What does it mean for developing-world workers when prices for clothing and fabric keep dropping? What happens when Westerners buy more and more, driving up demand? How does ecological impact fit into the equation? Global in scope, this three-part series explores the ethical and environmental fallout of large-scale textile production. It follows the work of manufacturers in the U.K. and Bangladesh as it investigates the consequences of ultra-cheap labor and supply systems. In addition, it examines fair trade initiatives developed in response to industry abuses, inequities, and hazards. A crucial resource for economics, sociology, and environmental studies!
Three 25-minute programs:

THE COST OF CLOTH: Ethical Textiles
Filmed in Bangladesh, one of the world’s most active textile-producing countries, this program explores the social cost of the textile industry, which benefits mostly Western consumers and capitalists while creating oppressive environments in the developing world. Using eye-opening footage shot inside a number of Bangladeshi textile factories, the film explores issues of sweatshop labor - including poor working conditions, unfair wages, and the right to unionize - and asks viewers to consider where the responsibility for improving industry practices should lie. The program then compares the social impact of mass-scale textile production with the benefits brought to a small rural community in Bangladesh by a fair trade textile initiative.

ECO-DESIGN: Ethical Textiles
The Western world still struggles for long-term solutions regarding carbon emissions, energy consumption, and waste disposal. A number of industries, including textile manufacturing, are at the heart of this dilemma. But Finisterre, an outdoor clothing maker, has fearlessly taken on the issue by creating an eco-friendly surf-wear brand. This program follows the workflow of the company from its headquarters in Cornwall, Great Britain, to fabric suppliers in Japan and manufacturers in Portugal. Viewers are shown how Finisterre reduces its ethical and environmental impact as it rigorously evaluates the use of energy and materials - not only in isolated locations, but throughout the design, manufacture, transportation, and use of its products.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS: Ethical Textiles
What would happen if we changed the way our clothes are made and sold? If we used different fibers or different agricultural techniques? If we insisted that facilities which produce textile products dispose of chemicals and materials properly? This program assesses the environmental impact of the textile industry both in the U.K. and abroad. It explores the ecological footprint of textile production in Bangladesh, and shows how the true cost of cheap textiles is being felt by the very poorest living downstream from polluting textile factories. It also looks at how companies are working to reduce the harmful results of their presence in the ecosystem by using state-of-the-art water recycling plants and by making better use of their waste streams.