 When we want to buy a t-shirt or some other item for clothing we come to a place like this or perhaps we go to supermarket or shop online and we tend to buy from brands that we know. Many of us care about fashion and the price that we pay and we come to places like this to buy our clothes because we trust them. We believe that the clothes we buy will last and that they're produced in decent conditions by people who are neither harmed nor exploited, right? Yes, that's right. Everson shows us that we want our clothes to be produced both ethically and sustainably without breaking any laws. This means giving those involved in the production of the clothes, particularly those in the developing countries, a decent and viable income as well as reducing the vast amounts of energy and resources needed in the production process and of course at the end of the life of the clothes it means effectively recycling vast amounts of unwanted clothes. The good news is that retailers want these things too and there are already some commendable initiatives in place. However, while 55% of consumers are prepared to pay more from products from companies with a good social environmental track record, our understanding of what sustainability in relation to clothing really means is still very low. This is where our research at the Open University kicks in. We're looking closer and closer at the whole picture of how clothes are made, sold and disposed of. We're discovering ways of influencing this surprisingly complex process and raising awareness with the consumers. So for example clothes are not only made in the global south like China, Brazil or Bangladesh but parts of the manufacturing and packaging and obviously distribution happen in the developed north. So we are actually able to affect changes more quickly than you think as it's happening right next door. Clothes have become almost disposable, our fashion tastes change rapidly with UK households spending on average £1,700 a year on clothing of which 30% is never worn. We need to start at home changing our buying patterns, refreshing our existing wardows with perhaps just buying new accessories or recycling old trends. We're looking at things like labelling and adding information to influence more sustainable purchasing decisions, things like the carbon footprint of a garment and ethical practices in its production. In short we need to address the culture of trends such as fast fashion and our research is laying the foundations for future innovative decisions by policymakers, retailers and consumers which will bring long-term benefits to everybody including those in the most vulnerable countries such as the developing south.