Customs is hindering Eco Fashion In Canada

Photo curtsy of Joe Lee

I am doing research into trade laws and customs orders. I have come across a HUGE problem in the sustainable world- the government and it's badly raised child- customs.

There are so many tough and complicated laws on importing and exporting. It is incredibly expensive. It involves an incredible amount of patience! You have to kill half a forest in paper, then wait for the old growth forest to grow back to wait for the product to come in. (Re: you take forever filling out forms and waiting for the product to go through the border.)

Also, DNS has been WAITING FOR FABRIC for a few weeks now. Waiting for fabric is a huge problem in creating a line, because you have less and less time to work on the proper fit of the garment using the real fabric. A proper fitting garment is probably the BEST quality of any sustainable clothing line, so people actually will buy it and wear it.

To add insult to injury, many product like oil, chemicals and cheap fattening foods like white sugar are subsidized. Meaning they are cheaper than products that are actually good for the population. WHAT? What kind of stupid-old-white-fat-men politics is that?

If the government wants us to go green- they should untangle some of the bureaucratic mess that they have created. They should subsidize organic cotton, organic vegtables, non-toxic paints, green technology and design. There should be a special customs office- one that deals with getting Green products in and out of Canada as quickly and cheaply as possible. THAT will help green entrepreneurs tremendously, not shitty greenwashed add campaigns.