We all need to buy stuff from time to time. But do we think about how our shopping affects people, animals and the environment? Here's how you can love fashion and the world we live in.
Ethical shopping
What do we know about the products that we buy? Many people want to know how people, animals and our planet are treated when food, drinks and clothes are produced.
Fairtrade
The Fairtrade Foundation helps farmers and workers in poorer parts of the world to earn enough money to live comfortably. The organisation asks companies that grow products such as coffee or bananas to pay fair wages and to provide their workers with good conditions. Companies that follow these requirements then receive the Fairtrade certificate and can sell their products with the "Fairtrade" mark.
Free range and organic
Free range farming means that farm animals spend time outside. Meat, eggs or dairy products, such as milk or cheese, can be free range. Some experts say that this type of farming is preferable because it is less cruel and the animals are healthier. Organic food is produced using few or no chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Some people feel that organic food is safer or healthier than conventional food and that it tastes better.
Ethical clothing
Fashion is big global business. Some clothing manufacturers have been accused of employing children and of allowing unsafe conditions in their factories. People are becoming more interested in where their clothes are made, who they are made by, and in what conditions. They want their clothes to look good AND to be ethical.
Organisations like Fairtrade help shoppers make more informed choices about the products they buy.
Activity 1 - Vocabulary
Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a - e next to the numbers 1 - 5.
1...... a manufacturer a. related to doing something that you think is right or fair
2...... wages b. a person or company that makes a product to sell
3...... conventional c. salary; payment that workers receive
4...... ethical d. things that affect your working life, e.g. your working hours, safety and pay
5...... working conditions e. normal; usual
To find more English language activities visit www,britishcouncil.org/learnenglishteens
(c)British Council 2018
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