Fashion Issues: Is Fast Fashion Ethical?

6 September 2007

fashion

Fast fashion is what we all want these days. We almost expect to be able to nip down to our local supermarket and pick up a t-shirt for the same price as a bottle of shampoo or quickly dash into Primark and grab a dress for a night out for less than the cost of a drink. But why are these clothes so cheap? Is someone somewhere paying the price for our thirst for cheap and speedy style?

There have been a number of stories emerging over the last few weeks which claim that top high street names are engaging in unethical trade and buying in stock from factories who treat their workers unfairly.

“Factory workers are invariably not being paid a legal minimum wage, they’re having to work an average of 14 – 16 hours per day and they’re income is so low that they are unable to rent accommodation that would be regarded as habitable,” says Saffia Minney, founder of fair trade fashion label People Tree.

“For example their house might be the size of your bathroom. In the case of Bangladesh it would be stilted above water and that’s incredibly unhygienic. Some of them are forced to move to the East sweat shops from the country side where they tended to leave their children in the care of family. It’s an incredibly inhumane way to work and live. So therefore what we pay for a t-shirt should be the human rights cost, it’s giving the producer a fair life so that they can live on earth on a decent income,” she added.

However MEP Syed Kamal tells us it's not always a case of fast fashion being to blame for unethical work conditions. “If you see a piece of cheap clothing in a shop it doesn't mean the workers are being exploited,” he said. “What it could mean is that the cost of production in that country is much cheaper and you have to remember that we are creating jobs for people in poorer countries by buying goods from them.”

“The people in these countries want to be able to create wealth locally and trade with us and the best way to do that is to carry on trading with them but make sure we are not using companies that exploit their welfare,” added Syed.

A report by the Guardian newspaper in July claimed that stores such as Primark, Asda and Tesco were breaching international labour standards in Bangladesh in order to keep up with the fast fashion trend and this is when problems arise.

Gokaldas Export, which supplies brands including Mothercare, H&M and Marks and Spencers confirmed to the newspaper, that wages paid to factory workers were as low as £1.13 for a nine-hour shift.

This fails to meet their basic needs and falls short of the minimum international labour standards set out by the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) - a code of conduct which sets out basic rights for employees across the supply chain.. Marks & Spencer, Mothercare, Gap and Primark are all members of the ETI and are supposed to adhere to it's terms.

These accusations came just after Sir Phillip Green launched an investigation into allegations made by the Sunday Times saying that his Arcadia brand imported clothes made in factories in Mauritius that also treated workers unfairly. He angrily disputed the claims saying: "Having investigated, I provided yesterday to the newspaper a copy of Arcadia's most recently completed independent audit report undertaken a few months ago together with a further audit report from another [unnamed] major retailer dated July 2007. Both these reports found the factories generally compliant with relevant Codes of Practice.”

He also added that the two factories mentioned by the paper have since provided letters confirming "that they have complied with the Arcadia code of conduct and that they both pay their workforce above the rates set down by the Mauritian government".

So it seems that with numerous suppliers it can be hard for big brands to monitor what goes on in the factories they buy from. “Of course a company would have many suppliers but they are also very well positioned to do research and start visiting factories, “suggests Safia.

“They need to be working with local trade unions that represent garment workers to find out what the local issues are. They should also be meeting workers off the premises not just in the factory involved. We have been supporting garment workers through their trade unions for about 7 years now and through our research these workers don’t want to or can’t be interviewed with their section manager or supervisor watching them. They are just not in a position where they can speak truthfully as they risk losing their jobs."

"Basically for any commercial fashion company the important thing is the will of the person at the top to change, they have to want to make a difference and have a team that can detect transparency through the supply chain.”

Syed agrees saying: “People in these countries are queued up to apply for jobs in these factories because it means they can earn a decent living they can buy a home and buy food for their family. At the same time we should be making sure that these factories are providing decent conditions for their staff." "We've seen this happen in the past. Companies like Nike and Reebok have gone into the factories and made sure conditions are improved and where there have been children working in factories that these children are put into education," he added.

But it's not just the responsibility of the big fashion suppliers to put an end to unethical trade. The consumer has to take some blame too.

We all have the common sense to work out that the cost of packaging, transporting and displaying our £2 t-shirt is barely covered by the price we pay- never mind the wages of the person who made it. But what can us little people do to make such a big change?

“About 52% of people said they weren't concerned about where they bought their clothes and shoes from as long as the factories in these countries didn't exploit the work force,” said Syed referring to a recent Government survey into Londoners attitudes to fair trade.

“I think it is important that consumers are aware of what they see as sweatshop conditions. What they should do is make sure that they put pressure on these companies to make sure conditions are improved for the workers. If we boycott these factories what we might actually end up doing is pushing poor people out of jobs and making them even poorer,” he added.

Safia thinks consumers need to actively hunt down fair trade fashion: “We should seek out ethical and fair trade fashion brands of which there is a growing number,” she said. “The second thing is to ask our favourite high street brands what they are doing to guarantee the label rights of the people that make their product. The Ethical Trade Initiative is a voluntary code of practice. It’s really the minimum level that the high street should be at.”

People Tree work to ensure fair trade throughout the world, thus improving the lives and environments of the artisans and farmers in developing countries who work to produce the company’s clothes. They sell a range of high end fashion through their website and in stores such as TopShop.

“We have a beautiful design led collection called the AW07 Capsule collection that is produced from organic cotton and hand-woven fabrics that comes from India and Bangladesh. We also have some beautiful pieces in from a hand knitting group that supports the street sleeper community in Kathmandu and the indigenous people in Peru,” says Safia.

There's no ignoring the fact that ethical fashion is more expensive than the discount clothes we are getting used to so are consumers really willing to fork out the extra money in the name of fair trade?

“Well if you’ve got a shirt or a skirt that is the same price as a sandwich, then clearly that doesn’t cover the real production cost of the garment. Nor does it cover the social or environmental cost. We need to be paying a price that reflects the real cost,” Safia points out.

“I think most people have a real disconcerting feeling about cheap fashion these days; they are uncomfortable about it and are looking at how to avoid it,” she adds.

Syed is not quite so harsh on the millions of us who love a good bargain: “Most people want to buy these cheap goods and actually by doing that we are helping some of the most disadvantaged people in the world,” he said.

So what does all this mean for the future of fast fashion? Everyone has the right to be able to buy affordable fashion on a healthy competitive high street but everyone also has the right to work in a safe and fair environment. It seems that it is all about balance. We need to carry on trading with under developed countries in order to help them get out of poverty but we also need to help them by safeguarding the human rights of their workers and making it as hard as possible for greedy factory owners to exploit them.

The message is simple- enjoy fast fashion but don't neglect your right to question where it comes from.

What are your thoughts on ethical fashion?Let Female First know

Caz Moss- Female First

‘Safia Minney is one of an elite group of inspirational lifestyle leaders known as The Crowne Plaza Mavericks' associated with Crowne Plaza hotels. On 24 September, fellow UK Maverick Carl Honoré will be hosting one of four rowne Plaza Think Tank events taking place across Europe. To find out more about Crowne Plaza Think Tank and how to attend, please visit www.crowneplazathinktank.com.
Also you can buy People Tree online at www.peopletree.co.uk.

Syed Kamall has been Conservative MEP for London since May 2005. Since entering the European Parliament, Syed has stressed that Londoners should see themselves as belonging to a leading global city – that should be looking to trade with all the nations of the world rather than just with our European neighbours. You can find out more about Syed at www.syedkamall.com