Jenna Dahlin

ENC2135 - Alexa Doran

Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Nowadays when we go to the store we hardly ever think about where the clothing and

household products comes from or what kind of labor was put into each product. For the past few

years, many individuals have started to become more conscious of where their clothing or other

retail products are manufactured and what toil is placed on our environment. Not only are some

consumers looking for ethical brands, they are also on the search for brands that are ecologically

sustainable. However, many companies still do not have sustainable approaches to the way they

manufacture their products. This is a problem because in third world countries where clothing

and other retail products are being manufactured, workers are making such low wages that they

cannot support their families. Furthermore, land used for production of retail products is facing

endangerment due to overconsumption. Sustainability and social responsibility is now more

important than ever because of the growing ecological footprint on the earth and the unethical

treatment of labor workers in third world countries.

When asked about what it means to be sustainable most people usually answer with

something related to recycling. Yes, recycling is a major aspect that is involved with being

sustainable, but it is not the only factor. As stated in the article, What is Sustainable Fashion?"

by Claudia Henniger, Sustainable fashion is predominantly associated with environmental

sustainability, such as the use of renewable and eco-friendly raw materials, the reduction of the

carbon footprint, durability, and longevity (Henniger). It is important for consumers to be

socially responsible and realize that there are more ways to be sustainable than just throwing
your empty water bottle in the recycling bin. Sustainability is important because we need to take

care of the earth and organisms that inhabit it. This extends to keeping our oceans clean,

prolonging the life of major lands like the Amazon Rain Forest, and extending the usage of

nonrenewable resources.

According to Bin Shen, author of the article The impact of ethical fashion on consumer

purchase behavior", ethical fashion, also referred to as social responsibility is defined as

Fashion clothing that is produced under fair trade principles in sweatshopfree labor conditions,

with efforts made to reduce the environmental harmfulness of the process (Bin). Companies that

practice ethical fashion are aware of the issues of working conditions, fair trade, human rights,

and sustainable production. Bangladesh is a country that faces many challenges with harsh labor

and harsh working conditions. Multiple incidents have been recorded in the Bangladesh factories

such as the 2012 fire at Tazreen Fashions and the collapse of Rana Plaza in 2013 (Ansary). The

collapse of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh is one of the most widely known disasters the garment

industry has ever faced. As stated in the article written by Mehedi Ansary, Workplace Safety

Compliance of RMG Industry in Bangladesh: Structural Assessment of RMG Factory

Buildings, The collapse resulted in the high death toll of 1134 and more than 2500 people were

badly injured at the end of the rescue operation on 14 May 2013 (Ansary). There are millions of

workers in the garment industry and not one of those workers should face the horrible safety

conditions of crippling buildings and unlawful safety regulations. Labor workers in Bangladesh

receive little to no pay for all the hours they put in to work. In one of my classes I take here at

Florida State University, I learned that the day before the collapse of Rana Plaza, the workers

complained about seeing cracks in the walls of the factory and were sent home that day for safety

purposes. However, when they were forced to return to work the next day the building collapsed
with the workers inside. This is the kind of unsafe environment that many garment factory

workers must face so that they may have enough money for life sustaining necessities like food

and water.

With all of this being said, why do companies still continue to manufacture overseas? Of

course, there are a lot of perks to manufacturing in different countries because labor is cheaper

and there are different laws in place. But this does not mean it is ethically correct. Retailers are

always looking for the cheapest rate of production possible so they can make more of a profit. If

retailers were to manufacture locally in the United States, production costs would greatly

increase and the company would not turn as much as a profit as they would otherwise. With

cheaper production comes unethical practices that retailers should be held responsible for.

In the world of retail, business owners are always looking for ways to expand and obtain

more customers. Throughout the past few years, consumers have been paying more attention to

what brands that have a stance on ethical fashion. Brand image is a major reason why retailers

need to make a platform for change in sustainability. John Wilson, author of the article The

Triple Bottom Line analyzes why some companies are beginning to improve their sustainability.

Environmental considerations are now one of the leading strategies being used by organizations

to enhance their image, reduce costs and create a competitive advantage (Wilson). As

consumers, we are always looking for the better product. The image that brands present to the

consumers is how consumers pick and choose what product they are going to buy. Consider this:

A consumer is deciding between two very similar products, one of which has a label that states it

is eco-friendly. Most likely the consumer will choose the product that is eco-friendly because it

makes the consumer feel as though they are doing something good for their environment. In the

article written by Ann-Marie Kennedy, Eco-warriors: Shifting sustainable retail strategy via
authentic retail brand image, she states Consumers use store brand image as cues to the

merchandise quality in the store, and ultimately, the retail store's brand equity itself. Retailer

brand image, thus, becomes a central fixture in the ability of a retailer to build equity and survive

in a competitive marketplace (Kennedy).

I have noticed trends among many of my peers that are as involved with fashion as I am.

Most of them are willing to spend the extra few dollars for a better-quality shirt from a brand

known to be sustainable than those from Forever 21, Zara, or H&M.

I asked one of my friends she is more inclined to buy from the more ethical brand and she said:

Of course, I would rather pay only 8 dollars for a cute t-shirt from

Forever 21 or Zara, but when I think about the underpaid workers

in third world countries like Bangladesh it makes me not want to

endorse the companies that allow those kinds of conditions to

continue. If more brands started to take the initiative to create a

better-quality product while making sure all their employees are

treated fairly I am sure this would increase more peoples interest

in eco-friendly fashion.

This made my think that if more consumers were aware of the conditions that human

beings must endure, they would be more inclined to purchase from companies that have a

responsible sustainability act in place. Brands like Toms and Adidas have taken a step towards

sustainable retail and ethical production. Many people already know about Toms shoes

movement called One for One. This is when one pair of shoes are bought the company will

give a pair to a child in need. Adidas has recently paired with Parley, a company dedicated to
raising awareness for the oceans and collaborating on projects to end their destruction. Adidas is

making a new innovative shoe that is made from plastic bottles that are taken from the ocean to

help reduce waste. Also, stated in the article by First Carbon Solutions, Environmental

Sustainability in Style for the Retail Sector, Starbucks, on the other hand, created eco-friendly

stores showcasing cabinets made of 90% post-industrial material and low-flow water valves.

They have also started adjusting the temperature of their air-conditioned stores to reduce

operational costs (First Carbon Solutions). This is great because it shows that fashion retailers

are not the only companies beginning to make a change but there are still plenty of changes that

can be made to advance sustainability.

Tom Abeles considers why fast fashion is an ever-increasing phenomenon:

The focus on fast fashion appears to be an economic/socially

constructed system much in the spirit of Clayton Christensen's

innovation model. It is one of a series of consumptive activities to

try to maintain a world economic system dependent on material

goods instead of knowledge consumption and services (Abeles).

Fast fashion is a threat to sustainability because it drives overconsumption of product. I

learned in my course about sustainability and social responsibility that the retail industry is the

second most abundant item that piles up in the landfills. The article Fast fashion Goes Global:

Benettons Changing Strategy, by Joy Annamma specifies The fast fashion concept is very

simple: customers are offered stylish designs at affordable prices, with the latest trends appearing

frequently in shops. Because social media has such a big influence on the latest fashion trends,

brands like Zara are able to produce products quickly and get them to their stores in no time. This
increases the amount of cheap clothing purchased in stores that consumers may wear only a few

times and then dispose of like garbage (Annamma).

Fast fashion also uses lots of packaging. As a retail employee at The Childrens Place I

have seen the amount of waste that goes into the shipment we receive on a daily basis. If

companies found ways to reduce the plastic waste during the shipment process, there would be

so much less waste in the landfills. When I asked my manager if we were allowed to recycle all

of the plastic and cardboard boxes we receive I was shocked by her answer. She told me that the

malls do not give the option to recycle. And this is just one side of the retail process. Think about

how many stores are in the mall. At least 50! With all the stores receiving shipment the amount

of plastic waste created that doesnt get recycled in endless. Huge department stores and fast

fashion stores, Forever 21 in particular, could easily develop plans to reduce the plastic they use

to package products that are being shipped I also learned that The Children Places motto is full

and abundant. This means that they are wasting tons of plastic packaging and always

overstocking the store with unnecessary products.

When trying to determine what is next for retail and sustainability it is important to look

at the past and understand how people conserved recourses used to produce clothing. In the book

Sustainable Fashion, Whats Next? the chapter written by Linda Welters dives into the trends

that people followed in the past. Most people are unaware that sustainability is not a new concept

and has actually been around since before the industrial revolution. People didnt have the choice

to buy abundant amounts of clothing and wear a piece maybe only once. To everyone, making

sustainable choices was a way of life. Clothing took a long time to produce so people only

owned a few outfits and would sew their own garments. As technology advanced the retail

industry evolved becoming faster paced and less expensive. By the 1820s, factories on both
sides of the Atlantic began producing cloth mechanically, which increased supply and reduced

price The abundance of inexpensive, factory made clothing allowed more people to dress well

than at any previous period in history (Welters). I am not suggesting that we go back to before

and start sewing our own clothing. But if we slowed down the process consumers would most

likely begin shopping less and taking better care of the clothing they already own so they

wouldnt have to go out and more unnecessary items.

In the article by Adam Seigal, Sustainable Retail Trends to Watch in 2017, there is

discussion about what kind of new innovative ways retailers will deal with sustainability. The

article states that we will see technological advances, experimenting with new models,

partnerships with new sustainability teams, and alignments with newly forming innovation teams

(Seigal). As mentioned previously, we already see these trends with Adidas and Parley joining

together to create their new eco-friendly shoe made of plastic bottles. There is endless

opportunity for advancing in this field. Another step that can be taken to encourage eco-friendly

shopping is to use reusable shopping bags. This is a simple idea that can help reduce the amount

of plastic waste that leaks into our oceans and decrease the amount of nonrenewable resources

used in creating the plastic bags.

In conclusion, sustainability and social responsibility is important because our footprint

on the earth is rapidly growing and it is up to everyone to begin thinking ethically about how

they can be sustainable. There are plenty of ways to encourage consumers and retailers to

incorporate sustainability into manufacturing and purchasing. Simple actions such as sharing an

informational video about new retail innovations or posting on social media about how to be eco-

friendlier will influence more and more people to view fast fashion as a negative trend that needs

to end.
 Work Cited

Abeles, Tom. Fast Fashion and the Future On the Horizon, vol. 22, no. 2, 2014, pp. 157-160.

Emerald Insight, http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/OTH-06-2013-0025

Annamma Joy, John F. Sherry, Jr, Alladi Venkatesh, Jeff Wang and Ricky Chan. "Fast fashion

Goes Global: Benettons Changing Strategy", Strategic Direction, Vol. 31 ISS: 11, pp.17

20. Emerald Insight, http://dx.doi.org.proxy.lib.fsu.edu/10.1108/SD-09-2015-0131

Ansary, Mehedi Ahmed. Workplace Safety Compliance of RMG Industry in Bangladesh:

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2015.09.008

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sustainability-in-style-for-the-retail-sector/environmental-sustainability-in-style-for-the-

retail-sector/

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0052

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Pages 125-134. Elsevier, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ausmj.2016.03.001

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2017

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Retail Sustainability Strategy" International Journal of Retail & Distribution

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-11-2013-0210