Feb 12, 2020
[Rough Transcript of this week's episode]
Welcome to Business with Purpose - I am your host, Molly Stillman of stillbeingmolly.com and this show is all about bringing you the stories behind the brands, companies, and small businesses that are changing the world. Each week I interview an entrepreneur, a CEO, non-profit director, community leader, or just all-around amazing person who is trying to make a positive impact not only through their personal life, but also with their career. My goal is to show you that no matter what you do for a living, you can make an impact right where you are… This is episode 180 which means it is time for another SOLO episode!
I love connecting with you in a little bit of a different way during these solo episodes to either answer a burning question that you have, talking about a timely topic, or educating you on something that I think might be helpful… So this week, I am doing a little combination of answering a frequently asked question and doing a little education.
One question I have received often is, “There are so many buzzwords and phrases thrown around like “ethical fashion” “fair trade” “conscious consumerism” “social enterprise” etc….. WHAT DO THEY ALL MEAN? What is the difference?
So today, I am going to be like your own personal Webster’s Dictionary: ethical edition and share some of the terminologies with you that you might hear on this podcast or out in the world and what it is they mean!
A couple of things I wanted to share with you before we go over the terms and definitions…
After over 3.5 years of doing this podcast, I continue to be blown away by your encouragement and support. I know I can talk all day about this show, but I wanted you the listener to hear from FELLOW LISTENERS on which episode is THEIR favorite and why they love the show… so here are a few:
[TUNE IN TO LISTEN TO THE LISTENER TESTIMONIALS!]
What Does "Conscious Consumerism Mean?" and More... All your ethical terminologies explained!
Conscious consumerism
Conscious consumerism is a way of saying that we are able to
retain the awareness of our purchasing power no matter what is
going on in the world around us. ... The conscious consumer is one
that seeks out ways to make positive decisions on what they buy,
and solutions to the negative impacts caused by
consumerism.
Fair trade vs. fairtrade
When used as "fair trade," as two words rather than one, this
refers to the general movement advocating for trade on fair terms
for the environment and people involved. However, the largest and
most globally recognized fair trade organization is Fairtrade
International, the umbrella organization of the international
system that our partner Fairtrade America belongs
to.
Listen to episode Episode 139 with Marc Choyt - right around the 31:50 mark we talk briefly about this!
Ethically made / ethical fashion
Ethical fashion is an umbrella term that includes fashion
design, production, retail, and purchasing. The exact definition is
vague but overall ethical fashion is understood to indicate an
active approach to creating goods that positively impact the
environment and the lives of those making them, reducing poverty
through non-exploitative (fair pay, good conditions) employment. In
reality, it’s virtually impossible for a brand creating
new products from new materials to ever be completely ethical as it
just does not positively impact the environment. It is, however, a
good reference point for brands to have in an attempt to
better their production practices.
Zero waste
Zero Waste is a set of
principles focused on waste prevention that encourages the redesign
of resource life cycles so that all products are
reused.
Social enterprise
A social enterprise is an organization that applies commercial
strategies to maximize improvements in financial, social and
environmental well-being—this may include maximizing social impact
alongside profits for co-owners.
Slow fashion
As you would expect, slow fashion is the opposite of fast
fashion. It’s about rejecting consumeristic impulses and embracing
a slower, more mindful model of consumerism. While this doesn’t
eradicate shopping entirely, it refers to only buying things you
actually need and items of quality that will last.
Circular fashion
Circular fashion refers to the entire lifecycle of a
product and centers on a circle of create, use, recycle,
rather than create, use, dispose. It looks at products beyond their
original function and timespan and focuses on how their
materials can be consistently utilized and
repurposed. Circular fashion takes in to consideration
everything including the design, sourcing, transportation,
storage, marketing, sale and disposal of the product.
Closed loop
In fashion it means that all new clothes are made from
preexisting clothes and textiles, The Guardian explains. Once an
item has fulfilled its use, it can be broken down through an
environmentally sound process and turned back into yarn/fabric and
then recycled into another garment. This forms a “closed loop” in
that an item would have an eternal life cycle and therefore
eliminate waste.
Cruelty free
Cruelty-free means that companies did not test ingredients or
products on animals during the production phase. Cruelty-free,
therefore, also means that no animals were killed or harmed
anywhere in the world during production. Items that meet this
standard normally carry a heart symbol. Cruelty-free does not mean,
however, that animal ingredients are avoided.
Eco friendly
Eco-friendly, like sustainability, is an all encompassing term
that takes many factors into account. “Eco” is short for ecology,
the study of interaction between organisms and the environment.
Therefore, eco-friendly is about minimizing anything that would
negatively affect that balance.
Fast fashion
Fast fashion is the term used to describe clothing that is
produced quickly and cheaply. Brands and retailers that engage
in fast fashion often create products based on seasonal
trends directly inspired by the runway. Fast fashion brands
are generally associated with overproduction, low
retail prices, mass waste, poor working conditions,
and negative environmental impact.
FSC certified
If an item is FSC-certified it means that the fabric is made
from tree fibers that come from sustainable sources in that they do
not originate from endangered or ancient forests. TENCEL and
MONOCEL products, for example, are often made from FSC certified
eucalyptus and bamboo.
Living wage
Paying someone a living wage is to pay workers from all aspects
of the production process a fair salary so they are not trapped in
poverty. A living wage varies greatly from country to country and
that is also taken into consideration.
Organic
Standards differ as to what “organic” means from country to
country but generally speaking, organic fashion refers to the
materials used and how they’re grown. Basically this means that the
materials are grown without the use of pesticides, synthetic
fertilizers, genetically-modified organisms (GMOs), sewage sludge,
ionizing radiation, or other chemicals.
Social responsibility
Social responsibility means that a company adheres to a
business framework that values people and the planet as well as
profit. It’s about benefiting local communities and their
environment. Unfortunately, brands claiming social responsibility
can’t always be taken at face value. This term is often used in
greenwashing.
WRAP certified
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), formerly
Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production, is a not-for-profit
501(c)(6) organization dedicated to promoting safe, lawful, humane
and ethical manufacturing around the world through certification
and education. The WRAP certification program mainly focuses on the
apparel, footwear and sewn products sectors.
Certified B Corp
B Corporation
certification is a private certification issued to for-profit
companies by B Lab, a global nonprofit organization with offices in
the United States, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and a
partnership in Latin America with Sistema B. To be granted and to
preserve certification, companies must receive a minimum score on
an online assessment for "social and environmental
performance."
Okay! That’s it! I hope this was helpful to you! And remember, if you have ANY questions at all, you can email me - hello@stillbeingmolly.com or find me on social media - @stillbeingmolly or @businesswithpurposepodcast. And if you share the show on social media, you can use the hashtag, #businesswithpurposepodcast.
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This show is edited by my amazing husband and “executive producer" John Stillman and the music is by Marc Killian of Third Wheel Media.
Thank you SO much for listening and go do something good with purpose on purpose!