The True Cost is an incredibly moving documentary, and one which is relevant to all of us. I strongly urge you to watch it – it’s available on Amazon Prime, or you can purchase it directly from the movie website.
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You might never look at clothing in the same way again – I know I certainly won’t. For too long, we’ve simply bought, worn and discarded clothes without really understanding the price being paid for it by both the planet and the one in six people worldwide who work in the industry. Fast fashion is, quite literally, killing the people who make it.
The documentary is confronting and challenging, but also enlightening and extremely important. I didn’t know that clothing consumption had increased by 400% over the past twenty years, or that 250,000 Indian farmers growing cotton had been driven to suicide over the same period. I didn’t know that most cheaply made garments donated to charity were ending up in countries like Haiti and destroying their local industry as a consequence. I didn’t know children were being born with severe mental retardation as a suspected result of pesticide use.
But I do now. Knowledge is the power that informs choices, and our individual informed choices can create change for the greater good.
I hope you have an opportunity to watch this, and that it gives you as much reason to pause and reassess as it gave me. ♥
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Thank you.
I have watched this and purchased. Having bought almost everything on line for the last few decades I knew much of the story but perchance not quite the extent. I love clothes, if not ‘fashion’, but was brought up to believe in fewer and better.. No – much of this I did not put on my priority board either and shall . . . thank you ! Shall repost . . .
I agree, Celia. The True Cost is definitely well worth a look and will change the way you think about clothing, textiles and fashion. For more on this topic, I highly recommend both the book and podcast called “Wardrobe Crisis” by Clare Press for more of a deep dive into the many issues around fast fashion. There are people out there trying to change the system and make a difference and Clare interviews many of them. It’s encouraging to hear positive stories in this space where the facts are so tragic and frightening.
Cheers, Sally at One Family, One Planet blog
Thank you, we’ll have a look. Nothing new in my wardrobe for years, I look after my clothes and shoes and wear them for years. My favourite garment is a lurex , tartan blazer I made to wear to a ball in 1992, I still wear it with jeans to concerts etc when I can. Jeans never wear out, T-shirts get replaced when too tatty but I seem to get 4-5 years out of them. I retired 10 years ago with a huge wardrobe which I’ve whittled down to basics now. Never been one to shop weekly for the latest fashions and was horrified by info provided in “War on Waste”. We try to do our bit, it feels like a losing battle, often I despair at the wanton waste but continue to try. Yesterday I bought a bucket with a lip and a watering can to keep in the shower to catch the water while it warms up. We are in the Shoalhaven and although water restrictions haven’t started here yet we’ve made a start with one more way to save water. Best wishes to you and yours Celia.
We will watch although we aren’t the target audience… our wardrobes have long reflected our own style, mostly op-shopped, worn to death, then used for rags… I mend, recycle, reuse. I detest fast fashion.
I will look this film up tonight on Netflix. I was already aware and almost never buy new clothes these days but it might be useful for my daughter to have a reminder – and you never know what else you might learn, eh?
The problem with third-world recipients of fashion cast-offs, especially old t-shirts, has been around for quite a while. Colonial destruction of local textile industries started something like 200 years ago and has accelerated rapidly from the late 20th century. It takes a lot of bad will to get to the very bad place we are in now — and as you say, it’s really at dreadful levels with the tendency to buy cheaply and discard so casually.
best… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
Thank you for this. I have watched the trailer and will now be watching the full documentary with my partner. I have shared via Facebook.