ethical consumerism
According to some research, a number of consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about ethics in the fashion industry. The term 'ethical' in fashion encompasses a broad range of concerns - workers' rights, air miles, chemical use in production and processing, and other social and environmental effects of a product on humans, animals and the natural environment.
This section gives an overview of some of the industry responses to growing consumer demand for ethical products and asks whether consumer concern, and these ‘ethical' initiatives, are improving conditions for workers before discussing in detail the most well known certifications - Fairtrade and organic cotton. As consumers have become more concerned about the social and environmental impact of the industry, ethics have been increasingly used in fashion company's marketing and PR, so the pitfalls and opportunities of communicating ethics are considered. Finally the idea of slow fashion is introduced - a different way of not only consuming but also designing, producing and living.
Further information:
- How significant is consumer interest in ethics? Read a summary of some of the latest research in the Fashioning an Ethical Industry Discussion Paper: Ethical Consumerism.
- Read why Fashioning an Ethical Industry thinks ensuring workers' rights is an essential part of whether a product can be considered ethical in our frequently asked questions.
- Who is the ethical consumer? To answer this question, the Ethical Fashion Show Paris to put together a five-part story describing 'Ethical Fashion's Different Families: how they live, what they like, what they wear'.
- Read the latest industry report from Mintel on Ethical Consumerism.
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