On Monday June 2nd, our Detective Work team promised to answer ethical fashion questions asked by passersby in Exeter’s Guildhall Shopping Centre. This is the third of five questions they tried to answer. Each one took all week to research, but they are worth waiting for.

This question was asked by Matthew, who visited us in our shop. Detective Josh was on the case…

The ethics of jean production

“Ethical fashion includes clothes whose makers seek to address at least one (but usually more) of the issues involved in fashion today,” issues such how the environment, humans and animals are impacting by the production process (Anon, nd h).

Here are some environmental and social issues involved in the production of jeans which ethical clothing companies try to address…

Environmental issues

Making jeans is incredibly resource intensive: consuming much energy and water to produce.

Producing cotton requires lots of water, and the…