Buying a dress made in Quebec by a local designer can easily cost $200 or more while you can find dresses for $30 in big-box stores. The difference is huge. Understanding why there is such a large gap can be difficult. Wages and raw materials are major factors contributing to this difference. 

First, the People

Of course, salaries fundamentally make all the difference—wages for dressmakers but also for illustrators, creators, designers, those who make the patterns for prototypes, tailors and finally, the entire team (social network management, marketing, etc.). Fair pay inevitably translates into a final product that costs more.

Here’s where it gets murky: We’ve already seen local businesses exploit immigrants and people below the poverty line. The history of textiles in Montreal has had shameful moments and still has them this day, as we witnessed in 2020. 

For this reason, it’s best to be informed about each company’s values and buy from people you trust. Transparency and traceability can be the way forward. Does the company provide details about the people who make its products? About its workshops? Does it hold a B Corp or other certification? Did it make headlines for the right reasons? Knowing who you are buying from helps ensure that your consumption meshes with your values.

Materials

The cost of raw materials also influences the price of sustainable clothing. A company that has the environment at heart normally selects materials that reflect its philosophy: organic or natural, recycled, or even locally made fabrics.

Although most fabrics come from Asia, local fibres can nevertheless be found. For example, hemp is growing in popularity in the textile industry. This natural fibre is harvested and processed right here in Canada. Of course, the wages of the people who produce these fabrics are higher, which means a more expensive material and, again, a more expensive finished product. Another example of a fibre made in North America is pima cotton, which is grown in the United States but also in Peru, where it comes from. 

Other sustainable fabrics, such as organic cotton, are imported. They are sometimes woven right here, but that’s unusual. Even if it’s not a local material, buying organic cotton helps change industry standards here and abroad. The transition to organic cotton in India, for example, is desirable at many levels, primarily for the health of those growing it and the environment. 

The choice doesn’t stop there. Several Quebec companies have chosen recycled polyester, particularly for making leggings. This fibre is obtained from plastic that would otherwise be destined for recovery (at best) or a landfill (at worst). Sometimes this plastic is even removed from the oceans. 

Other fibres that are made from cellulose, such as Tencel or Lyocell, are also appealing but expensive. In the end, all these fibres—hemp, pima cotton, organic cotton, recycled polyester, Tencel or Lyocell—are attractive options but end up increasing costs for consumers.

200,000 Dresses or 200?  

I have touched on wages and materials, but there is also one last main factor to consider: the scale at which products are manufactured.

It costs less per item to produce 200,000 identical garments than it does for 200. When produced in large quantities, the cost of a garment drops because certain steps don’t need to be repeated, such as creating prototypes or patterns. But you guessed it: Local clothing, being intended for a much smaller market, is made in small quantities, at least compared to large fashion brands.

Conclusion

As you can see, many factors push the price of sustainable items upward. Although I have written about clothing here, the same logic applies to a host of other sustainable items, such as furniture, jewelry, household goods, and so on. 

Choosing to pay more for sustainability is a matter of your values. You can offset the higher prices by consuming less and refusing to play the game of fleeting trends. That way, you too will be helping change social norms. 

What role do we play in the consumer goods industry? To answer this question, you must first understand how the system works. What differentiates a sustainable economy from the system that has dominated the last few decades? Here are a few things to consider when choosing what to buy.

The Stuff We Buy

To fully understand the effects of our consumption, it helps to take a step back and look at the system that has dominated the last century. Watch or rewatch Annie Leonard’s short, animated documentary The Story of Stuff, which went viral on social media in 2007 but is still relevant today. 

Commodities, such as food, items for interior decorating, personal care products, and clothing, go through many steps: extraction of the resources needed for their manufacture, and then production, distribution, consumption, and disposal—often in a landfill. 

The product’s journey is rife with problems, especially when the goal is to lower prices and raise profits. To successfully do so, companies exploit natural environments and living things, use chemicals and toxins, perpetuate social inequality, and use planned and perceived obsolescence, among others. All these strategies externalize the real costs that are most often paid by the poor. These previously hidden costs are increasingly being brought out into the light of day; you now can’t help but consider them.

Rethinking the System

Another problem with this model is its linearity: Because we live on a planet with limited resources, our economy also has limits. That is why environmentally responsible businesspeople and conscientious citizens are swapping this linear system for a more circular one. 

All the steps of production are redesigned accordingly. At the end of a product’s lifespan, it can be used as a resource, eliminating most of the problems associated with extraction and waste. All waste can also be used to make other products from, for example, textile waste or food by-products. 

Between these steps, production, distribution, and consumption are also carried out with respect for the environment and people. This means dispensing with harmful chemicals, establishing fair wages and good working conditions, caring about the environment and living things, and buying locally, thoughtfully, and sustainably. These are just a few examples of what is valued by responsible businesses and citizens who have joined the movement.

Leaders Who Are Changing the World

The first step in all sustainable consumption is, of course, saying no to overconsumption and waste. Once you’ve adopted a more frugal lifestyle, you still need to buy many things (unless you live in complete self-sufficiency and make everything yourself, from your soap to your clothes).

In that sense, living according to your values, but also within your abilities, can be a guiding principle. That does not mean aiming for perfection; sometimes the available choices are imperfect. For example, buying locally made clothing costs more. You could buy used clothing until you can afford it. You could also choose to buy only one new, more costly sustainable item instead of ten conventional ones each season. You would still end up saving money. 

Gauging a product’s environmental footprint can be hard (for example, should you buy a local or organic product?). But you can choose to do your best and support companies you trust. 

Who Do You Want to Be?

What are your values? Who are you and how do you express it? Narrowing the gap between your aspirations and your actions is a great way to live with integrity. 

For both businesspeople and consumers, sustainability means upholding fundamental values: ethics, transparency, fairness, respect for the environment, and buying locally. Put into practice, these values help create vibrant communities and maintain the health of the ecosystems that support human beings and all the other creatures who live there. 

Once you are aware, there is no turning back. The ball is in your court—the choice is yours.

Thank you, together we can change the world.