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Words on sustainable fashion
Words on sustainable fashion
Factors impacting on the emergence of sustainable fashion
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Textile Waste and Sweatshops: A Global (Fast) Fashion Disaster
Fast fashion is a complex and multifaceted problem that has effects reaching to every corner of the globe. ‘Fast fashion,’ similar to fast food, is cheap, easily accessible, mass produced globally standardized product. It is characterized by sweatshop labor, supply chains, and large profits for the sellers. From the countries that grow the raw material for clothing, to those that produce textiles, to those that contain sweatshops, to those that are full of consumers ready to buy the next item on the shelves, this is a growing global issue that needs to be stopped in its tracks.
Wealthy nations benefit from fast fashion, especially the business market. By outsourcing their labor to sweatshops overseas, they are able to lower their labor costs and still sell the products for extremely cheap- meaning a large profit for companies. This in turn stimulates the economies of these countries, such as the USA, the UK, and Russia. Meanwhile, nations with poorer economic conditions such as Bangladesh, China, and Vietnam are left with the pollution from the factories, textile waste, and underpaid laborers.
Since this is a business issue, the motive is profit.
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As an NGO, it will have a wide variety of industry professionals, ranging from fashion designers and producers, to advertising and marketing experts, environmentalists, business executives, policy makers, and more. Ideally its members would consist of individuals from the main nations contributing to textile waste and sweatshop labor. This includes nations that have a high demand for fast fashion items (Like the US and Spain), as well as the nations that get the short end of the stick and produce clothing and other textile items in mass quantities (Like China and Bangladesh), leading to a slew of ethical
Look down at the clothes you're wearing right now, chances are almost every single thing you are currently wearing was made in a sweatshop. It is estimated that between 50-75% of all garments are made under sweatshop like conditions. Designers and companies get 2nd party contractors to hire people to work in these factories, this is a tool to make them not responsible for the horrendous conditions. They get away with it by saying they are providing jobs for people in 3rd world countries so its okay, but in reality they are making their lives even worse. These companies and designers only care about their bank accounts so if they can exploit poor, young people from poverty stricken countries they surely will, and they do. A sweatshop is a factory
With the continued rise of consumer "needs" in "industrial" countries such as the United States, and the consistently high price that corporations must pay to produce goods in these countries, companies are looking to "increase (their) profits by driving down costs any way possible... To minimize costs, companies look for places with the lowest wages and human rights protections" (Dosomething). Countries with lax or unenforced labor laws grant multinational corporations the leeway to use cheap foreign labor to mass-produce their commodities so that they can be sold in countries like America. These inexpensive, sometimes borderline illegal, establishments are known as sweatshops. In his book Timmerman discusses the topic of sweatshops in great detail. Originally in search of "where (his) T-shirt was made(;) (Timmerman) (went) to visit the factory where it was made and (met) the people who made (it)" (Timmerman5).
When you go to the mall to pick up a pair of jeans or a shirt, do you think about where they came from? How they were made? Who made them? Most consumers are unaware of where their clothes are coming from. All the consumer is responsible for is buying the clothing from the store and most likely have little to no knowledge about how it was manufactured, transported, or even who made the clothing item and the amount of intensive labor that went into producing it (Timmerman, 3). In my paper, I will utilize the book Where Am I Wearing? by Kelsey Timmerman and the textbook Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest to examine globalization in the context of the clothing industry.
In China, Kelsey Timmerman spent time with a couple who worked at the Teva factory, traveled to the countryside to meet the couple’s son, insert name, who hasn’t seen his parents in three years due to his parents working long hours and it being expensive to take a train ride. In the US, the author visited one of a few clothing factories in the US to talk to the workers about his shorts, and the decrease of American garment factories. Timmerman wants the consumer to be more engaged and more thoughtful when mindlessly buying clothes. By researching how well the brands you want to buy from monitor their factories and what their code of ethics details, you can make a sound decision on if this is where you would want to buy your clothes. The author writes about brands that improve employers lives like SoleRebels, a shoe company who employs workers and gives them health insurance, school funds for their children, and six months of maternity leave. Brands like soleRebels that give workers benefits most factory workers have never even heard of help improve the lives of garment workers and future generations. From reading this book, Timmerman wants us to be more educated about the lives of garment workers, bridge the gap between consumers and manufacturers, and be a more engaged and mindful consumer when purchasing our
Linda Lim, a professor at the University of Michigan Business School, visited Vietnam and Indonesia in the summer of 2000 to obtain first-hand research on the impact of foreign-owned export factories (sweatshops) on the local economies. Lim found that in general, sweatshops pay above-average wages and conditions are no worse than the general alternatives: subsistence farming, domestic services, casual manual labor, prostitution, or unemployment. In the case of Vietnam in 1999, the minimum annual salary was 134 U.S. dollars while Nike workers in that country earned 670 U.S. dollars, the case is also the similar in Indonesia. Many times people in these countries are very surprised when they hear that American's boycott buying clothes that they make in the sweatshops. The simplest way to help many of these poor people that have to work in the sweatshops to support themselves and their families, would be to buy more products produced in the very sweatshops they detest.
A sweatshop is defined as a factory where manual workers are employed at very low wages for long hours in unsafe working environments (Oxford Dictionary, 2011). Sweatshops are especially associated with clothing industries, such as Nike, Gap, Walmart, Primemark and other brand names. Sweatshop history begins in 1830 with clothing factories in New York City and London, even then the working conditions were poor, e.g. rat infestation. Since the 1850s worker unions have improved “sweatshops” conditions in the first world, and the term “sweatshop” is more associated with factories in the developing world. The statement that ‘sweatshops in developing countries are better than no jobs’ has many arguments for and against them, which will be explored in this essay.
“Sweatshops Are the Norm in the Global Apparel Industry. We’re Standing up to Change That.” International Labor Rights Forum. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Feb. 2014. .
Globalization and industrialization contribute to the existence of sweatshops, which are where garments are made cheaply, because they are moving production and consumption of those cheap goods. Industrialization has enabled for global distribution, to exchange those goods around the world. They can also set apart the circumstances of consumption and production, which Western countries as mass consumers, are protected from of producers in less developed countries. These factories are usually located in less developed countries and face worker exploitation and changes in social structures. Technological innovation allows for machines to take the place of workers and do all the dirty work instead of workers doing hours of hard work by hand.
Fashion in the 21st century is a big business, as its production employs millions of people and generates billions of dollars in revenue. Fashion has for the past century been, and is still today, used as an indicator of social change and progress, as it changes with the social norms of the society and the political changes of the world (Finkelstein 3). Works Cited Finkelstein, Joanne. A.S.A. & Co. Fashion: An Introduction to Fashion. New York: New York University Press, 1998.
Fashion is everything to society and the media. The fashion industry has transformed into a necessity in the life of people. Everyone wants to look good, feel fabulous and feel as if we belong with everyone else. The envy and desire to wear certain things and look a certain way all come, from wearing the latest fashion handbags, accessories, dresses, shoes, and the list goes on. But, when is considering fashion into an individual’s life going too far to the extreme? Many do not consider the whereabouts of fashion materials and how the environment is affected by the mere existence of certain garments. Some may believe these objects grow on trees. But that is clearly not the case. Even though it would be nice. The fashion industry as a whole, has been notorious from green issues caused by their lack of sensitivity to the environment, conspicuous and unnecessary consumption of materials, encouraging an “throw-away” society and image issues that support women and young adults to look a certain way to feel “beautiful.” This is an issue that has increased over the past decades. Not just women, but men also feel the uncontrollable need to do whatever it takes to look like the celebrities they see on television and on the runways. The thought that the materials to make those desired items may have caused the life of animals or the destruction of mother nature does not come into mind. Countless people are concerned about conserving planet Earth and keeping it healthy. The fashion world has been targeted for many corruptions.
Thesis: With the unregulated practices that goes on in the Fashion Industry, change is one notion that this abusive yet glamorous business have yet to see.
I hope to use this article in essay to support the policy section of my claim. Finding solutions to fast fashion is one of the harder topics to write about, and this article gives good insight to how I can shape the policy portion of my claim. I will bring up the idea of organic cotton, and other sustainable fiber plants, as a way consumers can shop more ethically. This article has broaden my perspective to possible solutions of fast fashion.
“Fast fashion” is a term used by retailers for clothes that are taken from the runway and given to the masses in a short amount of time. Fast fashion is the reason why we are able to get trendy clothes for such a good price. Hearing all this you may think, “wow, this is a good thing” right? In reality what this means is that the people making these clothes have to work for longer periods of time for very low wages in horrible conditions. Also, fast fashion puts a strain on our environment because of all the waste it causes. That is why today there are companies that are fair trade. This means that the people making the clothes are actually paid what they deserve, and are treated how they should. I know if more people knew the
As a response of various environmental issues from the textile manufacturing industry, green or sustainable textile manufacturing has aroused in recent years. The idea and concept of sustainable textile manufacturing is involving ethical and sustainable considerations to the entire supply chain process, from textile production to apparel manufacturing to retailing. “According to the Ethical Fashion Forum (2011), ethical fashion “represents an approach to the design, sourcing and manufacture of clothing which maximizes benefits to people and communities while minimizing impact on the environment.” The ethical fashion industry follows an ethical production cycle which creates social and environmental value.” (Cervellon & Wernerfelt, 2012, p. 177) Consumers is the biggest contributor and the reason of success for the textile manufacturing industry, therefore, in order to promote the growth and future for sustainable textile manufacturing, the education and knowledge that consumers have on green fashion and a new mindset for business and manufacturing are crucial for the future of a better environment for
Sustainable fashion offers various benefits to both the consumer and the entire environment. For instance, it is noted that the entire process of sustainable fashion is worthy for the globe. In most cases, the fashion industry leaves behind a huge environmental imprint ranging from the pesticides in growing cotton to the landfill impact of clothes that wear out and the energy needed to manufacture every piece. Therefore, deciding on organic fibers or sustainable fabrics made from bamboo can also reduce the quantity of carbon emitted and chemicals brought into people`s lives. This shows how sustainable fashion if embraced can bring benefits to the consumer, the producer, and to the environment, which is very vital for future generations. Selecting clothes that contain the label “fair trade act,” during purchase emphasizes on sustainability in numerous ways. The first thing is that, it guarantees that the product was produced under safe working conditions. Further, it signifies that the person who produced it earned a fair wage since it is sweatshop free (Hethorn 123). The act of purchasing clothes considered as “fair trade” confirms that individuals and places mean more than the organization`s fundamental reason for its