Learning to live ethically

Sometimes when you're buying new clothes, it's easy not to stop and think about where they come from. When was the last time you considered the country the materials were grown or made in? The working conditions of the factory and garment workers? Or even how far our clothes have to travel to reach us?

As a company, our ethical values are at the heart of our ethos. That's why it's important for us to be transparent about The White T-Shirt Co supply chain. We want you to know where your clothes come from and how many miles they travelled to reach you. So this month in support of Fashion Revolution on 24th April, marking the one year anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, we're focusing on transparency.

We believe in promoting sensible consumerism, and while we're not here to lecture you on your spending habits, we think it's important (and we're always trying to find new ways) to learn more about how we can adopt a more ethical lifestyle. It can be a little uncomfortable to scrutinize at first and a little daunting to learn about, but let's face it, we all have to start somewhere.

We thought the best way to spread the word was by sharing five of our favourite reads discussing sustainability in the fashion industry, social consciousness and encouraging consumers to take a little more responsibility for their habits:

The links are all to Foyles or why not find your nearest local bookshop via www.booksaremybag.com

The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy: An Economist Examines the Markets, Power, and Politics of World Trade: - Pietra Rivoli

Where am I Wearing?: A Global Tour to the Countries, Factories, and People That Make Our Clothes: - Kelsey Timmerman

Sustainable Fashion and Textiles: Design Journeys: - Kate Fletcher

Stitched Up: The Anti-capitalist Book of Fashion: – Tansy E. Hoskins

To Die for: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World?: - Lucy Siegle

Have you read any of these titles yet? We'd love to hear your thoughts! And we're always looking to learn more about how we can adopt a cleaner lifestyle, so if you've read something great about ethical living, be sure to share it with us!

(Photo credit: Henna Malik from www.tansyhoskins.org)