If you thought you had a view of ethics and the clothing industry, such as an interest in fair trade, organics, vegan products or products made in democratic welfare states, then there is a trade event that thinks it represents you.

"The event will take place at The Crystal, London: one of the most sustainable buildings in the world and the networking will begin in bubbles sailing over the Thames as delegates arrive by cable car, taking in breathtaking views of London. The day will include inspirational speakers, focused forums, tailored networking and in-depth masterclasses."

"In the wake of the Bangladesh garment factory collapse of 24.04.13 the Summit will aim to constructively address challenges, share and learn from best practice and innovation."

The event's organisers, Ethical Fashion Forum, lurch from "Ethical" to "Sustainable" in their rubric, suggesting some difficulty with the spikier ethics that might apply to fashion such as whether it is made in a democratic welfare state according to blogger PlanB4fashion, which hopes to broaden debate and the way ethical fashion is reported.

"It's hard to talk about a welfare state, or an autocratic one, or the wrongs of wearing leather if you work for the fashion industry", says John Robertson of PlanB4fashion, "but that is Ethical Fashion Forum's background: they were set-up by people who imported clothes from China, and they are now a group of far-east factory inspectors. They also employ people who do internships instead of signing-on the dole between jobs, so they may not be aware that the UK is a welfare state".

A founder member of Ethical Fashion Forum, Terra Plana the shoe brand, wrote on a web blog that China is "arguably more democratic than the UK".

A director of Ethical Fashion Forum has cautioned buyers against buying British-made goods on ethical grounds, on a page that makes no mention of the UK's record on democracy, access to justice or services like the NHS.

Ethical Fashion Forum remains confident of its expertise, describing itself as "the industry body" for ethical fashion, as though representing a consensus on issues such as Bangladeshi working conditions, union recognition, or national insurance.

The European Parliament, in contrast, demonstrated a much more radical consensus with near universal support for a motion calling for conditional tariffs against Bangladesh if Bangladeshi human rights do not improve. Presumably, no Euro MPs will pay £225 to go to the Ethical Fashion Source Summit, and, if they do, they will not be invited to speak, so the sense of un-challenged expertise will continue as deligates "network" and attend "Forums and Masterclasses offering in depth training and intelligence in your area of interest" such as "Market opportunities and Communicating Sustainability".

--ends

Links:
 https://facebook.com/planB4fashion which is just a blog
 http://source.ethicalfashionforum.com/article/source-summit-2013-momentum - prospectus for the show


European Parliament resolution of 23 May 2013 on labour conditions and health and safety standards following the recent factory fires and building collapse in Bangladesh
 http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?type=TA&language=EN&reference=P7-TA-2013-230 - link to full text including paras 5 and 7: the consensus that will not be mentioned at Ethical Fashion Source Network or by the fashion magazines that report it.