And so we begin

Fashion production has had a negative effect on the environment since the beginning. Dye and other industry run offs have ruined rivers and water supplies the world over for a start. Back in the day, Man may have not known the damage He was doing, but certainly we've known for most of my lifetime and have done little to change it.

To begin to understand the issues and think about the solutions it is important to understand the key players on the dance card today. A decision made by one player may very well effect another, so it is important to understand the interaction between the 3 to find solutions.

Let's address the first player this week: National Government & International Agreements as they pertain to the development of International Social Responsibility. Okay, I hear you screaming. But step back, take a breath and just read the VERY brief summary below.

1988 ~ IPCC - UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1988) – This is a scientific group brought together to evaluate the risk of climate change caused by human activity. Three areas of concern are: human-induced climate change, the impacts of human-induced climate change, and options for adaptation and mitigation. These are the areas this blog will focus on. We, as individuals can certainly affect change here.

1992 ~ Earth Summit - agreement on voluntary policies. Issues included investigating: patterns of production (especially toxic components); alternative (non-fossil fuel) energy sources; expanding public transportation; scarcity of water. This summit laid the ground work for the Kyoto protocol of 1997.

1994 ~ End of quotas - Multi-fiber Arrangement (MFA) 1974-1994 leading to Agreement on Textile and Clothing (ATC)1995-31 December 2004. The MFA was adopted to limit the amount of textiles and clothing developing countries could export to developed countries thereby allowing the developed countries to adjust to increasing imports. There are all sorts of anecdotes in the Fashion industry about these quotas and I have worked for companies that found creative ways to get around them. One of the most common was to have labels with a new country of origin (with more quota available) sewn into the garments sitting at customs. Unethical you say? We'll discuss labeling in a later post. Stay tuned to find out more.

1995 ~ World Trade Organization (WTO) became the governing body for textiles and clothing. They gradually phased out the quota system as of January 1, 2005. That year, China's exports to the west increased by 100% or more. The US and EU responded by citing China's WTO accession agreement which limits growth to 7.5%/year until 2008.

1997 ~ Kyoto Protocol – Adopted in December 1997 and put into action in February 2005 the objective is to reduce greenhouse gases to prevent climate change. Limited to developed countries, some are charged with specific reductions while others are charged to monitor and report. This agreement is highly controversial and the US has not ratified it.

2007~ IPCC - UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (1988) publishes a three volume report on their findings - 1. The Physical Science Basis, 2. Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability, and 3. Mitigation of Climate Change. You can review the entire document here.

2007~ UN climate talks held in Indonesia (December).

So you are one tiny person in the great big world. What can you do?

• Get the facts and educate your friends and families.
  
• Find out what your local, state and national government reps are doing about this and spread the word.
  
• Contact them to get your voice heard.
  
• Review the Presidential Candidate's position papers on the environment and cast your vote accordingly.
  

Government and International Policy can be overwhelming. Do your best to affect change in this area. I'll bring you lots of tips and tricks as we move forward to individually reduce your Fashion Footprint. Additions, corrections and comments are welcome. Get active and participate in the discussion. Till next week.