Usually when we hear or see talk of sustainable fashion much of it centres on the environment. I believe it’s imperative that sustainable fashion is discussed through the lens of both people & planet, they are so interlinked that true sustainability won’t be achieved without consideration for both.
So it was refreshing to see a recent article in The Guardian magazine focus on the price of a garment versus its ethical credentials, especially to the people that make our clothes, the garment workers.
The investigation centred on a hoodie from retailer Zara, ironically enough with the Aretha Franklin lyrics “R-E-S-P-E-C-T: find out what it means to me” printed on the front. Priced at an average retail price of EUR26.66 (GBP22.70) how much of this price would the garment workers actually receive?
It’s no surprise the outcome was not favourable to the workers. The investigation surmised that just EUR1.10 was paid to the garment workers for the 30 minute job of making the garment. Thus highlighting the ongoing problem workers face, they were not even close to receiving a living wage which the report said should equate to a gross hourly wage of EUR6.19.
Zara have said the report is grossly inaccurate, however at the time of the research Zara were less than forthcoming in sharing information. For me this rings alarm bells, we know the industry is opaque, this is nothing out of the blue.
The article does say Zara is committed to working towards living wages and is launching initiatives and consultations with trade unions. Will this come to fruition? Zara has ample resources available to make a living wage a reality for all those in their supply chains - Zara’s founder Amancio Ortega is reportedly worth $77bn.
I used to work in the buying department for a famous fast fashion retailer. In the 15 years since I worked for them little has changed in the industry - there has been very few, maybe 1, significant positive change, that is the Bangladesh Accord, however, this is in danger of disappearing. Which begs the question, what really is the problem with brands not taking enough action? And why is it so slow?
Would love to know your thoughts on this?
Original article on this link;
Komen