Wednesday, 11 July 2007

Top 100 Ethical Heros

Hey dudes! From today's New Consumer http://www.newconsumer.com/views/item/2726

Wendy Martin writes
They've worked tirelessly for the past five years to make our shopping greener and fairer. Some of the names you'll never have heard before, while others are already mega celebs.
But, together, these are the people who we think have made the biggest contribution to ethical consumption over the half decade. They are our Top 100 Ethical Heroes:

1. Katharine Hamnett Fashion Designer [My boss!]
2. Anita Roddick Previously Body Shop
3. Harriet Lamb Fairtrade Foundation
4. Al Gore Campaigner
5. Jonathan Porritt Campaigner
6. Tony Juniper Friends of the Earth
7. Patrick Holden Soil Association
8. Caroline Lucas Politician
9. Stuart Rose M&S
10. Tim Mead Yeo Valley Organics

And the rest [in order] but my cut and paste didn't take the numbers:
Craig Sams Green & Black's
Penny Newman Cafédirect
Yvon Chouinard Patagonia
George Monbiot Journalist
Peter Melchett Soil Association
Naomi Klein Author
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall River Cottage
Wangari Maathai Activist / politician
HRH Prince of Wales Duchy Originals
Bob Geldof Activist
Sophi Tranchell Divine Chocolate
Richard Reed Innocent Smoothies
Jerry Greenfield Ben & Jerry's
Paul Chandler Traidcraft
Vandava Shiva Activist
Safia Minney People Tree
Noreena Hertz Journalist
Mark Constantine Lush
Jeffrey Sachs Author
John Elkington SustainAbility
Juliet Davenport Good Energy
Tim Smit Eden Project
Dale Vince Ecotricity
Leonardo DiCaprio Celebrity
Barbara Stocking Oxfam
Simon Ferrigno Pesticide Action Network
Rupert Howes Marine Stewardship Council
Carlo Petrini Slow Food
Mohammad Yunus Grameen Bank
Brad Hill The Co-op
Ecover Eco brand
Dan Rees Ethical Trading Initiative
Ashok Sinha Stop Climate Chaos
Andrew Simms New Economics Foundation
Deron Beal Freecycle.com
Morgan Spurlock Supersize me
Romy Fraser Neal's Yard
The Hyiatts Howies
Penney Poyzner TV presenter
Carolyn Whitwell Bishopston Trading
William Lana Green Fibres
Abi and Thomas Petit Gossypium
Kumi Naidoo Activist
Jo & Julian Spector Natural Collection
Bill Dunster Green architect
Ali Hewson Edun
Anya Hindmarch Fashion Designer
Graham Hill Treehugger.com
Dick Strawbridge TV presenter
Stella McCartney Fashion Designer
Alistair Sawday Sawday publishing
Lucy Siegle Journalist
Sarah Ratty Ciel
Joanna Blythman Author
Andy Good Equal Exchange
Herbert Girardet Green architect
Ella Heeks Abel & Cole
Felicity Laurence Author
Guy Watson Riverford Organics
Hass Hassan Fresh & Wild
Renee Eliot Planet Organic
Jamie Oliver Chef
Jenny Ambrose Enamore
Nick Pecorelli Hug
Roy Scott One Village
Tamsin Le Jeune Ethical Fashion Forum
Carry Somers Pachacuti
Sienna Miller Celebrity
Bono Red Campaign
Rev Billy The Church of Stop Shopping
Galahad Clark Terraplana
Ali Clabburn Liftshare.com
Clean Clothes Campaign and Labour Behind the Label Campaigners
David Cameron Politician
Keeley Hazell Glamour Model
Tricia Burnett Tourism Concern
Charles Middleton Triodos
Geetie Singh Duke of Cambridge
Jill Baker Green Baby
Maria Chenoweth-Casey Traid
Tescopoly Campaigners
Centre for Alternative Technology Campaigners
Jeremy Piercey Shared Earth
British Association of Fairtrade Shops Campaigners
Charles Clover Author
Daryl Hannah Celebrity
Colin Mace Booja-Booja
Georgina Down Campainger
Woody Harrelson Celebrity
Kalle Lasn Buy Nothing Day
Now, it's over to you - let us know in the comments who you think we missed out, who we got right and who we got wrong.
Look out for an expanded feature on these heroes soon. Our Top 100 was compiled using a set of criteria including viability, influence, quality, sustainability and authenticity.



And one of the comments:
Katharine Hamnett is a fantastic choice as number one. She has been tirelessly campaigning for ethical and environmental practices in the fashion industry for the last 17 years and now thankfully people are finally starting to sit up and pay attention to what she is saying and DOING.

As a student studying in the area, I was deeply upset after reading the ‘Clean Up or Die’ essay on her website to learn that 20,000 people die from accidential pesticide poisioning a year(WHO) and something like 200,000 farmers commit suicide annually due to debt they get into for buying pesticides to grow conventional cotton(PAN)… and that is just the beginning of the humanitarian and environmental devestation that is a direct result of the fashion industry.

It was a shocking realisation as a fashion lover and consumer that I, along with every other consumer, am indirectly responsible for all of this because I buy conventional cotton products and had never considered the environmental and ethical impact of the clothes I buy. Thankfully people like Katharine are blowing the whistle on unethical industry practices and providing a positive alternative by making fashionable clothing that is made as environmentally as possible (even her zips are made from organic zip tape and recycled steel teeth!!).

The clothing & textiles industry needs to start taking a long-hard look at how she does business as it has the potential to help millions of farmers trade their way out of poverty. Organic cotton is a key solution to the problems she highlights.

We as consumers need to stop and think. We need to eduate ourselves and then take responsibility as there are positive, good quality alternatives now. And for consumers whom the price arguement comes to mind she has also done a line of clothing for Tesco, that is produced under her strict environmental and ethical policies. It may be Tesco but we have to affect change somehow and start somewhere. No company is 100% perfect and an entire industry will never be revolutionised overnight. It will be an evolutionary process and it is people like Katharine who have such strict policies and ideals that will drive this change.

If you do one thing today go on to her website and read the ‘Clean Up or Die’ essay http://www.katharinehamnett.com. It changed my whole outlook on how I consume fashion.
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AWESOME!

And just FYI my life in September is looking pretty glamourous - I will be at PRET A PORTER PARIS, LONDON FASHION WEEK and maybe WHITE in Milan! I never went to Italy.

xx Lektrogirl



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