There tends to be four main areas to consider

1. Fair trade standards – We hear a lot about fair trade; fair trade coffee, chocolate and also consumer goods too.  Fair trade means making sure that the workers get a fair deal with their work and this therefore mean fair wages too for the amount of work that they have to do.  In the UK we have minimum wage legislation to protect lower paid income earners however in other parts of the world especially in third world economies this is not the case. Some of the poorest countries in the world specialise in garment production where labour is at its cheapest. Counties such as India, South America and Asia have high labour employment in garment production often garments with high work content are sourced to such places.

2. Organic standards and fabric – There are a wide variety of fabrics used within textiles and fashion today. Cotton provides nearly half the world's textiles in various uses and mixes and as it's a natural fabric many people that this is therefore equivalent to environmental friendly. However this is not the case due to the use of toxic chemicals which cotton using nearly a quarter of all the worlds' insecticides. . Such insecticides also damage the health of the farmer, the worker and the ground .itself.

The cotton can then be spun and weaved, bleached and dyed and softeners are used to ensure the right handle is achieved for the end product. All these processes include chemicals which have to be used and disposed of properly.

3. Transportation – there is little point of having an international sourcing policy that is a Fair Trade Standard and uses the organically grown cotton and using recycled fabric wherever possible if then the transportation system adversely affects the environment. There has to be a clear use of economies of scale to ensure that containers and freight are optimised. More retailers today are reviewing locally sourced production within the UK today especially with crude oil prices per barrel at a premium all time high

4. Recycling and customisation – Many of the designers with an ethical conscious have found a sustainable business by using recycled fabrics and garments – in their desire for exclusivity and uniqueness there is a definite niche in the fashion markets today.