The Buy Your Values UCLA coalition hosts its first in-person event

By Sahid Fawaz

On Wednesday, May 21st, the Buy Your Values UCLA (BYV) coalition– a newly formed initiative under Environmental Justice Now, a facilities committee under the Undergraduate Students Association Council at UCLA– hosted its first in-person event. The event aimed to educate students from various garment-oriented organizations about the importance of joining the coalition. BYV seeks to bring ethically sourced garments into the UCLA store by influencing the purchasing decisions of various campus departments, student groups, and events, advocating for ethical and sustainable standards to be met in their custom-printed products. Additionally, Buy Your Values aims to prioritize local sourcing, which would positively impact Los Angeles, particularly its garment industry and workers. By requiring ethical and sustainable manufacturing practices for UCLA apparel, BYV hopes to drive change in the garment sector, reducing the reliance on unethical manufacturers.

Speakers at the event include Labor 411 Foundation board member Daniel Cardozo, and Madison Mavis from Helpsy. Daniel spoke about the ethical challenges associated with prevailing conditions in the global garment industry. And Madison spoke about exciting opportunities to reduce waste and emissions associated with the “end of life” of garments.

The event was attended by 18 UCLA undergraduates, graduate students, and professors. There was lively dialogue and discussion about building the movement for ethical consumerism at UCLA so that student tuition dollars are not used to perpetuate sweatshop conditions and environmental devastation and injustice.