The end of fair trade

This is an article I've had in mind for a while, and I've realized that over the past few years, we've witnessed a decline in fair trade for clothing.

When we launched Peau-Ethique, it was unimaginable not to produce fair trade. We were part of a collective of ethical fashion brands, and everyone manufactured fair trade. Of those 10 brands, only two remain: Veja and us.

Discover Peau-Ethique fair trade products!

While we haven't had the same growth as Veja, we've managed to exist by sharing the same values.

What's crazy is witnessing the growth of ultra-fast fashion and the decline of fair trade. As if it were impossible for these two ways of consuming to coexist.

How can this be explained?

Perhaps because now, "made in Europe" production resonates more with consumers than "made in India." "Made in India" will continue, as will "made in Bangladesh"... except that everything will be manufactured in sweatshops.

From our side, we see this because we hardly sell any organic baby clothes anymore. The reason is very simple: today, you find a huge number of organic baby clothing brands that manufacture at lower costs, and fair trade cannot compete. When a major brand sells 3 bodysuits for €10, while that's the price of one for us...

Fair trade primarily allows you to know where and under what conditions clothes are made. In India, for our organic baby range, we had implemented social actions and, above all, paid a higher price for the product. Simply to ensure good traceability! Today, purchasing power is down, and we can't blame anyone who wants to buy organic for their child but doesn't have the budget. Moreover, there are almost no brands left in France that offer fair trade organic baby clothes.

Possible alternatives?

Second-hand is being talked about more and more. Be careful, however, not to consume fast fashion just because it's "second-hand." Oddly enough, I typed Peau-Ethique on Vinted and saw our organic baby bodysuits there! What a surprise, as some collections are 10 years old! After all, it's a good thing our organic bodysuits get a second life.

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