Can I Breastfeed in it - Ethical, Sustainable, Breastfeeding Fashion

We're pleased to feature in Can I Breastfeed In it's article about ethical and sustainable breastfeeding brands...

This series of articles is something we have wanted to write for some time, ethical fashion is an important and emotive subject; it is increasingly more so as the long lasting effects of fashion and in particular fast fashion are becoming even more understood and importantly being publicised. Clothing manufacture has profound effects on our fragile planet, from the lives of the people involved to the raw materials and the footprint it leaves behind.

There seems to have been a swelling of feeling against the effects of fast fashion over the last 12 months in particular, the Duchess of Sussex said at the British Fashion Awards, 2019 is the year where ‘it’s cool to be kind’. With fashion promotion we too have a responsibility to ensure people have all the facts so that they can make informed decisions about their clothing choices.

What is ethical and sustainable fashion? There is not exactly an easy, simple answer to this question and the more you look into it the more complicated it becomes. Companies have their own definitions, policies and standards, but maybe not coupled with the transparency that allows us to see how deep these claims run. That is where the recognised standards come into their own to help us negotiate these brands pertaining to be ethical so that we can have trust in their convictions.

More is constantly being understood about the full journey of our clothing from start to finish, more research and greater knowledge leads to higher levels of understanding but also shows how far there is still to go. With this greater understanding comes greater questions- which is not a bad thing. Further and deeper questions about the true ethics of production and the true sustainability of materials. The debate will rightly rage on; what is ethical and sustainable today may not be deemed as such tomorrow.

In researching these articles it has been apparent there are brands that claim to be “ethical” and “sustainable”, they have policies in place but don’t necessarily stand by their convictions; and then there are those that go above and beyond with ethical fashion truly being at the heart of what they do, Frugi being an absolute leader. We have our exclusive headline interview with Frugi founder Lucy Jewson who explains how they ensure the brand remains true to their ethical roots and encourages us all to be mindful of our fashion choices. We also explain a bit more about ethical and sustainable fashion, we have some suggestions to help lessen our footprint as consumers and in this article we feature brands that have ethical and sustainable credentials for you to choose from.

The aim of these articles is to try and arm you with the information so that you can make your own informed decisions about the clothing you choose to buy, or not to buy.

The Bshirt

ethicalbrands

"We are 100% organic, ethical and sustainable"

The BShirt is run differently to most other brands in that it is not only a social enterprise supporting breastfeeding, but they donate their profits to charity. TheBShirt is a Social Enterprise; which means they have a Social Lock- if anyone were to buy them out they’d have to make improving breastfeeding rates their mission too!

Last year they donated their profits to charities that support breastfeeding women and/or critical research in an area that benefits breastfeeding women. The BShirt design also helps make many items of clothing in your existing wardrobe more breastfeeding friendly, therefore not requiring a whole new wardrobe!

Fabric

The fabric used by BShirt for their breastfeeding tops is organic to be good to you, your little ones and the environment.

Manufacture

The BShirt Factory is Fair Trade Certified, it is important for them that they know the workers are treated fairly.

Packaging

The packaging is currently 100% bio-degradable plastic, in April this year they are switching to paper for all packaging with no plastic going to the consumer.

Further Ethical Credentials

The BShirt employ working parents and offer 100% flexible hours, 9-3 office hours, operate 4 day weeks, reduce workloads over school holidays and pay above average wages for their area (Devon).

The Bshirt is quality made and designed to last several years, but when it is no longer required it can always be sent back to BShirt where it will be donated to worthy causes, last yearover 220 Bshirts were donated to Baby Bank’s and Refugee Camps in Greece.

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