters), and to what degree cotton is doused in pesticides and insecticides (the report advised against using outdated sales data to account for use). Even calling cotton “water-thirsty” is misleading without context, given the crop is grown in many water-stressed regions.

Cotton: A CASE STUDY IN MISINFORMATION. REPORT CO-AUTHORED BY ELIZABETH L. CLINE

Fashion has a #misinformation problem. Inaccurate and outdated figures are widely shared, as is data without any context. Transformers Foundation annual deep dive report, “Cotton: A Case Study In Misinformation,” aims to equip #fashion professionals with the tools they need to build critical #data consumption in fashion and eradicate misleading claims. It is crucial for industries and society to understand the best available data and context, so that best practices can be developed and implemented, industries can make informed choices, and #farmers and other suppliers and makers can be rewarded for and incentivized to operate using more responsible practices that drive more positive impacts.

APPAREL INSIDER: New report guides fashion on credible green claims

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) and the Transformers Foundation have released a ground-breaking new report calling on the whole fashion industry to rally around better, clearer data to enable responsible, credible sustainability claims.

RECENT WRITINGS

will the circular economy save the planet?

Like other utopian environmental theories before it, the circular economy promises to decouple economic growth from our endless consumption of stuff, but are its proponents really offering a planet-saving paradigm shift, or just another version of something we've tried and failed at for decades? Read Elizabeth’s feature in Sierra Magazine here.

The controversy over cotton

When it comes to organic cotton in the U.S., the numbers don’t add up. Here there is the biggest demand for the sustainable fiber and yet the lowest levels of production. It’s why your T-shirt likely comes from overseas, where experts say organic claims aren’t always legitimate. Few organic farmers are pulling it off, save for a small group in West Texas. Read here.

The POWER OF #PAYUP

In March of 2020, major clothing brands and retailers made the catastrophic and unprecedented decision to cancel completed orders without payment to their factories worldwide worth $40 billion, triggering a humanitarian crisis of epic proportions. A grassroots movement called the #PayUp movement, which Cline helped to launch, stopped the biggest heist in fashion’s modern history. And it’s just getting started. Read here.

Bangladesh Suppliers Barely Afloat As Clothing Brands Find New Ways To Squeeze Them

As countries ease out of lockdowns and the apparel industry scrambles to make up for lost sales, the story is one of clothing companies demanding steep discounts of their factories and holding payments for completed goods. It’s a problem that’s much harder to track than outright order cancellations, but manufacturers say it’s just as harmful. Read Elizabeth’s full story for Forbes here.

THE TWILIGHT OF THE ETHICAL CONSUMER

During the pandemic, like everyone else, I made promises to myself and tried to take up healthier habits. I started knitting, drawing, and journaling again. I traded in my reality TV addiction for Ken Burns documentaries. And, while others were learning to bake bread or garden, I decided to stop being an Ethical Consumer. One day, I needed new pajamas. Gap was selling two pairs for $40, so I bought them. I needed home office supplies, so I ordered them off Amazon. And I went back to using plastic single-use cups at my local coffee shop. Read the full story here.

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