Events

What was previously known as the Homeworkers Code of Practice and the No Sweat Shop label will now simply be known as Ethical Clothing Australia.

The joint business-union Homerworker Code Committee Inc which administers a voluntary accreditation system covering Australian-made textile, clothing and footwear products has unveiled its new name, logo and look for its labelling system.

Funding from the Commonwealth Government provided an opportunity to conduct an in-depth research and consultation process with a wide cross-section of the local fashion and clothing industry to identify how best to achieve a greater level of industry participation and influence consumer choice at the point of sale.

Ethical Clothing Australia’s national coordinator, Emer Diviney, said she wanted a logo that would focus on and reinforce the positive objectives of the initiative and over time build high levels of consumer recognition. But Ms Diviney also recognised the need for the new logo to be neutral enough to work within the branding strategies of a range of varied brands.

“Fashion businesses are understandably very wary of anything that could potentially distract from their own branding, so we’ve created a design which is deliberately simple, elegant and, neutral. Its versatility and subtlety prevents it from being overbearing, which means it adds value to a product without in any way distracting from the participating business’ own branding,” Ms Diviney said.

The Ethical Clothing Australia accreditation system centres on participating businesses ensuring their Australian-based supply chains remain transparent so any instances of exploitation can be identified and addressed.

Accredited brands will be licensed to display the Ethical Clothing Australia logo on their Australian-made garments which Ms Diviney believes couldn’t come sooner for the growing base of ethically-minded consumers.

“In conjunction with the new name, Ethical Clothing Australia, the logo clearly conveys a concise and popular message to consumers. We’ve got high hopes for this logo and for an ethical Australian fashion industry that supports local and ethical manufacturing,” Ms Diviney said.