Celebrating 20 years of Ethical Clothing Australia (plus ethical brands to support!)

Look out for the Ethical Clothing Australia tag and logo when shopping and you’re supporting an ethical fashion industry in Australia! Image via Ethical Clothing Australia.

The accreditation body helping shape an ethical fashion industry, Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA), is celebrating its 20th anniversary.

All Lois Hazel garments are 100% made in Australia. Smooth Skirt in beige + Smooth Singlet. Image via Lois Hazel. — All Lois Hazel garments are 100% made in Australia.
Smooth Skirt in beige + Smooth Singlet. Image via Lois Hazel.

Launching in 2000, ECA was created in response to growing concerns about the treatment of particularly home garment workers in Australia. An accreditation program was created for garment and footwear businesses doing things ethically to show they were compliant with Australian workplace laws.

Still today businesses must voluntarily sign up to be accredited, undergoing an independent audit to ensure all workers and contractors are being treated and paid fairly in Australia. And the cool bit for accountability, is brands must be audited each year to remain accredited.

So what does this mean for us as consumers? Transparency!

Accredited brands proudly add ECA swing tags to their products and the logo to their website, so keep an eye out for these as you shop for garments in Australia.

Having a local list like this at our finger tips helps us choose smarter when we shop. The key is that each one of us has the power to vote with our dollars. By supporting businesses doing the right thing, we’re showing how we want the industry to go - and I’m all for supporting transparent brands!

Just to get you on your way, here’s a snapshot of some of the brands currently accredited by Ethical Clothing Australia. Check back each year to see which of your fave brands are on the list!

Want to see them all? Check out the full list of 2020 ECA accredited brands here.