How ethical is the fast fashion industry in the UK?

Iona Vallance

March 29, 2017

Fast fashion is a term used to describe clothing which is designed to capture current trends. This often
entails manufacturing collections inspired by those displayed by high fashion houses and labels, which, in
the UK, is projected through the bi-yearly London Fashion Weeks runways (Apparel Search, 2009). It is
also known for trends to be identified through social media, or celebrity fashion choices (Fashionista,
2015). Designs are quickly and cheaply produced to allow consumers to buy into the latest runway trends
at a low price, a philosophy which is most extensively used by both high street and online retailers such
as River Island, H&M, Boohoo, and ASOS.

Fast fashion has its roots in the 1980s when Spanish company Inditex introduced its clothing line Zara
and utilized what is known as the quick response business model (Apparel Search, 2009). This strategy
places importance on a minimal amount of internal and external operations in order to move from demand
to supply as quickly as possible. Whilst this model had previously been used by clothing lines such as
Benetton, Zara brought it to the forefront of the global textiles industry. By the end of the 1990s, fast
fashion had risen to popularity with big name retailers, including British brands such as New Look,
Topshop, and Next, opening stores not only in the UK but across the globe.

Today, we buy on average over 80 billion garments a year across the world, a 400% increase since fast
fashion was introduced two decades ago. As a result of this, an estimated 1 in every 6 people work in an
area of the fashion industry worldwide (The True Cost, 2015), and so, inevitably, people have been
affected by this dramatic change - from farming to manufacturing, to consumption.

This document explores how socially ethical the UKs fast fashion industry in the above three key areas.

Farming - Cotton

Today, cotton is the fibre responsible for the majority of clothing (The True Cost, 2015). However, even
though the UK is home to some of the biggest fast fashion companies in the world, it exports very little
cotton. It has been observed that the overall output of textiles from the UK fell by 64.7% between 1979
and 2013, with employee jobs falling from 851,000 to 85,000 (Office for National Statistics, 2014). This is
due to globalization; the majority of cotton for the clothing that Britain manufactures is now imported, and
indeed the majority of cotton used for the clothing Britain imports is also international. So where is Britain
sourcing its cotton from?

In 2015-2016 India was the largest producer of cotton at 5.748 million metric tonnes (Statista. 2016). This
makes it a primary cotton source for clothing companies across the globe, including Britain. However,
ethical arguments within the media surrounding the cotton industry are rife. It is important to examine the
media to determine which ethical issues are factual, and which are popular but unfounded claims. The
most popular arguments appear to revolve around the consequences of using genetically modified cotton
seeds (Gelles, David 2016).

Bt cotton seed, a genetically modified cotton crop, was first introduced to India in 2002 with the promise of
increasing yields. This has statistically been the case, if only due to monoculture farming. (BBC World
Service, 2012) The problem is that Bt crops are only sustainable with the use of pesticides, herbicides,
and fertilizers (The True Cost, 2015).
The use of such products creates a high concentration of chemicals in soil. This may be leading to
serious health issues, particularly in rural areas of the country where water systems arent always
sanitary; Bt treatments have the potential to filter into drinking water (The True Cost, 2015). It has been
suggested that glyphosate, one of the chemical compounds used in some cotton treatments, may increase
chances of cancer through occupational exposure (Cancer Research UK. 2016). An example of a popular
arrant (Roundup Ready PLUS Crop Management Solutions, 2015).
herbicide with glyphosate in it is W
Other reported health issues within the agricultural industry include a higher rate of birth defects, mental
illnesses, and a pronounced suicide wave (The True Cost, 2015).

Much of the blame for the aforementioned issues is placed on American owned company Monsanto.
Monsanto commands a global Bt seed monopoly and provides many of the pesticides, herbicides, and
fertilizers involved in growing Bt crops. In 2016 96% of Indias cotton plantations used Monsantos seeds
(Scroll.in, 2016).

It is claimed that due to the combined high prices of crop treatments and seeds, many Indian cotton
farmers are now finding themselves in substantial and unaffordable debt. It is suggested that this debt is
what is causing the aforementioned suicide wave, not helped by the assumption that Monsanto is using
land grab as financial compensation (The True Cost, 2015). The fact is that there have been 270,000
recorded farmer suicides in India in the past 16 years - the largest recorded wave of suicides in history
(BBC News, 2013). But whether or not it is the debt which is the root cause of this is up for debate.

These are the issues that are at the forefront of the media. Driving many of the claims and suggestions
surrounding Monsanto is Dr. Vandana Shiva and her circle of influence. Statements include:

Since the big companies came in and took over the seed supplies, especially in cotton, we have 270 000
farmer suicides driven by debt and particularly by the high cost of seeds, I think one of the biggest
political issues in India is land-grab, and, they are getting into debt for seeds and chemicals. (BBC World
Service, 2012)

Whilst Shiva may be one of the biggest advocators for these arguments, she is not alone in reporting
such issues. In support of Shivas argument include figures such as Dr. Krishan Bir Chaudhary, president
of Bharat Krishak Samaj Indias largest farmer organisation, and Ali Tapsoba de Goamma, from Burkina
Faso, a founding member of Terre A Vie and coordinator of the International GMO Resistance Meetings
(Seed Freedom A, 2016).

It seems that there are four key social ethical issues with the Indian cotton industry in particular which are
being highlighted by these sources:

1. Booming suicide rates

2. Debt
3. Chemical induced health issues
4. Land grab

It is necessary to determine whether these issues are the product of research bias in order to draw any
ethical conclusions. Given that Shiva has caused Monsanto a great deal of bad publicity, it is important to
examine any counteraction Monsanto have initiated. The view presented on Monsantos website on the
issue of suicide is as following:

Farmer suicides in India have been a problem for nearly three decades - starting well before the first GM
crop was introduced in 2002. (Monsanto B, undated)
But just how accurate is this? The statement proving to be accurate would mean that Monsanto has had
little to no part to play in the suicide trend. Prof Prabhat Jha, the director of the Center for Global Health
Research in Toronto, is quoted to have said the following:

"We estimate in 2010 close to 190,000 suicides, so of all the suicides occurring in India, that would
suggest [farmer suicides] are only about 10%." (BBC News, 2013)

The report goes on to state:

Using figures from Professor Jha's findings and population figures from the UN, the suicide rate in India
is around 15 per 100,000. The suicide rate among agricultural workers is around seven per 100,000.
(BBC News, 2013)

So, although figures are high, they are not drastically higher than other working sectors. Given that the
agricultural sector in India is very large, the UN estimates just over 20% of Indias industry is agriculture, it
is likely that a small number within that estimated seven per year are cotton farmers. Additionally, the
aforementioned Professor Jha has suggested that the main reason for suicide is social pressure, not
agricultural debt. (BBC News, 2013)

While farmer suicide is important in India, the main reason for suicide deaths is occurring at younger
ages, particularly around the time that young adults join the workforce or get married, and it's really this
context of social pressure that is most associated with suicide, not farming. (BBC News, 2013)

Further to this, a study published by IFPRI (the International Food Policy Research Institute) found that
indebtedness can be linked to numerous causes, including a lack of reliable credit, changes in
government policies, and cropping patterns (Gruere, Mehta-Bhatt and Sengupta, 2008).

Data from a UN report International Farmer Suicide Crisis states that the rising suicide rate began in
1997, well before the introduction of Bt cotton (United Nations, undated). It appears likely that Monsanto
likely has very little to do with cotton farmer suicides, nor does Bt cotton or its affiliate chemicals appear to
cause the indebtedness claimed to be the root of farmer suicide in India. This, in turn, indicates that this
ethical issue is being created through information bias and the publishing of popular media, as opposed to
being factual.

Despite the conclusion above, debt via Bt cotton farming is certainly a problem for Indian farmers even if it
doesnt directly lead to suicide. Bt cotton seed is expensive as are the chemicals related to it; Monsanto
wields a 17,000% increase on the price of Bt cotton seeds in comparison to the price of native cotton
seeds (The True Cost, 2015). Whilst this is not the sole cause of debt for Indian farmers, it is inevitably a
contributing factor.

Indebtedness leads to poverty. This is a real problem in India overall. According to the World Banks latest
statistics, there were 260 million people living in serious poverty (earning under 1.56 per day) in India in
2011 (The World Bank, 2017). Agricultural workers wont be escaping this statistic. This means a
diminished quality of life not only for cotton farmers as individuals but for anyone they are supporting
financially.

Poverty can affect everything from access to drinking water to purchasing food, to affording medical care,
to paying for education, and more. It doesnt appear that Monsanto are supporting farmers through this, or
at least, they have published no information to show otherwise. When considering that the option to use
native seed is practically non-existent, this can be deemed socially unethical. Only 4% of cotton farmers
were growing native seeds in 2016 (Scroll.in, 2016).

Concerning chemical herbicides, fertilizers and insecticides causing human health issues such as cancer,
birth defects and mental health issues, Monsanto have stated the following:

In evaluations spanning four decades, the overwhelming conclusion of experts worldwide, including the EPA,
has been that glyphosate can be used safely according to label instructions. (Monsanto A, undated)

In contrast to this, an intensely investigative study published by the Journal of Organic Systems concluded the
following:

Glyphosate [could] cause oxidative stress resulting in changes to cell functions, necrosis in cells and
neurotoxic effects in the brain, kidney hepatic, testis and Sertoli cells [. This] needs to be considered as a
possible causative agent in a range of diseases. ( Swanson, Leu, Abrahamson and Wallet, 2014)

In short, Glyphosate needs to be further investigated before it can be deemed safe. Perhaps, therefore,
research Monsanto is referencing is outdated or is the product of information bias. They have not referenced
any sources for their statement. This is an issue as it means consumers of Monsantos chemical products are
potentially being led to believe unfounded claims and unknowingly putting their health in danger through
occupational exposure.

Monsanto has not published any information to counteract accusations of land grab. Further to this, no
further information can be found on the issue outside of Shivas circle of influence. Therefore, taking
Shivas argument as truth, how ethical is it for such a huge multi-national company to take farmers land
as compensation for unpaid bills.

Financially speaking, compensation is compensation regardless of the characteristics of a corporation.

However, ethically speaking, given that Monsanto is causing at least a proportion of farmer indebtedness
in the first place, it is valid to say that it would be more ethical for Monsanto to support farmers in finding
their feet, especially given their market monopoly. By taking farmers land they are removing the farmers
primary income source and therefore significantly reducing their ability to support themselves and their
families. Regardless, land grab cannot be named as a true issue outside of bias given the lack of
published information.

To conclude, I believe one out of four of the aforementioned issues are truly unbiased ethical problems, i.e. Bt
cotton is a contributing factor to farmer debt, leaving behind land grab, suicide, and chemical induced health
issues. It, therefore, cannot be said that the UKs fast fashion industry is 100% socially ethical in terms of raw
material production, as given that cotton produces the fibre responsible for the majority of clothing worn in
the UK, and India is currently the biggest producer of cotton in the world, the UKs fast fashion industry is
certainly to an extent fuelled unethically.

Having recognized that there are issues in the farming sector in India, a few big British labels are
beginning to move towards more ethical cotton production. For example, owning 8 big name fast fashion
brands, Arcadia is one of the leading retail groups in the UK. They joined Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) in
2015. BCI is a not-for-profit organisation which is stewarding the global standards for cotton production in
uniting farmers and retailers in economically ethical farming (Better Cotton Initiative, undated). Arcadia
have set a group target of sourcing at least 20% BCI cotton by 2020 and are currently ahead of [their]
target on achieving this. (hellofashionfootprint@arcadiagroup.co.uk, 2017)

Despite this, Britain has a long way to go in terms of ensuring that cotton is ethically sourced. Farmers are
living in poverty because British fast fashion companies are not taking responsibility for where they are
sourcing their cotton from. Nor are they publicizing ethical statements surrounding their cotton sources for
the public to access. I have observed that the issues surrounding Bt cotton are very much underground in
the UK. Changing this could be the first step towards a more ethical future for fast fashion. Because, how
can any changes be made if no-one is aware of any issues in the first place?

Manufacturing

UK businesses have fast clothing manufacturing capacity in a variety of locations internationally. For
example, Bangladesh, Egypt, Turkey, China, Mauritius, Romania, and India are all countries which house
factories for Topman and Topshop. However, unlike in the cotton industry, the UK also manufactures
some of its fast clothing internally.

Channel 4s Dispatches recently broadcast a documentary called Undercover: Britains Cheap Clothes.
(2017) It named Manchester, London, and Leicester as the UKs hubs for clothes factories and explored
four of the factories where New Look, River Island, Boohoo, and Missguided make their made in the UK
items. There were a few key observations made in the documentary. The observations presented are
controversial both ethically and legally:

- Workers are paid well below the national minimum wage of 7.20, often averaging at 3 an hour
- Wages are kept low because we dont get paid much for our clothes and we need to compete
with China and Bangladesh and if we pay everyone 10 or 6 then we will make a loss. (factory
owner filmed undercover)
- Labels were prepared to terminate relationships with illegal factories when such issues were
brought to their attention by dispatches. For example, New Look terminated its relationship with
factory TS Knitwear.
- Health and safety issues were evident. For example smoking on the factory floor - a particularly
big issue given textiles are highly flammable.

Concerning low wages, 3 an hour is illegal in the UK, well below the minimum of 7.20. A worker earning
3 and working 35 hours in a week will earn approximately 420 per month. Contrastingly the UK average
monthly salary for a factory worker is almost triple at 1084 a month (PayScale, 2017). This in itself can
be considered low in comparison to countrywide average monthly earnings of 2300 (Income Tax
Calculator, undated). Factory workers notoriously work for very little, but 420 is well below legal limits.

Concerning fire hazards, there were 5500 fires in retail distribution in 2013-14 in the UK. Considering that
dispatches only investigated a handful of factories, it is worrying how many of these fires could have been
prevented with better risk management.

The problems above are particularly at odds with the ethical statements presented on each of the four
brands websites:

New Look:
New Look has a role to play in upholding human rights, by ensuring workers in our supply chain are
protected by the right policies and systems, and providing access to remedy in any cases of human rights
risks. (New Look Group, undated)
River Island:
At River Island we work actively with our suppliers and official agencies around the world in safeguarding
and improving the rights and working conditions of workers in those factories which supply our products.
(River Island, 2017)

Boohoo:
As a fast-growing responsible brand, we recognise our duty of care to the people involved in the creation
of our products. We therefore take our supply chain operations extremely seriously and have a
demanding set of procedures and policies to which all suppliers must adhere. We are dedicated to
working with our suppliers to help promote better working standards for the future and we hope to lead
the way in encouraging open and transparent supply chain operations. (Boohoo plc, undated)

Missguided:
[We do] as much as we can to ensure we source ethically and to avoid acts that constitute modern
slavery. To this end we have a team that is dedicated to understanding our supply chains, ask them about
their operations, ensure they understand what supplying ethically means and provide guidance, training
and assistance where necessary. (Missguided, undated)

It seems somewhat feasible that these companies are unaware of the issues going on. For example,
River Island defended itself following the Dispatches investigation by claiming that they werent aware that
their directions were being overridden. (Channel 4, 2017) This can be concluded to be the product of bad
management. However, it is also possible that these companies are in fact aware of the issues going on,
and are keeping it quiet under the wraps of generalized statements. Perhaps the threat of Dispatches
bringing these problems to the UKs attention meant New Look, for example, had to terminate their
relationship with TS knitwear in order to avoid customer protest and diminished sales. (Channel 4, 2017)

Given the fact that all four of these retailers also manufacture outside of the UK, how does this stack up
against factories in other countries where processes are even harder to monitor?

In 2014, the UK exported 8.25 billion of clothing (OEC: the Observatory of Economic Complexity A,
2014). It imported a staggering 29.8 billion (OEC: the Observatory of Economic Complexity B, 2014).
Statistically the largest exporter of clothing in the world is China (Tutor2u, 2017), and in 2014 8.01 billion
of the UKs clothing imports were from China. In effect, for all of the clothing we manufacture and export
in the UK, we import the equivalent amount of Chinese apparel.

The Chinese clothing manufacturing industry is assumed to be booming. It had a global export market
share of 39.3% in 2015. Unfortunately, even after extensive research, it was not possible to find any
further details. This is in keeping with Chinas communist governance and secrecy surrounding
information.

Another of the key countries British fashion companies manufacture in, including New Look, River Island,
and all 8 brands that Arcadia own, is Bangladesh. 80% of Bangladeshs exports are garments (Clothes to
Die For, 2014) and it is the second-largest garment exporter after China (The True Cost, 2015). The UK is
in the top three countries which Bangladesh export to, after the USA and Germany (Clothes to Die For,
2014).

One of the biggest issues with the manufacturing trade in Bangladesh is low wages. The minimum wage
in Bangladesh is one of the lowest in the world at 40 a month which makes for cheap labour for
corporations. (Clothes to Die For, 2014). Despite this minimum wage, it is often not met, with some
apparel factory workers earning as little as 8 a month (The True Cost, 2015). Many of the workers in
Bangladesh move from the countryside to the city in order to find jobs, and to them 5 a week is life
changing (Clothes to Die For, 2014). However by western standards this is nowhere near enough to have
a high quality of living. In the UK the average monthly factory workers salary is 1084 a month (PayScale,
2017).

The event which brought Bangladeshs manufacturing problems to global media attention, and eventually
encouraged the Bangladeshi government to double the living wages of factory workers from 20 a month
to 40 a month, was the disaster at Rana Plaza in 2013. Rana Plaza was a garment factory which
opened in 2009 providing 5000 new jobs which were quickly filled given the demand for work in Dhaka,
the capital city. However, in 2013 the building collapsed leading to 1134 fatalities, and 2400 injured. Two
factors came into play in the cause of the tragedy. These are factors which have been seen across
Bangladeshs clothing factories with hundreds dying in fires and collapses in the past 15 years (Exposure:
Fashion Factories Undercover, 2014)

The first factor which caused the Rana Plaza disaster was bad architecture. The building collapsed due to
it being 10 stories high despite it having been originally designed to be 6. Vibrations from installed
generators caused further instability throughout the structure. (Clothes to Die For, 2014)

The blame for this has largely fallen to the factory owner. Partial ethical blame is also on the 20 clothing
factories which were manufacturing there. It is common for British fast fashion brands not to own any
factories in order to keep costs at a minimum; rather they employ companies to source factories for them.
(The True Cost, 2015) The consequence of this is that there is no direct business link between a given
brand and a given factory, making it impossible to place legal blame on said brand in the case of a
disaster such as Rana Plaza despite the workers affected having in effect been employed by said brand.

The ethical argument is that companies should be taking responsibility for ensuring the safety of workers
either through creating legal ties or through ensuring sourcing companies are surveying the infrastructural
safety of factories on behalf of brands. Unfortunately, few of the companies involved in Rana Plaza have
paid out any compensation let alone taking any true responsibility and continue to manufacture with little
to no consequences. British brands who had yet to take responsibility in 2015, two years after the
accident, include Bonmarche and Grabalok (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2015).

To counteract this, the Accord safety agreement has been made between UK retailers and Bangladeshi
factories. The Accord is an independent, legally binding agreement between brands and trade unions
designed to work towards a safe and healthy Bangladeshi Ready-Made Garment Industry. Our purpose is
to enable a working environment in which no worker needs to fear fires, building collapses, or other
accidents that could be prevented with reasonable health and safety measures. (Accord A, undated)

Millions of pounds are being put into independent factory fire and building safety checks, covering 1500
factories across the country. British retailers involved include all Arcadia group brands, Fat Face, River
Island, and more (Accord B, undated).

Albeit a step in the right direction, there is one major issue with this. There are between 3500 and 4000
factories in Bangladesh, and between 3 and 4 million workers. The Accord agreement is therefore only
covering roughly 60% of Bangladeshs apparel manufacturing workers. The other 40% could easily still be
in danger from bad infrastructure. Anything below 100% continues to pose risk of further tragedies
(Exposure - Fashion Factories Undercover, 2014)

Another issue which is covered by the agreement is checking for working fire escape routes or lack of.
Again this is a trend which can be seen across factories in the country, with exits being blocked or even
locked as shown in footage in ITVs Exposure - Fashion Factories Undercover d ocumentary (2014), and
again this is an issue with 40% of factories not being checked. The west, including Britain, has caused
many of the problems which exist in Bangladesh and therefore should be 100% fixing them.

The second contributing factor to the Rana Plaza disaster was the pressure on workers to go to work that
day. Warnings had been released by the press the previous day deeming the factory unsafe to work in,
however, the factory managers pledged that it was safe and forced workers in via financial threat.
(Clothes to Die For, 2014) A Rana Plaza survivor has since stated the following:

[My thoughts were] if I dont go I will lose 2.30 attendance bonus plus daily wage of .1.30. (Clothes to
Die For, 2014)

These are appallingly low wages to be forced to take such a risk on and yet thousands did. It is fantastic
that British corporations are supplying jobs internationally but not when people are being financially
bullied into working in dangerous conditions.

Further to this workers are often made to work overtime illegally. An undercover investigator for Exposure
- Fashion Factories Undercover documentary was made to work 89 hours in one week even though the
legal limit is 60 hours (2014).

It is not only long working hours and low wages which are a problem for Bangladeshi factory workers.
Footage was captured on Exposure - Fashion Factories Undercover of underage workers being verbally
and physically abused by their managers. Young workers frequently lie about their age because,
according to one such 14 year old interviewed, we have to work to eat. There are very few checks in
place to ensure the age of workers meaning whilst it is illegal for anyone under 18 to be employed doing
such work, many slip under the net (2014). Further to this, employers are aware of such breaches of the
law, deceiving British fast fashion companies according to a factory worker interviewed in a documentary
Clothes to Die For:

They would hide young girls in the toilets when buyers visited. They knew if they buyers saw young girls
they wouldnt place any more orders. (2014)

Another example of such deception is within the Arcadia groups influence. Vase Apparel is a factory in
Bangladesh which Arcadia has previously used to manufacture clothing for BHS as shown by footage
from Exposure - Fashion Factories Undercover. Arcadia state as part of their code of conduct that all
factory workers must receive a degree of training. However, footage has been captured of managers
requiring workers to sign as though they have received training when in actuality none has been provided.

The following was Arcadias response:

We have carried out a full investigation with our supplier The Fielding Group Ltd, who have categorically
confirmed to us that no BHS goods have been made at Vase Apparels. it has been made known to us
that the owner of Vase Apparels operates other factories in Bangladesh and some goods for BHS were
stored in the factory concerned. our group operates in over 40 countries and arranges inspections of
hundreds of factories each year. We take our responsibilities seriously in all the countries our suppliers
source from. (2014)

Whilst such deception is an unethical abuse of managerial power, the very company associated this
factory is denying manufacturing there at all. This is an example of how companies are covering up
international ethical issues with which they are involved. This is likely in order to keep globalized costs
unethically low; perhaps if UK consumers were aware of the problems with the clothing supply chain in a
country like Bangladesh they would be less inspired to buy from such companies.

Some have taken notice of these issues in Bangladesh. For example, a factory was set up by a
Bangladeshi man to be owned by Rana Plaza survivors of which there are now 62 workers. However, this
is the only factory in the whole of Dhaka with this system in place thus far. (Clothes to Die For, 2014)
It can be concluded that the UK is not taking enough ethical responsibility. Britains fast fashion
corporations arent ensuring that all the clothing being imported has been ethically sourced, nor are they
ensuring the clothing made in the UK is ethically sourced despite the various laws, codes of conduct, and
agreements to protect against this.

I believe that the reason these issues are occurring is likely to be financial. Companies are pushing for
short deadlines and low costs. Factory owners are deceitful because they want to continue being
employed by British fast fashion companies. They are abusive to their workers, allow underage workers to
be employed, and continue to force workers into unsafe buildings. Human rights are being lost and
workers are seemingly exploited in the pursuit of capital gain. If this is not satisfied then due to lack of
ownership of factories companies can easily relocate. All the while the British public is not being educated
on these topics and are seemingly being kept in the dark deliberately by the fast fashion companies
themselves. A toxic loop within the fast fashion industry has been created and those in power seem to be
fuelling it.

Consumption

The fast fashion industry has only existed for the past two decades, and yet it has quickly grown to
dominate our British high streets. The past 20 years has seen the creation of huge problems in farming
and manufacturing both in the UK and internationally. It is important to consider what is driving fast
fashion to be consumed on such a large scale in Britain.

Psychologist and author Tim Kasser has suggested that the fast fashion industry is driven by propaganda
(the True Cost, 2015). Fast fashion companies often advertise their products by advocating the idea that
problems can be solved through consumption. For example, Missguideds 2016 Christmas Party Wear
Campaign(Missguided,2016)portraysthecollectionasbeingabletomakeyoufeelsexy,confident,and
richwithinthefirst15seconds.AnindividualcouldfeelanincentivetoinvestinMissguidedoutof
believingthatpurchasingitemsfromthiscollectioncouldgrantthesetraits.

The ethics surrounding this advertising technique are controversial. Firstly because leading customers to
false beliefs for financial gain is debatably ethical, but secondly because women are frequently sexualized
in fast fashion propaganda. An example of this from the same Missguided advert is applicable; the
message Feed me, f**k me, take me shopping is displayed at 0:03 seconds on a neon sign, seemingly
referring to the woman standing next to it. This makes the woman almost seem like she is being
advertised as a pet; that all she only needs those three criteria to be met to feel satisfied. (Missguided,
2016)

The issue of sexualisation of women is industry wide and is particularly shocking because advertisement
for mens clothing often carries a different message. For example, New Looks January 2017 New Look
Men | New arrivals portrays the collection to make you feel confident, inspired, and adventurous. At 0:16
the message be inspired flashes onto the screen (New Look 2017), Ofcourse,ifanindividualdesiresto
feelinspiredthenperhapstheywillfeelanincentivetoinvestinasimilarfashiontothatofwomens
fashion,butperhapsthemessagesbeingadvocatedarelessmaterialistic.

Fastfashionpropagandaisalsodrivenbyidealism,playingwithpeoplesinsecurities.For example,
frequently only modelesque actors are used. This is not a representation of the audience fast fashion is
aimed at; for example only a small percentage of women have a modelesque body type. Unrealistic goals
surrounding appearance are sometimes made by individuals as a reaction to this, creating an incentive to
buy until those goals feel achieved. Of course because they are unrealistic the goal may never be
achieved, thus a buying through insecurity loop is formed.

Investment manager Guido Brera suggests a similar idea: Its like comfort shopping (the True Cost,
2015) - i.e. the things people really need such as education are hard to achieve, and so by buying cheap
clothing the anxieties surrounding this are temporarily dampened; investing small amounts of money in
material objects can create short-term feelings of achievement.

A third concept surrounding fast fashions propaganda was labelled as consumptionism by Earnest Elmo
Calkins, an advertising executive, explained by the following statement:

There are two kinds of products: the kind you use, like washing machines and cars, and then there are
the things that you use up, like cigarettes and gum. Consumptionism is all about getting people to treat
the things they use as the things they use up. (the True Cost, 2015)

This idea supports the statistics which show that fast fashion is disposable. On average an individual in
the UK will spend 640 on clothes per year. Britain collectively throws out almost 1 million tonnes of
textiles each year. A third of that 1 million is barely been worn (Hubbub Foundation, undated). This
suggests that fast fashion is on a purchase-disposal loop. From Kasser, Brera, and Calkins arguments, it
can be discerned that propaganda certainly plays a part in the creation of this loop, however, it cant be
seen that it is the only reason for fast fashion staying afloat.

Part of the reason for the drive behind the fast fashion industry can be attributed to the British consumer.
It could be seen that too much pressure is placed on companies to provide for bulk buying, and those
entities, therefore, are placing too much pressure on their associate workers which is leading to the
problems currently in the supply chain. This can also be seen as part of the reason why fast fashion is
disposable. Due to the speed at which workers must produce items, designs are often low quality to
ensure deadlines are met and prices are kept at rock bottom. The clothes can, therefore, fall apart quickly
and easily.

However, perhaps the biggest motive for consumers is the low price point and convenience of fast
fashion. The alternatives to fast fashion are charity shops, markets, a few ethical retailers, and high
fashion.

High fashion is inaccessible to lower income groups due to its high price point. For example, a Chanel
coat will retail for thousands of pounds where its New Look equivalent will be a fraction of the price. High
fashion is for the elite.

Ethical retailers are hard to come by and dont have anything like the advertising budgets nor do they
receive equivalent media press attention in anywhere near the volume that fast and high fashion do. The
clothes found there are also often not designed as fashionably and so may be deemed by potential
customers less attractive buys. Whilst nowhere near as expensive as high fashion, ethical fashion is often
more expensive than fast fashion due to higher worker wages, and higher quality materials and designs.
This means that unless an individual is particularly invested in purchasing ethical fashion it can be
offputting. It is a niche market.

Markets, charity shops and vintage stores are often a gamble for a customer. They wont always stock
certain items or sizes which can be inconvenient, even if the price bracket is often similar to fast fashion.
In conclusion, fast fashion is simply the most convenient and accessible form of clothes shopping for the
average customer.

Taking this into consideration, perhaps another reason for the volume of investment in fast fashion is
because consumers in Britain can purchase without ethical consequence; details of where high street
clothing is coming from are covered up by the companies they are buying from. It is also important to
consider that the aforementioned propaganda, low pricing, and convenience of purchase, is being
provided by the same companies. It seems that they are able to manipulate their consumers for financial
gain as well as their producers.

Whilst companies actions concerning, say manufacturing, are technically legal i.e. they meet legal
requirements of the countries they are producing in, the laws in those countries arent necessarily ethical.
For example, in Bangladesh, there are no collective rights, trade union rights or maternity rights. There
are no pensions and it holds the lowest minimum wage in the world (the True Cost, 2015). Companies
can write a clean ethical statement (see manufacturing section for examples) with a disclaimer stating
that they dont own the factories or fields they are utilising. In doing so all social responsibility is removed.
It takes more investigation than looking at company websites to find out how ethical their sourcing truly is.
Perhaps if consumers knew the consequences of the fast fashion industry they wouldnt be so ready to
buy into it. There would then be a pressure on companies for ethical sourcing.

Conclusion - How ethical is the fast fashion industry in the UK?

I have explored three key areas of the fast fashion industry: farming, manufacturing, and consumption.
Within each area, the overwhelming conclusion has been that the UKs fast fashion industry still has a
long way to go before it can be deemed socially ethical. It appears there are a few common reasons for
this:

1. Companies are avoiding social responsibility

2. Companies are driven by finance over ethics
3. There is a lack of information available to the public
4. The public arent aware of or educated on fast fashion ethical issues

Positive change would need to take place in all four of these areas for the fast fashion industry to move
towards more ethical practice. For example, whilst there isnt an easy alternative to fast fashion, if
consumers were educated perhaps they would seek alternative industries to shop from alongside fast
fashion, such as high fashion, ethical fashion, charity shops, or markets. Even the smallest drop in sales
would put pressure on companies to take more social responsibility for fear of losing out financially. With
enough emphatic action the fast fashion industry could be reinvented for the better. But as it stands, the
UKs fast fashion industry is, unfortunately, socially unethical.

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