jeans and the environment - scotdec

P E E REDUCATION

Learning & teaching for a fairer world

INFO. SHEET

Find out moreabout jeans

We all wear jeans but how do we decide which ones to buy? Is it the cost, the style, or the shop they come from which is most important? Making jeans is big business and involves lots of people all over the world.

Jeans and the environmentJeans are made from cotton which is the world’s thirstiest crop. Three litres of water is needed to grow a single bud of cotton. One pair of jeans needs 8000 litres of water! If lots of water is used to grow cotton it can sometimes mean that the local water supply is reduced.

Cotton uses more pesticides than any other crop. Pesticides are chemicals which are sprayed on crops to kill insects and other pests. This helps the farmer to grow a bigger and stronger crop. Pesticides don’t just harm pests though, they stay in the soil and leak into the water supply. They can also be harmful to the farmers if they don’t have the right protective clothing.

Jeans productionJeans are produced in clothing or garment factories in countries such as Bangladesh, China and Tunisia. The majority of the workers are women who often move from the countryside to the city in order to earn money for their families.

Often these workers are paid low wages and work long hours. Many factories where clothes are made have poor safety regulations which leads to overcrowded factories, dangerous electrical systems and machinery and a lack of emergency exits and training.

Millions of workers have no choice but to work in these garment factories in order to earn a living.

Taking actionOur challenge is to make sure that the jeans and clothes that we want to buy are produced in a way where human rights are respected and the environment is protected. As consumers we do have the power to change things for the better. Spread the message about the clothes industry to other pupils in your school using the Peer Education materials. For more ideas, read the Campaign Guide! (link)

My clothes and me

Jeans & T-shirts: on the production line

Cotton field to jeans: who made

my jeans?

Cotton field tojeans: winners

and losers

Cotton fields to jeans: our environment

Postcard to the person whomade my jeans

Choices, choices: buying a pair

of jeans

What next?Try out

our Jeans Activities!

P E E REDUCATION


What you need to prepare

1 x ‘Agree’ sign 1 x ‘Disagree’ sign

What you need to knowA consumer is a person who buys things (this can be anything!) and uses services like the internet or the telephone. We are all consumers!

Our ‘consumer habits’ refers to the way we like to spend our money.

What to doPlace the 2 signs at opposite sides of the classroom. Ask all pupils to stand up and find a space. Read out the statements one at a time and ask pupils to stand closer to the ‘Agree’ sign if they agree with the statement or closer to the ‘Disagree’ sign if they disagree with the statement.

If they do not know what they think, then they can stand in the middle. After each statement, ask one or two pupils to share their ideas.

Remind them that there is no right or wrong answer. Tell pupils that they are allowed to change their mind once they have heard other people’s ideas.

Statements:• My clothes help me express

my personality• People today are much more

interested in fashion than people have been in the past

• People who make clothes in factories should be happy they have a job

• Fairtrade clothes are too expensive for people to buy

• I have no interest in fashion• School uniform is a good thing

ReflectionWas it easy to decide where to stand? Did it make you think differently about clothes?

Did you change your mind when you heard other people’s ideas?

Can you think of any global connections with your clothes?

Love fashion, hate school uniform? What do you know about the clothes you wear?

My clothes and meLength: 15 minutes

Try out other Jeans Activities!

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What you need to prepare Large pile of scrap A4 paper 2 pairs of scissors per group 3 pencils per group 2 rulers per group Role cards: Worksheet (go to page 2) Timer

What you need to knowMany people who work in factories making jeans and other clothes have to work very long hours for not much money. They often have to work for 6 days a week and don’t get much holiday time.

What to doPut pupils into groups of 6 and give them a set of cards (Worksheet 1). Ask one person in each group to hand out the role cards in any order. Groups must sit in number order round the table. Ask them to think of a name for their ‘factory’.

Tell pupils that they are going to be making T-shirts in their factory and they have different jobs to do. They need to make as many T-shirts as possible but they are not allowed to help each other. Pupils must look at their own card and take the materials they need. They must make sure that they will be passing the T-shirts in the correct direction. Clap your hands to signal the start of the activity. Set the timer for 10 minutes.

Peer educators, it is your job to be the supervisors. You must put some pressure on the workers. Speak loudly to them to get on with their work and remove some rulers, pencils and scissors if the workers talk to each other. When T-shirts are made, look at them closely and if the measurements are wrong or a T-shirt looks untidy, rip it up and put it in the bin. The workers will not be happy but that is the aim of the activity.

After the time is finished, ask pupils how they are feeling. Start the timer for another 5/10 minutes and continue the game. Supervisors can now remove a person from a group if they are talking too much or they are not working fast enough.

Use the reflection questions to find out how they felt about the activity.

ReflectionHow did you find the activity?

How did you feel about your own tasks and the time pressure?

What did you learn from this experience?

Can you think of a way to gather answers to these questions?

Explain to pupils that many people work under very unfair rules and in horrible environments for long hours and not much pay. However, this is sometimes the only way families can earn money in order to get basic needs such as food.

Experience what it feels like to work in a clothes factory

and find out what the working conditions are really like.

on the production line

Length: 25 minutes

WorksheetGo to next page

Jeans & T-shirts:

Go back to Activity

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P E E REDUCATION


Each group needs a set of these cut into role cards.

Worksheet

2

Adapted from Global Youth Work: Activities for Global Citizenship

Seamstress 1Fold a sheet of paper in half. Draw a line

2cm from the top and the bottom. Draw a line 5cm in from the left

towards the fold.

Seamstress 2Cut out shaded area

of the rectangle.

Seamstress 3Draw a rectangle 4cm wide

and 12cm high.

Seamstress 4Cut out the rectangle.

Seamstress 5Unfold the paper and draw a semicircle for the collar. Draw

4 buttons exactly in the middle.

SalespersonTurn the paper over. Fold the 2 arms to the middle. Fold the bottom to the top.

Fold

Front

Back

Fold

2cm

2cm

5cm

Fold

4cm

12cm

Scissor icon from flaticon.com

Fold

on the production lineJeans & T-shirts:

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What you need to prepare Cotton plant photo (PowerPoint) List of countries where cotton is grown: Worksheet 1 (go to page 2) 1 x A3 blank world map per group: Worksheet 2 (go to page 3) Stages of cotton production:

Worksheet 3 (go to page 4) Small sticky dots World atlases 1 x long piece of blank paper

What you need to knowProduction: working to make something.Harvesting: the season in a year to pick farm crops.Ginning: taking the seeds out of cotton plants.

What to doShow pupils the photo of the cotton plant and ask them to turn to their ‘elbow partner’ and share 1 thing that they already know about cotton. Think about how you are going to gather some of these answers.

Put pupils into groups of 6. Give each group a blank world map (Worksheet 1) and a list of the countries where cotton is grown (Worksheet 2). Ask pupils to use an atlas to find the different countries where cotton is grown and label the map.

Growing cotton is stage 1 of making clothes, now pupils will find out about the other stages in making a pair of jeans. Hand out a copy of Worksheet 3 and ask pupils to organise the captions into the correct order to show the different stages in making a pair of jeans.

How are you going to share the correct answers with the class?

Correct order is 7,5,8,4,2,6,1,3

ReflectionDraw a line across a large piece of paper and label one end ‘1’ and the other end ‘5’. Ask pupils to take another small sticky dot. Pupils should stick their dot somewhere on the scale to show how much they have learned in the lesson.

1 = nothing3 = some new learning5 = lots of new learning

How can you share some of the new learning?

Find out about the people and places all over the world

who are involved in making a pair of jeans.

Cotton field to jeans:

Length: 25 minutes

Worksheet 1Go to next page

who made my jeans?

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2Cotton field to jeans:

Each group needs a copy of this list of countries.

Worksheet 1

Brazil

Sudan

Uzbekistan

China

Pakistan

Turkey Mexico

USA

Egypt

Tanzania

India

Zambia

who made my jeans?

From:www.oxfam.org.uk/education

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education

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3Cotton field to jeans: Worksheet 2

who made my jeans?Each group needs a copy of the map.


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4Cotton field to jeans: Worksheet 3

who made my jeans?Each group needs a set of these cut into strips.

1 Garment workers make the material into jeans. There are factories making clothes all over the world, from India to the USA. In Bangladesh, there are over 4000 factories.

2 The cotton might be transported to another country before being made into clothes. A spinning machine stretches the cotton fibres to make long threads called yarn.

3 The jeans are transported to shops, ready to be sold.

4 The cotton goes through a ginning machine which removes the seeds from the cotton. Ginning can also be done by hand. The seeds are used for next year’s crop, or processed to make cottonseed oil.

5 In Mali, where cotton is picked by hand, the harvested cotton is loaded into baskets ready to be taken back to the farm.

6 A machine called a loom makes the yarn into cotton material, which is then dyed and cut in a process called ‘finishing’.

7 When cotton is ready to be harvested, the fluffy cotton bolls are picked by hand or a machine.

8 At the farm, all the cotton is loaded ready for transporting. Cotton is grown and put into a lorry, but it is often transported by horse and cart.

Adapted from Fairtrade Foundation

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What you need to prepare Set of role cards: Worksheet 1

(go to page 2) Copy Worksheet 2 (go to page 3)

onto the whiteboard but remember do not put the actual costs in yet! Pair of old jeans

What you need to knowCheck the amounts in Worksheet 2 and think about how you are going to present this information to the class.

What to doShow the group a pair of jeans. Tell them that it costs £24. Explain that lots of people were involved in making these jeans. Ask the group if they can guess who is involved. The list needs to include: the cotton grower, the cotton buyer, the person who weaves the cotton into fabric, the factory owner who makes the jeans and the shop owner who sells the jeans.

You need 5 groups and each will be given a ‘winners and losers’ role card. They must read the card and prepare a short 2 minute presentation on who they are, how much of the £24 they should get for their work and explain why.

Each group should make their presentation. After each presentation write up the amount each group wants for their role in making the jeans. (Worksheet 2). When all groups have presented, add up the costs. The total number will be bigger than £24!

Now tell the group what the actual amounts are and write them on your chart.

ReflectionHow do the groups feel about this?

Is it fair?

Who are the winners and losers in this pair of jeans?

Lots of different people are involved in making a pair of

jeans. But how much money do they all earn? Is it fair?


Length: 30 minutes


winners and losers

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2

Cotton FarmerYou are a cotton farmer and live on a small farm growing cotton with your family. You have to work very hard during the year, ploughing the land, sowing the seed, weeding, fertilising, spraying 5-7 times with insecticide and picking the cotton by hand. The money you earn is very important for your family.

WeaverMaking fabric from cotton fibres is a tricky process: the fibres have to be carded (untangled), spun into thread, woven into fabric and dyed. Most of this work is done by machines operated by skilled workers. However, this is not cheap. You have invested a lot of money in new machines and need money to pay back the loans you took out to buy them.

Cotton buyerYou are a cotton buyer and it is a risky business, you need to buy and sell the cotton at the right price. You also have to arrange the transport of the cotton from the producer country to the fabric producer. Sometimes business is good and your deals make a lot of money, but sometimes you end up making a loss. You have to get the best deal you can. Make the most of this opportunity to keep your business going.

factory ownerMaking jeans from cotton fabric is not as easy as it sounds. You have to make sure that the quality and style of the jeans you make is right for the customer. You have skilled workers who cut the jeans and machinists who have to work fast to make as many pairs as they can. Jeans are selling well at the moment. You need to make money on them to invest in the design and production of new jeans.

Shop ownerYou have to sell the jeans people want to buy when they want to buy them! To sell your jeans you need a shop in the city centre or a shopping centre but these sites are not cheap. You have to make your shop look good which means expensive decoration. You are at the end of the jeans production process and need to make sure you have what the customer wants. You need to make a good profit on your jeans to cover the bad times.


Each group needs a different role card.

Worksheet 1

winners and losers


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Copy this onto a whiteboard.

Worksheet 2

winners and losers

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What you need to prepare Worksheet (go to page 2) Poster paper and pens Ball of wool

What you need to knowCotton is a thirsty crop which uses lots of water. It also needs lots of pesticides to make it grow strong and healthy. Then it needs to be turned into fabric, dyed, sewn into jeans and at each stage transported to a different place. All this can have an impact on the environment.

What to doTell pupils that making jeans is not that simple! Lots of different jobs need to be done to turn a field of cotton into a pair of jeans. Lots of these activities can impact on the environment. Each group will get an information card about one of these activities and must prepare a poster to present to the other groups.

Allow 20 minutes for each group to make their poster. How will you make sure everyone has a job to do?

Each group has 2 minutes to present their poster.

ReflectionThink of a way you can gather pupils’ thoughts about this lesson.

What did they find surprising?

What did they learn that they did not know before this lesson?

One idea is to use ‘The Web’ activity. Take a ball of wool and hold the single wool string in one hand. Ask everyone to sit in a large circle. Say something that you have learned from the lesson then roll the ball of wool to someone else in the circle. Remember to keep a hold of the single string of wool. Each time someone rolls the ball, they should remember to keep holding the single piece of wool. At the end, you should see a large web made out of wool.

AssemblyYou could use the posters to present an assembly on the ways our clothes have an impact on the environment. Decide who wants to present each poster from the groups and think about the best order to present the information. You will also need to decide how to introduce the topic and share ideas about what we can do at the end.

Lots of things happen in order for a field of cotton to

become a pair of jeans. This activity explores these

activities and the impact they have on the environment.

Cotton field to jeans: Length: 25-30 minutes

Worksheet Go to next page

our environment

Go back to Activity

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P E E REDUCATION



Each group needs one information card.

Worksheet

our environment

WaterCotton is the world’s thirstiest crop. 3 litres of water are needed for 1 cotton bud.

One pair of jeans needs 8000 litres of water! If lots of water is used to grow cotton, it can sometimes mean that the local water supply is reduced. This means that people do not have enough water for all their everyday activities such as washing, cooking and cleaning. It can also mean that they have to travel further to collect water or the piped water supply is only available for a few hours of the day.

PesticidesCotton is known as a ‘dirty crop’. It uses more pesticides than any other crop.

Pesticides are chemicals which are sprayed on crops to kill insects and other pests. This helps the farmer to grow a bigger and stronger crop. Pesticides don’t just harm pests though, they stay in the soil and leak into the water supply. It can even get into food! It can also harm important insects like bees and other wildlife.

ChemicalsJeans come in many different colours and types: blue, red, black, faded,

printed, stone washed and more. Chemicals are used to create these different colours and effects. Sometimes these chemicals are bad for the environment. They can pollute rivers and streams, harming fish and other wildlife. Sometimes it can also get into the water supply making it harmful to drink.

FactoriesThe factories in which the clothes are made use energy to power their machines

and other equipment. In countries like China and Bangladesh where lots of jeans are made, factories are powered by fossil fuels which is one of the causes of climate change. They also pollute the air by releasing gases into the air outside the factory.

TransportAll the different stages of turning a field of cotton into a pair of jeans happens

in a different country. For example, cotton is grown in India, spun into cotton in China, dyed in Taiwan, woven into fabric in Poland, sewn into a pair of jeans in the Philippines, stone washed in Greece and sold in Scotland. That’s 7 different countries! The materials need to be transported between all these places by train, boat and lorry. All these are powered by fuels which pollute the air and are another cause of climate change.

ClothesHow many pairs of jeans do you own? How many pairs of jeans are owned

in your group? How many t-shirts, skirts, trousers, jumpers and socks? We all own more clothes than we need. The making of jeans and other clothes has a big impact on the environment but we are not going to stop buying and wearing clothes! However, we can buy fewer, buy second hand, vintage or Fairtrade clothes and think of ways to re-use clothes we have finished with.

Icons: water, pesticides, factories, transport by freepik.com,chemicals, scissor by flaticon.com, clothes by flaticon.com / EpicCoders

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What you need to prepare A world map Post-it notes A postcard template for each person:

Worksheet (go to page 2) Coloured pencils and pens

What you need to knowClothes are made in lots of countries, including China, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines and Portugal. Make sure you can find these countries on a map.

What to doAsk pupils to look at a label on their T-shirt, jumper, jacket or trousers. They may need some help from a friend to read their label. Ask pupils to write down their country on the post-it note and stick it on a board. What do they notice about where the post-its are? How could you show these countries on a world map? Will you need to prepare something before this lesson?

Ask if they have ever thought about the person who made their clothes? What is their life like? What would you ask them if you met them? What would you say to them?

Each pupil is given a postcard to write to the person who made their jeans (or a favourite item of clothing). They should draw their favourite jeans or clothes and then write a message to the person who made it.

How will you display and share the postcards with the group?

ReflectionUse an Evaluation Target.

Draw 2 or 3 target boards on flip chart paper like this one:

Give each pupil 3 sticky dots. At the top of every target board write a question, for example, Was today fun? Did you feel listened to?

Pupils place their dot near the centre of the target if they agree or near the outside if they disagree. If pupils really do not agree, for example, they had no fun, then they can place it outside the circles.

Have you ever thought about the person who made your jeans? What would you say to them? In this activity you write a postcard to the person who made your jeans.

Length: 30-40 minutes


Postcard to the personwho made my jeans

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P E E REDUCATION


Worksheet

2Postcard to the person

Each person will need a postcard.

who made my jeans

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What you need to prepare Set of cards for each group:

Worksheet (go to page 2)

What you need to knowEthical: when it is the ‘right’ thing to do. For example, it is ethical to pay people the correct wage so that they can feed their family. It is unethical to force people to work without paying them.

Fairtrade: means paying people a fair price for the goods they produce like bananas and cocoa beans or cotton. It also makes sure that people are looked after at work and are helped to look after the environment. The ‘premium’ from the fair price helps the local community to build schools and water wells so it improves life for all.

What to doPut pupils into group of 4 or 5. Give them a set of cards (Worksheet 1). Ask pupils to think about what is most important for them when they buy jeans. One person from each group should read aloud every card and make sure everyone in their group

understands what they all mean. You may need to explain what ‘ethical’ means. Ask pupils to complete a ‘Diamond 9’ activity, putting the most important card at the top and the least important card at the bottom. Everyone in the group must agree.

After all groups have sorted the cards, ask pupils to move around the room to look at how other groups have organised the cards. How are you going to ask pupils to share their answers?

ReflectionAsk the class to share reasons for where they have placed the most and least important cards.

Explain that some of the cards make us think about the world: ‘Fairtrade’, ‘ethical’ and ‘good for the environment’.

Ask pupils to think for 1 minute about how they choose the clothes they buy.

Will they change the way they buy their clothes? Can you think of any ways we can help our world by the choices we make about the clothes we buy?

We all make choices about the clothes we wear. This activity encourages you to think about these choices.

Length: 20 minutes


Choices, choices:

buying a pair of jeans

Go back to Activity

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P E E REDUCATION


Choices, choices:

Each group will need 1 of these cut into cards.

Worksheet

2buying a pair of jeans

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jeans and the environment - scotdec

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