Look at what you’re wearing. Do you know where your pants were made? Where the materials for your shirt came from? Who constructed it? Chances are, few of us know.

Ethical awareness in the fashion industry has grown substantially during the “green” movement of the past decade, but it remains a highly underused practice, according to one local designer.

“It’s difficult for big-box retailers to mass-produce sustainable or upcycled clothing, and they want to produce the largest quantities at the lowest cost possible,” said Elizabeth Roney, founder of the sustainable clothing line Liz Alig.

After earning a clothing and textiles degree at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn., Roney decided to combine her interest in fashion with her experiences working in developing countries.

In 2009, she started Liz Alig and worked with several Fair Trade groups such as Global Mamas in Ghana, West Africa, and Mi Esperanza in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Through these organizations, Roney is able not only to create fashionable and 100 percent Fair Trade apparel, but also to generate economic growth in poor countries by providing work and skills training. Liz Alig also donates 10 percent of all sales to these communities.

The clothing comes from Liz Alig’s Fair Trade partners: A particular type of garment — gray T-shirts, for example — is selected from facilities the size of football fields that house second-hand clothing from all over the world. The garments are washed, taken apart and then made into new garments.

Items from Liz Alig range from $30 to $110 and are available online and at 25 stores across the United States, including Faith Boutique Collections at The Fashion Mall. Roney oversees the business from her studio at Tuttle Orchards, her family’s local farm business.

Recently, H&M launched a new brand, Conscious Collection, which uses more sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled polyester.

“Before you make a purchase, find out where the garment was made,” Roney said. In other words, read the tag.