More than ever, we can afford lots of fashionable clothes that help us look professional or express our personalities. The reason we can buy more clothes than we need is because most of our clothing is made in sweatshops around the globe.

According to World Watch Institute, here are some simple things you can do:

"Avoid clothing brands that have been known to use sweatshops. In the United States, these include Wal-Mart, Gap (Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Target.

Purchase at least some items from up-and-coming fair trade brands and makers of organic cotton and natural fiber clothing.

Donate your old clothes to thrift shops, or buy inexpensive “recycled” garments from these stores.

Write to sweatshop-using companies to tell them you won't give them your business until they stop outsourcing to sweatshops."

Also, check out these websites:

Global Exchange (www.globalexchange.org) is an international human rights organization dedicated to promoting environmental, political, and social justice, including in the global garment industry.

BehindtheLabel.org (www.behindthelabel.org) provides information on labor abuses in the clothing industry and offers a range of consumer tips for buying sweatshop-free apparel.

Sustainable Cotton Project (www.sustainablecotton.org) works with farmers, manufacturers, and consumers to pioneer markets for certified organically grown cotton.

North American Industrial Hemp Council (naihc.org)

Sweat Free Communities ((http://www.sweatfree.org/shoppingguide) Provides information to workers around the world about how to better workplace conditions and also provides a sweatfree shopping guide to consumers in richer countries.

Coop America (http://www.greenamerica.org/pubs/greenpages) They claim, "Our mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society."