When we speak about ethical fashion, many people think of campaigns to avoid sweatshops and end child labour, but the problems of exploitation in the fashion industry do not stop at the factory gates. Where the material that clothes are made from originates is also part of the picture.

 

Two decades ago, PAN UK opened my eyes to the horrors of conventional cotton farming and what I saw has changed the way I make clothes forever.

 

The information that I received from PAN UK was the spark that ignited the whole sustainable clothing movement, now huge and growing every day. Without PAN this would never have happened.

 

Every year, tens of thousands of cotton farmers die from pesticide poisoning, many thousands more have their lives blighted by chronic illness. Pesticides are expensive and paying for them has led many farmers into deep debt, causing a high number of suicides. In India alone, twenty-six cotton farmers kill themselves every day by drinking pesticides. These statistics are horrendous and each case represents a human story of despair and tragedy.

 

The environmental cost is also huge with pesticide pollution leading to massive wildlife losses. PAN UK has worked tirelessly to expose these problems and campaigned to ban the most harmful pesticides.  PAN UK also promotes organic cotton as a viable alternative. PAN UK works with farmers in the developing world to help them get off the pesticide treadmill.

 

Organic agriculture is the only way for many developing world farmers to trade their way out of poverty, for instance, growing cotton organically, without costly chemical fertilisers and pesticides, can increase their profits by 50% due to the 20% premium for organic and the 60% drop in the cost of inputs allowing them to feed and clothe their families, educate their children and dig wells which isn't the case when they farm conventionally. PAN UK has trained several thousands of African farmers to use organic and low input techniques and has linked them with retailers and manufacturers to create markets for organic cotton, so that they can escape poverty without jeopardising their own, or their families’ health.

 

 PAN UK’s future is at risk. The financial crisis has hit PAN UK’s funding hard with its income cut in half in the last year alone. Without your support PAN UK will struggle to continue the fight against the use and effects of these toxic chemicals.

 

Meanwhile, the pesticide industry continues to pour millions of dollars into its lobbying and publicity efforts. PAN UK is an important counterweight to the powerful agro-industry lobby. It is the only charity in the UK focusing solely on the global problems of pesticide use. It is dedicated to promoting fair and sustainable alternatives to intensive agriculture and offers realistic and practical solutions to reduce dependency on pesticides.  PAN UK has shown us that the world can easily be fed and clothed without pouring huge amounts of agrochemicals on our crops.

 

I hope you can help PAN UK continue its amazing work. Please give as much as you can NOW to save this incredibly valuable organisation from being forced to close.
 

 

Thank you,

 

 

Prof Katharine Hamnett CBE.