ETHICS IN FASHION INDUSTRY

Clothing is human beings’ basic necessity and becomes all the more significant when the basic needs are fulfilled. The fashion becomes an expression of culture, civilization and tradition at individual level and at the national level as well. Prior to the industrial revolution, the fashion was limited to the hand-sewn need-based clothes and no big industrial production were required. With the advent of mechanized and ready-to-wear garments, many moral and ethical concerns emerge at local and global level. The largescale production gave rise to many ethical issues such as exploitative practices at procurement of raw material, human rights, poor labor conditions, unsafe working environment, environmental hazards and pollution. 

As per stats about fashion, the industry posted 2 to 4 percent growth in 2024 and is expected to exceed the mark in the coming years. The fashion industry in 2024 generated near $800 billion despite many challenges at global and regional levels. These figures show that fashion industry contributes significantly in the global trade, economy and revenue generation. Moreover, the fashion industry provides jobs to over 65 million skilled and unskilled workers at global level. The fashion industry is also an engine of growth in the farming sector. These factors indicate that this huge wheel of growth has caused many degenerative and environmental issues which may be discussed as under;

EXPLOITATIVE PROCUREMENT METHODS

The procurement of raw material used in the fashion industry particularly cotton produce from the farms involves tactical exploitation as the producers are not given fair price for the sweat of their forehead. They are paid only peanuts for their hard-earned production as the manufacturers exploit their need because the proceed of the farmers is the only source of their income and they have to make the both ends meet. The same mindset and exploitative practices are at work over the other raw material sources for the fashion industry. Although the benchmark price is determined by the authorities concerned but the producers are coerced into accepting much lower price of their produce by using different exploitative methods.

HOW CAN EXPLOITATIVE PROCUREMENT BE ADDRESSED?      

A strong and proactive check and balance system should be put in place to save the raw material producers from the exploitation of the manufacturers. There should be a minimum price of the cotton and other raw materials and no one should be allowed to make purchases below the price determined by the authorities concerned. The raw material providers should be provided with a level playing field as they should be afforded with the competitive environment and should have free hand to sell their products to the buyer of their choice at price of their priority. The cartelization of the manufacturers in the fashion industry should be discouraged rather eliminated by the relevant authorities.

HUMAN RIGHTS ISSUE

The glossy appearance of glamour and trends of the fashion industry is hiding the grotesque and ugly aspects of the human rights violations and exploitations of the labor force and other workers. The laborers are not provided with fair and timely wages, job security, on work life insurance, favorable working environment, medical facility, pensionary benefits, bonusses in commensurate with the profit and other benefits envisaged in International Labor Organization (ILO) convention. Moreover, the workers have no opportunity to adopt legal course in case of job loss and other exploitative tactics.      

WHAT IS ETHICAL MOVEMENT?

In fashion industry, ethical movement launched at global level to solve the human rights issue associated with the labor force of the industry. It has many objectives and key points such as;

1. To end the exploitative and coercive labor tactics such as absence of job security, low wages and unsafe working conditions.
2. To bring the environmental impact of the fashion industry to the minimum level by promoting eco-friendly production.
3. To ensure ending cruelty to animals and supporting other methods and backing humane behavior with the animals if animals’ involvement in process becomes inevitable.

WHAT IS WHOMADEMYCLOTHES CAMPAIGN?

The ethical fashion movement gained momentum in 2015 when the #WhoMadeMyClothes campaign was launched as the people were urged to put question about fairness and transparency in the whole supply chain of fashion products. They are made aware that the trendy clothes people wear should not have unpaid sweat of the poor workers and there should not be the hidden blood stains because of the exploitation of the workers and the fashionable clothes should not bear the wet of the workers’ tears. Founded by Carry Somers and Orsola Castro, the movement urged the people to be inquisitive about fairness and transparency in the fashion products manufacturing.   

UNSAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

The ethical movement regarding fashion industry became more active and gained popularity when Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh made headlines across the globe as 10,000 garment workers died due to unsafe and unhealthy working environment. The movement began to propagate that no one should face suffering for the fashion and no worker should be made to face coercion to embellish the body of the other.

The Rana Plaza tragedy sparked awareness and concern about the unethical practices in the fashion industry and demands with vociferous voice were raised to care for the workers. The #WhoMadeMyClothes campaign marked by the banner which were responded by the workers with same type of placard #IMadeYourClothes. This campaign and other efforts at largescale level created awareness and the people at the helm of affairs sprang into action to ensure safety of the garment workers.

POOR LABOR CONDITION

The condition of laborers in fashion industry is very poor as they are forced to work on low wages with longer hours of the labor and are usually paid marginal over time. The garment industry exploits their poverty and above it, they feel elated by saying that at least they have given them the job to save them from abject hunger and starvation-like situation. The workers are made to work in unhealthy environment as they have to breathe in toxic air without ventilators. They are vulnerable to the chemicals unsafe for human health. The European parliament coins the garment workers as ‘slave labor’ referring to the workers in Asian countries. They are coerced into working in such conditions for the brands which are desperate to meet the growing demand of the fast fashion in the market.

HOW IS POOR LABOR CONDITION IMPROVING?

In California, effective from July 1, 2024, laws have been made to ensure minimum wages to the garment workers as many counties and cities have increased the wages of the workers with specific working hours.

In India, there were labor exploitative mechanism like Sumangli scheme which was a form of bonded labor in garment industry. The women from marginalized communities were lured into working in this industry on false promises and poor working conditions. However, the ethical movement in fashion industry has created awareness and the conditions are moving towards improvement.

ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS AND POLLUTION

The ready-to-wear garments have ever-growing demand and more demand means more production and more waste and mostly the waste is disposed of in an untreated manner which causes environmental hazards and pollution. The raw material contains toxic contents that is drained out in open and into the rivers and seas that is also a major cause of pollution and environmental degradation. Moreover, the leftovers in the garment industry are dumped in the landfill areas which causes more hazards to the environment. In most cases, the garment waste and leftovers are burnt to dispose them of without acknowledging the fact that it is one of the major causes of pollution and environment hazard. The leftovers and the thrown-out garments are transported to the under developed countries as hand down garments and thus the developed countries passed the hazards to the poor countries in the name of assistance.

WHAT IS SLOW FASHION?   

The ethical concerns regarding environmental hazards due to fashion industry indicate to slow fashion that is a movement which supports and propagates environment and social justice in the fashion industry. The main focus of the movement is to advocate less production so that the problems associated with blind production of the fast fashion could be addressed at the root level. The term slow fashion was first used along with the ‘slow food’ by fashion journalist Kate Fletcher in a 2007 article ‘The Ecologist’. She termed the fast fashion as being greed not speed and it is all about selling more and earning more.

BOTTOMLINE

Ethics, transparency and humanism must reign supreme in all the pursuits of life. Mostly, the human rights, ethical values and moral considerations become important when it relates to other people but these factors go on the backburner when business benefits come forth. The champions of human rights keep mum when the things come at their own doorsteps. The ethical values in fashion industry should be implemented across the board without any discrimination. The humanity should not be compromised for the sake of business. The ethics also demand the fashion industry to be conscious about the environmental and pollution issues as the nature should not distorted for the sake of trendy clothes.

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