{"id":11237,"date":"2021-06-22T11:12:13","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T16:12:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.iamfair.com\/?p=11237"},"modified":"2021-07-03T13:27:12","modified_gmt":"2021-07-03T18:27:12","slug":"test-post-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.iamfair.com\/en\/test-post-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Behind a Sustainable Price?"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

First, the People<\/b><\/p>\n

Of course, salaries fundamentally make all the difference\u2014wages 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.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s where it gets murky: We\u2019ve 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.<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For this reason, it\u2019s best to be informed about each company\u2019s 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<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Materials<\/b><\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Although most fabrics come from Asia, local fibres can nevertheless be found. For example, hemp<\/a> 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<\/a>, which is grown in the United States but also in Peru, where it comes from.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other sustainable fabrics, such as organic cotton, are imported. They are sometimes woven right here, but that\u2019s unusual. Even if it\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The choice doesn\u2019t stop there. Several Quebec companies have chosen recycled polyester<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Other fibres that are made from cellulose, such as Tencel or Lyocell, are also appealing but expensive. In the end, all these fibres\u2014hemp, pima cotton, organic cotton, recycled polyester, Tencel or Lyocell\u2014are attractive options but end up increasing costs for consumers.<\/p>\n

200,000 Dresses or 200? \u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n

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

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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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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? 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