6 Buying a t-shirt
- Suggested duration: 30 mins
- Technique used: Values clarification
- Aim of activity: Understand that our choices and decisions are based on deeper beliefs and values that we hold concerning the world we live in and therefore it is necessary to explore these values when making decisions and choices in order to reorient them towards the principles of sustainable development.
- Underpinning components: UC12.1b; UC12.2b; UC12.3a
- Connection with other competences: Attentiveness; Transdisciplinarity
Short description
A scenario is given, where three young people (George, Thomas and Joanna) decide to buy a cotton t-shirt. Their decision for buying the t-shirt is based on specific characteristics: the brand, the style, the fashion trends in their country, the country of the t-shirt production, the working conditions for the production of the t-shirt, the salary of the workers that produced the t-shirt, the type of cotton and where it was cultivated, how it was made and by whom. The three teenagers decide to buy their t-shirt based on different criteria. Thomas bought a t-shirt for 100 euros based on fashion, George bought his t-shirt for 10 euros from a charity shop and from cotton that a label indicated that is organic and finally Joanna bought her t-shirt from the internet from a fair trade company. Her t-shirt cost 15 euros, was made from organic cotton and had printed on the phrase “Make poverty history”. Groups discuss the values that determined the decision of each kid to buy the specific t-shirt. It will be useful to use main principles and values of the Earth Charter. It will be useful to firstly discuss and analyse the values of the Earth Charter before discussing the t-shirt selection of the young people. Finally, each member of the group is asked to respond to the questions below:
- “Were there any cases where your decision for buying a product was based on these values? Yes or no? Why?”
- If you were asked to buy a cotton t-shirt, what criteria would you use to buy it? Are there any values from the ones discussed above that you think will impact your decision? Which of them and why?