global fashion industry essay

Global Fashion Industry Essays

Revolutionizing the fashion industry: navigating challenges and embracing sustainability for a resilient future, popular essay topics.

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• United States Congress - Joint Economic Committee - The Economic Impact of the Fashion Industry
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fashion industry , multibillion-dollar global enterprise devoted to the business of making and selling clothes. Some observers distinguish between the fashion industry (which makes “high fashion”) and the apparel industry (which makes ordinary clothes or “mass fashion”), but by the 1970s the boundaries between them had blurred. Fashion is best defined simply as the style or styles of clothing and accessories worn at any given time by groups of people. There may appear to be differences between the expensive designer fashions shown on the runways of Paris or New York and the mass-produced sportswear and street styles sold in malls and markets around the world. However, the fashion industry encompasses the design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing , retailing, advertising , and promotion of all types of apparel (men’s, women’s, and children’s) from the most rarefied and expensive haute couture (literally, “high sewing”) and designer fashions to ordinary everyday clothing—from couture ball gowns to casual sweatpants. Sometimes the broader term “fashion industries” is used to refer to myriad industries and services that employ millions of people internationally.

The fashion industry is a product of the modern age. Prior to the mid-19th century, virtually all clothing was handmade for individuals, either as home production or on order from dressmakers and tailors. By the beginning of the 20th century—with the rise of new technologies such as the sewing machine , the rise of global capitalism and the development of the factory system of production, and the proliferation of retail outlets such as department stores —clothing had increasingly come to be mass-produced in standard sizes and sold at fixed prices. Although the fashion industry developed first in Europe and America, today it is an international and highly globalized industry, with clothing often designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold in a third. For example, an American fashion company might source fabric in China and have the clothes manufactured in Vietnam , finished in Italy , and shipped to a warehouse in the United States for distribution to retail outlets internationally. The fashion industry has long been one of the largest employers in the United States , and it remains so in the 21st century. However, employment declined considerably as production increasingly moved overseas, especially to China. Because data on the fashion industry typically are reported for national economies and expressed in terms of the industry’s many separate sectors, aggregate figures for world production of textiles and clothing are difficult to obtain. However, by any measure, the industry inarguably accounts for a significant share of world economic output.

The fashion industry consists of four levels: the production of raw materials, principally fibres and textiles but also leather and fur; the production of fashion goods by designers, manufacturers, contractors, and others; retail sales; and various forms of advertising and promotion. These levels consist of many separate but interdependent sectors, all of which are devoted to the goal of satisfying consumer demand for apparel under conditions that enable participants in the industry to operate at a profit.

Key sectors of the fashion industry

Most fashions are made from textiles. The partial automation of the spinning and weaving of wool , cotton , and other natural fibres was one of the first accomplishments of the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. In the 21st century those processes are highly automated and carried out by computer-controlled high-speed machinery. A large sector of the textile industry produces fabrics for use in apparel. Both natural fibres (such as wool , cotton , silk , and linen ) and synthetic fibres (such as nylon , acrylic , and polyester ) are used. A growing interest in sustainable fashion (or “eco-fashion”) led to greater use of environmentally friendly fibres, such as hemp . High-tech synthetic fabrics confer such properties as moisture wicking (e.g., Coolmax), stain resistance (e.g., 303 High Tech Fabric Guard), retention or dissipation of body heat, and protection against fire, weapons (e.g., Kevlar), cold (e.g., Thinsulate), ultraviolet radiation (Solarweave), and other hazards. Fabrics are produced with a wide range of effects through dyeing , weaving , printing , and other manufacturing and finishing processes. Together with fashion forecasters, textile manufacturers work well in advance of the apparel production cycle to create fabrics with colours, textures, and other qualities that anticipate consumer demand.

What Needs to Happen to Tackle Fashion’s Climate Impact

O n Sept. 17, on the heels of New York Fashion Week, Climate Week saw more than 70,000 people marched in the streets of Manhattan demanding the end of fossil fuel industries and climate justice at scale. This was in stark contrast to the shows on the runway, where collections were presented without the slightest acknowledgement of the increasing signs of our ongoing climate emergency— some as recent as a week before Fashion Week began, with the floods in Libya killing thousands of people and displacing hundreds of thousands.

Despite Fashion Week’s dreadful silence regarding one of today’s most pressing existential issues, shows, including luxury fashion brand Coach , were interrupted by climate protests and signs calling for the end of animal exploitation (also implicated in greenhouse gas emissions). This resulted in protestors being violently snatched by men in black and kicked out of venues.

Is fashion a reflection of a larger denial of and apathy towards the reality of the climate crisis, or is the industry, as fashion critic Cathy Horyn writes in The Cut , “halted into a paralysis?”

The consensus seems to be that fashion executives aren’t visibly addressing the climate crisis. When speaking with creative directors, designers, and fashion industry professionals, there seems to be a shared fear amongst them: A fear of “getting canceled” for not doing the right thing—or for not doing enough when it comes to addressing climate issues. But visibly or not, the question remains: Are they anxious enough about the scientific consensus that in less than six years , without a massive reduction in carbon emissions, our world will begin to tip into a chain of ecosystem collapse?

As a climate activist, I have worked since the early aughts to provide access to crucial information regarding climate justice in the fashion industry and beyond through my organization Slow Factory. Through our work, we have observed that there is an undeniable collective anxiety that seems to exist only on the surface of the fashion industry. And while the fashion industry is filled with promises and good intentions, with a few exceptions, the overall trajectory of fashion is one of business as usual.

Read More: You Might Want to Think Twice About Clothing Brands That Push Rental, Resale, and Recycling

On the one hand, lack of transparency and lack of clear data remain an issue. But more fundamentally there seems to be a lack of perspective in the fashion industry as a whole: stakeholders operate in narrow tunnel vision goal-oriented frameworks that aren’t broad enough to perceive the entire system in question. The industry is made up of complex decentralized systems that have a plethora of human rights issues and environmental impacts particularly around chemical dyes and textile waste. Businesses, however, have a hard time making decisions that would impact the overall system because they don’t have a clear overview of it. Instead, decisions are made with laser-focused precision on certain parts of the industry, but limited impact to the whole. Currently, bridging the gap between intention and action relies on adjacent non-profits and institutions such as Fashion for Good, the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), and the Apparel Impact Institute—all three of which are not collaborating closely enough to problem solve and have competing agendas. The proposed Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act (also known as the Fashion Act) also makes many promises to reduce emissions, but that depends not only on brands and their C-Suite’s endorsement. It also relies on a plethora of other actors (producers, manufacturers, marketers, and other executive decision makers) that need to work together towards shared goals and establish clear milestones.

How can the fashion industry, known for its fierce competitiveness, reach a collective agreement, share knowledge and data, and have enough incentive to collaborate in order to reduce carbon emissions? Especially when the general reaction on social media tends to lean into despair and doubt that these harmful systems of overproduction and exploitation of human labor can’t be transformed at scale in time.

Like any good relationship, we need to start communicating. The fashion industry is large, complex, and touches on so many global systems—from agriculture, animal husbandry, metals, and mining to global transportation, supply chains, pulp and paper, manufacturing, plastics and fossil fuels, retail and consumer goods—that it creates a microcosm of the entire global economy. Some of these industries are working in tandem with each other—and some are not aware that they must be. Companies and even departments continue to operate in silos, and although the issues and solutions are systemic, brands seldom meet to discuss shared climate goals unless they are on stage at conferences, making promises to appease their customer base with often dubious follow-through.

Ignorance, then, becomes a sinister bliss, and downplaying sustainability seems to be the norm in fashion—as though the elephant in the room was not big enough, loud enough, interrupting pristine fashion shows enough. But in this vast system of complexity where the long-term negative effects will be felt by all (and the offenders are only concerned with short-term profit), who will be shouldering and fronting the financial commitment required to fund systemic change? And better yet, how can we measure impact within the fashion industry when most of the data points aren’t traceable and can’t seem to agree on sustainable standards?

A 2018 report co-authored by Fashion for Good and Apparel Impact Institute estimates that the systemic change within the fashion industry required to address the climate emergency will cost $1 trillion. This will require the biggest offenders and players in the industry to collaborate and invest in solutions.

Solutions are starting to get underway. Measuring impact and decarbonization solutions that move beyond clean tech and towards processes within the industry has recently inspired multiple players to raise funds to support necessary innovation in the industry. This includes replacing fossil fuel-based ones such as polyester, acrylic with new materials such as fiber derived from recycled plastic bottles. There are also initiatives and frameworks in fashion embracing a total carbon reduction across the supply chain, such as the UNFCCC Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action , and the Fashion Pact launched in 2019 as a mission given to Kering Chairman and CEO, François-Henri Pinault by French President, Emmanuel Macron, with dozens of global fashion signatories.

Read More: Stella McCartney Is Changing Fashion From Within

But overall the industry is far away from meeting any science-based emissions targets, so further efforts are necessary. The Fashion Act, for instance, would require fashion companies to be responsible for their entire supply chains. Slow Factory has also developed its own context-specific framework called the Sustainable Standard, which would force fashion brands to consider the emissions and human rights effects of their operations and their waste, reusing their deadstock materials including unwanted and unsold goods.

So far, a few funds have emerged focusing on financing climate-informed solutions in the fashion industry. For example, the Slow Factory Fund for Systemic Change is now raising 0.01% of these required funds—$100 million—to invest in socially responsible climate justice solutions. It is the only fund unifying goals of emissions reduction, human rights, and waste circularity. Apparel Impact Institute’s $250 million Fashion Climate Fund aims for incremental change across the fashion supply chain to reduce emissions. Both of these funds are examples of initiatives that represent clear investments in a shared future, leveraging philanthropic and venture funding sources to accelerate climate innovation.

If fashion executives care and can act fast enough to invest in solutions, we can achieve true traceability, work across departments, measure impact, and reflect the times the industry exists in.

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Pulse of the Fashion Industry

GFA’s Pulse Reports (2017-2019) are designed to provide a valuable data-based information, assessing the environmental and social performance of the fashion industry.

What is the pulse report?

In 2017, Global Fashion Agenda and BCG embarked on a partnership, along with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (“SAC”), to deliver the Pulse Report, a qualitative and quantitative report of the sustainability performance of the global fashion Industry.

The publication provided a comprehensive data-based report in the form of an annual assessment of the industry’s environmental and social performance. Drawing on the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Index, the annual report revealed the industry’s Pulse Score, a performance measure of the sector by type of company, size, region and sustainability impacts.

The organisations are proud to have co-created such a valuable and agenda-setting publication that has brought about much needed action to increase the sustainability performance of the fashion industry. The time is right to seek out new constellations and initiatives that fit the new reality our industry faces, as we can continue to push the sustainability agenda forward.

Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2019

Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2018

According to the Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2018 report, the industry’s performance remains weak. The Pulse Score is 38 out of 100. In the past year, it improved by six points. The Pulse Survey, which covers the perspectives of decision-makers from all industry segments, confirms that the sustainability agenda became increasingly prominent in shaping the corporate agenda. Of the executives polled, 52% reported that sustainability targets provided guidance for almost every strategic decision they made—an increase of 18 percentage points from last year. While encouraging, these results also indicate the need for still more movement toward increasingly responsible practices.

Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2017

The Pulse of the Fashion Industry 2017 Report explores alternative business models for how clothes could be made, distributed and consumed based on a proposed ‘landscape for change’ including 40 possible ways to increase industry sustainability performance. We looked at materials including cotton and polyester and chose to highlight the intrinsic dilemmas that need to be considered for every material choice. The report aims to inform its readers about both the opportunities and the ramifications of substituting conventional cotton. As stated in the report “the proposed landscape is a first attempt to sketch out the spectrum of options available. It is meant to invite further input and rich discussions during the coming year.” Similar to this, the Pulse report also quantified a number of initiatives to help demonstrate the possible value to be captured if the industry would start to act immediately on selected topics. The examples used under each change lever served an illustrative purpose and were not straightforward recommendations as such.

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The State of Fashion 2023: Resilience in the Face of Uncertainty

• Imran Amed ,

We have released The State of Fashion 2024 by The Business of Fashion and McKinsey & Company. Download The State of Fashion 2024 now to explore the 10 themes that will define the industry in the year ahead.

Just as the fashion industry was beginning to find its feet after Covid-19′s turmoil, the later months of 2022 seem determined to throw brands and retailers off course again. Deteriorating macroeconomic and geopolitical conditions have weighed heavily on the industry in the second half of the year and continue to leave fashion executives on edge as they look towards 2023.

However, much of the industry is entering this difficult period with strong foundations, having experienced impressive growth in 2021 and in the first half of 2022. As economies around the world began lifting restrictions in 2021 after enduring the pandemic’s devastation, the fashion industry benefitted from a burst of pent-up consumer demand, despite some challenges remaining, like supply chain disruptions. Global industry revenues in 2021 grew 21 percent year on year, while the average EBITA margin close to doubled, growing 6 percentage points. The industry continued its strong performance in early 2022, with 13 percent revenue growth in the first half of the year.

More than 50 percent of the companies tracked by the McKinsey Global Fashion Index contributed to the industry’s total economic profit in 2021, compared to just 32 percent in 2020. The proportion of value destroyers (companies generating negative economic profit) has thus fallen to its lowest since 2013. Our roster of fashion “Super Winners” — the top 20 listed companies by economic profit — comprises many of the usual suspects from the luxury and sportswear categories, while players in the discount segment have also climbed up the list.

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But some of these gains were chipped away as 2022 progressed. The war in Ukraine, which started in February, triggered a string of events, including an escalating energy crisis across Europe. Troublesome inflation in many major economies led central banks to roll out back-to-back interest rate hikes, ending a lengthy period of ultra-low and even negative rates, in a bid to temper rising prices and help steer economies away from recession.

Looking ahead to 2023, the drivers contributing to a broad state of global fragility are top of mind for fashion executives. In the BoF-McKinsey State of Fashion 2023 Survey, 85 percent of fashion executives predict inflation will continue to challenge the market next year. Meanwhile, geopolitical tensions, specifically around the ongoing war in Ukraine, have disrupted supply chains and created an energy crisis that 58 percent of executives also believe will weaken the fashion market.

In aggregate, McKinsey expects global fashion sales growth of 5 percent to 10 percent for luxury, and negative 2 percent to positive 3 percent for the rest of the industry in 2023, while the dichotomies that previously defined the fashion business are expected to return. Beyond the differences between luxury and players from other segments, regional differences will be pronounced. The US economy, despite the slowdown, is expected to be more robust than other major global economies — Covid-19 outbreaks and precautions continue in China, while Europe suffers from an energy crisis and a weakened euro against a strong US dollar.

Against this backdrop, the world map for industry growth is shifting. Markets that once showed solid growth potential are now facing a wider range of risks than they once did, ranging from extreme weather conditions to political or social unrest. Other regions such as the Middle East may become new havens of growth, requiring brands to further localise designs, marketing and merchandising to attract new customers. But as fashion executives assess what the new regional realities mean for their businesses, their scenario planning will need to factor in more than financial risks and opportunities.

Fashion companies will need to rethink their operations. Many will update their organisational structures, introducing new roles or elevating existing ones to target key growth opportunities and respond more effectively to risk. Brands may also choose to see the next year as a time to team up with manufacturing partners to sharpen their supply chain strategies. This may involve nearshoring to better respond to fast-shifting consumer demand or leaning more heavily on data analytics and technology to manage inventory efficiently.

Distribution channel mixes are also ripe for reassessment. As e-commerce growth normalises after its pandemic boom, the sheen has started to wear off the direct-to-consumer digital model that propelled many brands over the past decade. As lockdown restrictions lifted, shoppers have made it clear that although they still value online channels — particularly within luxury, where online DTC and third-party platforms will continue to drive growth — shoppers also want brick-and-mortar experiences. Brands will also need to factor in the continued return of international travel to pre-pandemic rates, which will be buoyed by a strong US dollar. Wholesale and physical retail have a new role in revamping customer journeys, requiring brands to look beyond tier-one cities to be physically closer to consumers.

Brands will have to work hard to remain attractive to consumers, given the tough economic environment. Consumer behaviours in 2023 will depend greatly on household incomes. While higher-income households will be less affected by economic pressures and look likely to continue shopping for luxury goods, as in previous downturns, lower-income households will likely cut back or even eliminate discretionary spending, including apparel. Some will trade down, pivoting to value retailers, marked-down items and off-price channels while eschewing full price, premium and mass brands.

All this elevates the importance of brands’ marketing strategies. Brands should use the year ahead to innovate their digital marketing. Budgets will shift to alternative channels that could generate better return on investment than paid social media ads, such retail media networks, while building stronger brand communities. This will feed into distribution channels, as brands will need to seek higher margins and gather more first-party customer data.

Executives are bracing for a tough 2023; leading brands will deploy realistic but bold strategies that combine careful cost control with strategic investments in skills growth.

How brands manage and communicate about issues that are important to consumers will also be critical. Consider sustainability. New and emerging regulations along with heightened consumer awareness of fashion’s contribution to the climate crisis mean that brands will need to be hyper-vigilant about how they talk about their sustainability-related initiatives and achievements to ensure they are not “greenwashing,” which could potentially lead to reputational damage or costly fines.

Brands that effectively navigate industry challenges in 2023 will be better positioned to seize consumer trends. Coming out of the pandemic, formal dress codes remain disrupted, pushing brands to rethink office and special occasion attire. Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly shopping across gender categories, and brands that can adapt their merchandising strategies accordingly will be able to strengthen their relationships with a wider range of consumers.

Executives are bracing for a tough 2023; leading brands will deploy realistic but bold strategies that combine careful cost control with strategic investments in skills growth. Those that recognise that growth will be unpredictable or muted, but still charge forward with investments in innovation throughout their organisations, will find they are in a stronger position to accelerate their businesses when the uncertainty and fragility subside.

The 10 fashion industry themes that will set the agenda in 2023:

1. Global Fragility

Amid the highest inflation in a generation, rising geopolitical tensions, climate crises and sinking consumer confidence in anticipation of an economic downturn, the global economy is in a volatile state. Fashion brands will need careful planning to navigate the many uncertainties and recessionary risks that lie ahead in 2023.

2. Regional Realities

Understanding where to invest globally has never been easy but rising geopolitical uncertainty and uneven post-pandemic economic recoveries, among other factors, will likely make it even more challenging in 2023. Brands can re-evaluate regional growth priorities and hone their strategies so they are more tailored to the geographies in which they operate.

3. Two-Track Spending

Consumers may be impacted differently by the potential economic turbulence in 2023. Depending on factors including disposable income levels, some will postpone or curtail discretionary purchases; others will seek out bargains, increasing demand for resale, rental and off-price. Fashion executives should adapt their business models to protect customer loyalty and avoid diluting their brands.

4. Fluid Fashion

Gender-fluid fashion is gaining greater traction amid changing consumer attitudes towards gender identity and expression. For many brands and retailers, the blurring of the lines between menswear and womenswear will require rethinking their product design, marketing, and in-store and digital shopping experiences.

5. Formalwear Reinvented

Formal attire is taking on new definitions as shoppers rethink how they dress for work, weddings and other special occasions. While offices and events will likely become more casual, special occasions may be dominated by statement-making outfits that consumers rent or buy to stand out when they do decide to dress up.

6. DTC Reckoning

Though brands across price segments and categories have embraced digital direct-to-consumer channels, mounting digital marketing costs and e-commerce readjustments have put the viability of the DTC model into question. To grow, brands will likely need to diversify their channel mix, including wholesale and third-party marketplaces, alongside DTC.

7. Tackling Greenwashing

As the industry continues to grapple with its damaging environmental and social impact, consumers, regulators and other stakeholders may increasingly scrutinise how brands communicate about their sustainability credentials. If brands are to avoid “greenwashing,” they must show that they are making meaningful and credible change while abiding by emerging regulatory requirements.

8. Future-Proofing Manufacturing

Continued disruptions in supply chains are a catalyst for a reconfiguration of global production. Textile manufacturers can create new supply chain models based around vertical integration, nearshoring and small-batch production, enabled by enhanced digitisation.

9. Digital Marketing Reloaded

Recent data rules are spurring a new chapter for digital marketing as customer targeting becomes less effective and more costly. Brands will embrace creative campaigns and new channels such as retail media networks and the metaverse to achieve greater ROI on marketing spend and gather valuable first-party data that can be leveraged to deepen customer relationships.

10. Organisation Overhaul

Successful execution of strategies in 2023 will in part hinge on a company’s alignment around key functions. Fashion executives need a new vision for what the organisation of the future will require, focusing on attracting and retaining top talent, as well as elevating teams and critical C-suite roles to execute on priorities like sustainability and digital acceleration.

Imran Amed is the Founder, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of The Business of Fashion. Based in London, he shapes BoF’s overall editorial strategy and is the host of The BoF Podcast.

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• Published: 07 April 2020

The environmental price of fast fashion

• Kirsi Niinimäki   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9759-7098 1 ,
• Greg Peters   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-8319-168X 2 ,
• Helena Dahlbo   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-9753-3828 3 ,
• Patsy Perry   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8427-9912 4 ,
• Timo Rissanen   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-0192-4227 5 &
• Alison Gwilt 6  

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An Author Correction to this article was published on 23 April 2020

This article has been updated

The fashion industry is facing increasing global scrutiny of its environmentally polluting supply chain operations. Despite the widely publicized environmental impacts, however, the industry continues to grow, in part due to the rise of fast fashion, which relies on cheap manufacturing, frequent consumption and short-lived garment use. In this Review, we identify the environmental impacts at critical points in the textile and fashion value chain, from production to consumption, focusing on water use, chemical pollution, CO 2 emissions and textile waste. Impacts from the fashion industry include over 92 million tonnes of waste produced per year and 79 trillion litres of water consumed. On the basis of these environmental impacts, we outline the need for fundamental changes in the fashion business model, including a deceleration of manufacturing and the introduction of sustainable practices throughout the supply chain, as well a shift in consumer behaviour — namely, decreasing clothing purchases and increasing garment lifetimes. These changes stress the need for an urgent transition back to ‘slow’ fashion, minimizing and mitigating the detrimental environmental impacts, so as to improve the long-term sustainability of the fashion supply chain.

The textile and fashion industry has a long and complex supply chain, starting from agriculture and petrochemical production (for fibre production) to manufacturing, logistics and retail.

Each production step has an environmental impact due to water, material, chemical and energy use.

Many chemicals used in textile manufacturing are harmful for the environment, factory workers and consumers.

Most environmental impacts occur in the textile-manufacturing and garment-manufacturing countries, but textile waste is found globally.

Fast fashion has increased the material throughput in the system. Fashion brands are now producing almost twice the amount of clothing today compared with before the year 2000.

Current fashion-consumption practices result in large amounts of textile waste, most of which is incinerated, landfilled or exported to developing countries.

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A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-020-0054-x

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This research was supported by the Academy of Finland’s Strategic Research Council’s grant no. 327299 Sustainable textile systems: Co-creating resource-wise business for Finland in global textile networks/FINIX consortium.

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Introduction

Forms of labor in the fashion industry, how are gpn distributed, value addition, institutional determinants, reference list.

Understanding the complexities of the current global economy is tasking but an exceptionally significant endeavor. The Global Production Networks (GPN) refers to the intertwined roles, operations, and transactions via which a particular good or service is developed, distributed, and used (Posthuma & Nathan 2010). Even though the production networks in the fashion industry are defined as highly global, the state institutional setting of individual fashion firm is a fundamental aspect of the creation of these networks.

It assists in shaping the competencies that firms build and the approaches they adapt to remain relevant. This paper seeks to examine the GPN perspective for evaluating the world economy and its influence on global growth. The 21 st century is defined by increased globalization that serves as a focal point in business operations. For a long time, much concern had been based on the supply side of the globalizing markets; current concerns have been moved to the demand and the purchasing function, and the bulging globalization of production networks.

This paper selects the fashion industry to show the kind of labor that goes into creating the product or service. This paper will also show how this work is globally distributed and how value is captured at each stage of production distributed along with the network.

However, this paper seeks to identify the areas at which specializations interlock to reinforce the value chain. Production chains that focus on creating cultural products are defined by their dependence on customer taste and desire. This section will show that the viability of the fashion industry relies on building an instinctive relationship between commodities and consumers. To amplify the implied value of products, fashion industries employ a range of approaches including packaging, branding, and marketing.

Labor is an intrinsic component of the production procedure and often has a strong influence on locational decisions within and across borders (Posthuma & Nathan 2010). New trends in the structure of the labor sector are emerging due to the high rate of the globalizing economy. Globalization has led to the diffusion of information technology, innovation, and a wider global market. The convergence of these forces has led to significant changes in the workplace and the labor market.

The developed countries in the western region have for a long time sought to maintain their dominance in the fashion industry particularly the clothing sector. The newly industrializing countries have heightened competition since their low wage rates favor low capital investment (Lane & Probert 2009). The kind of labor needed in the fashion industry particularly the clothing sector is divided into various steps that include planning and development phase, design and prototyping, production design, manufacturing and assembly of collections, marketing, distribution, and retailing.

Developing and planning of the products entails various critical undertakings that require skilled labor with the knowledge of market patterns and material availability (Camerinelli 2009). The integration of the preliminary steps in the development of the goods needs proper planning and budgeting of the planned production. The design and prototyping section requires a highly informed labor force that has the techniques to design new models in line with the market demand and cost structures.

The production design entails generating a cost-effective formula to identify the most cost-effective approach to manufacturing a product. The labor force must take into consideration the quality standards and customer preferences.

The actual processing and assembly stage of products requires semi-skilled labor involved in sewing using simple technology. The most critical stage is marketing that seeks to attain the largest possible market coverage. The labor force needed must possess fundamental skills in marketing such as detecting customer needs and preferences. The distribution sector involves highly technical logistical activities established on digitalized order tracking.

This implies that technical staff is essential to facilitate distribution both locally and at global levels. Ideally, these stages can be detached from each other and practiced in distinct settings, because they have established costs and distinct sets of competencies (Dicken 1998). The process of segmenting the value chain functions highly on the available capabilities of the labor force.

The fashion industry, and especially the clothing section, is labor-intensive and salaries for the semi-skilled employees account for a major portion of the production costs. Following the rise of competitive pressures from low-wage nations, the manufacturing sector is coping by shifting to countries where cheap labor is readily available such as Asia and Africa. Furthermore, the friendly nature of trade policies and tariffs within the less developed countries has shaped the geographical concerns and management of GPNs.

GPN actors in the world economy are entailed in cooperation and on the other hand completion (Lane & Probert 2004). Therefore, this is an indicator that relationships between different actors take many forms. Firms in the fashion industry face fierce competitors but at other times, these firms are enshrined in a complex web of cooperative networks. Firms continue to use product offshoring techniques to broaden their networks across the globe.

Dicken (1998) defines product offshoring as the shifting of business activities done at a firm in a particular country to a similar company but located in another country. Essentially, it is the cross-border relocation of business processes. This transfer focuses on taking advantage of a vast supply of cheap raw materials and labor. GPNs are also distributed through advertising and e-commerce platforms.

Based on Marxian value theory, the value is developed in the material processes that are defined by the kind of labor induced to a final product and in the processes of distribution that avail commodities to the market (Klinger 2012). These processes involve branding and marketing that connects with target consumers. Branding and marketing increase the value of the product and create interests among consumers.

Ideally, fashions represent a phenomenon of the contemporary state. For instance, styles of dress, characters, or lifestyles define fashion. Fashions are both current and popular among a certain social group at different times. Fashions are often unstable, changing in different places and social settings depending on the societal norms, seasonal influences, as well as persisting social patterns. However, consumer valuations of fashion products depend on time and location making the fashion sector highly unpredictable.

The shared feelings and aesthetic attachments linked with fashion build wide inter-sector networks of trade that converge a variety of products and services. This sector contains the risks linked to fashion by shaping the patterns of their practices to allow swift changes in the market value of goods. Brands, loyalty, and fashion events are some of the institutional strategies used to stabilize the market.

Retailers are significant actors in the process of distributing since they play an important role in the network of relationships (Camerinelli 2009). However, it is necessary to ensure products are of high quality, desired fashion, and are well branded to ensure a wide and highly diversified retailer catchment in both local and global markets. Besides, the fashion industry must ensure the professional management of the GPN and the integral suppliers to ensure great command of the final product.

To gain a competitive advantage, institutional leaders design organizational capabilities that promote innovative actions to market pressures and flexible measures to address the dynamic market conditions (Hübner 2007). Managers in the fashion industry emphasize designing various types of knowledge that are hard to copy when embodied in commodities. This aspect ensures that the firm maintains a competitive edge.

Besides, efficient coordination of desirable competencies is a valuable leadership capability in creating these networks. Managers have to differentiate between capabilities unique to the organization and essential to its competitive advantage. They should also identify those, which may be outsourced, gained either via market links or in networks. In highly competitive markets, networks are inevitable to avoid internal constraints such as high production costs.

This paper has demonstrated that a GPN framework has a great capacity to help in the understanding of trends and geographical complexities of the world economy. The paper has also shown competencies shape market models and influence how organizations build and manage GPNS. Consequently, institutional arrangements should be facilitated to ensure that firms do not lose relevance in the global spectrum.

Camerinelli, E 2009, Measuring the value of supply chain , Gower Publishing, Farnham.

Dicken, P 1998, Global shift , Guilford Press, New York.

Hübner, R 2007, Strategic supply chain management in process industries , Springer, Berlin.

Klinger, K 2012, ‘Design-through-production formulations’, Nexus Networking Journal , vol. 14, no. 3, pp.431-440.

Lane, C & Probert, J 2004, ‘Between the global and the local: a comparison of the German and UK clothing industry’, Competition & Change , vol. 8, no.3, pp.243-266.

Lane, C & Probert, J, 2009, National capitalisms, global production networks , Oxford University Press, Oxford.

Posthuma, A & Nathan, D 2010, Labor in global production networks in India , Oxford University Press, Oxford.

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The global environmental injustice of fast fashion

• Rachel Bick 1   na1 ,
• Erika Halsey 1   na1 &
• Christine C. Ekenga   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-6209-4888 1  

Environmental Health volume  17 , Article number:  92 ( 2018 ) Cite this article

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Fast fashion, inexpensive and widely available of-the-moment garments, has changed the way people buy and dispose of clothing. By selling large quantities of clothing at cheap prices, fast fashion has emerged as a dominant business model, causing garment consumption to skyrocket. While this transition is sometimes heralded as the “democratization” of fashion in which the latest styles are available to all classes of consumers, the human and environmental health risks associated with inexpensive clothing are hidden throughout the lifecycle of each garment. From the growth of water-intensive cotton, to the release of untreated dyes into local water sources, to worker’s low wages and poor working conditions; the environmental and social costs involved in textile manufacturing are widespread.

In this paper, we posit that negative externalities at each step of the fast fashion supply chain have created a global environmental justice dilemma. While fast fashion offers consumers an opportunity to buy more clothes for less, those who work in or live near textile manufacturing facilities bear a disproportionate burden of environmental health hazards. Furthermore, increased consumption patterns have also created millions of tons of textile waste in landfills and unregulated settings. This is particularly applicable to low and middle-income countries (LMICs) as much of this waste ends up in second-hand clothing markets. These LMICs often lack the supports and resources necessary to develop and enforce environmental and occupational safeguards to protect human health. We discuss the role of industry, policymakers, consumers, and scientists in promoting sustainable production and ethical consumption in an equitable manner.

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Fast fashion is a term used to describe the readily available, inexpensively made fashion of today. The word “fast” describes how quickly retailers can move designs from the catwalk to stores, keeping pace with constant demand for more and different styles. With the rise of globalization and growth of a global economy, supply chains have become international, shifting the growth of fibers, the manufacturing of textiles, and the construction of garments to areas with cheaper labor. Increased consumption drives the production of inexpensive clothing, and prices are kept down by outsourcing production to low and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Globally, 80 billion pieces of new clothing are purchased each year, translating to $1.2 trillion annually for the global fashion industry. The majority of these products are assembled in China and Bangladesh while the United States consumes more clothing and textiles than any other nation in the world [ 1 ]. Approximately 85 % of the clothing Americans consume, nearly 3.8 billion pounds annually, is sent to landfills as solid waste, amounting to nearly 80 pounds per American per year [ 2 , 3 ].

The global health costs associated with the production of cheap clothing are substantial. While industrial disasters such as the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire have led to improved occupational protections and work standards in the United States, the same cannot be said for LMICs. The hazardous working conditions that attracted regulatory attention in the United States and European Union have not been eliminated, but merely shifted overseas. The social costs associated with the global textile and garment industry are significant as well. Defined as “all direct and indirect losses sustained by third persons or the general public as a result of unrestrained economic activities,” the social costs involved in the production of fast fashion include damages to the environment, human health, and human rights at each step along the production chain [ 4 ].

Fast fashion as a global environmental justice issue

Environmental justice is defined by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, as the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations and policies” [ 5 ]. In the United States, this concept has primarily been used in the scientific literature and in practice to describe the disproportionate placement of superfund sites (hazardous waste sites) in or near communities of color. However, environmental justice, as it has been defined, is not limited to the United States and need not be constrained by geopolitical boundaries. The textile and garment industries, for example, shift the environmental and occupational burdens associated with mass production and disposal from high income countries to the under-resourced (e.g. low income, low-wage workers, women) communities in LMICs. Extending the environmental justice framework to encompass the disproportionate impact experienced by those who produce and dispose of our clothing is essential to understanding the magnitude of global injustice perpetuated through the consumption of cheap clothing. In the context of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 which calls for sustainable consumption and production as part of national and sectoral plans, sustainable business practices, consumer behavior, and the reduction and elimination of fast fashion should all be a target of global environmental justice advocates.

Environmental hazards during production

The first step in the global textile supply chain is textile production, the process by which both natural and synthetic fibers are made. Approximately 90 % of clothing sold in the United States is made with cotton or polyester, both associated with significant health impacts from the manufacturing and production processes [ 6 ]. Polyester, a synthetic textile, is derived from oil, while cotton requires large amounts of water and pesticides to grow. Textile dyeing results in additional hazards as untreated wastewater from dyes are often discharged into local water systems, releasing heavy metals and other toxicants that can adversely impact the health of animals in addition to nearby residents [ 6 ].

Occupational hazards during production

Garment assembly, the next step in the global textile supply chain, employs 40 million workers around the world [ 7 ]. LMICs produce 90% of the world’s clothing. Occupational and safety standards in these LMICs are often not enforced due to poor political infrastructure and organizational management [ 8 ]. The result is a myriad of occupational hazards, including respiratory hazards due to poor ventilation such as cotton dust and synthetic air particulates, and musculoskeletal hazards from repetitive motion tasks. The health hazards that prompted the creation of textile labor unions in the United States and the United Kingdom in the early 1900’s have now shifted to work settings in LMICs. In LMICs, reported health outcomes include debilitating and life-threatening conditions such as lung disease and cancer, damage to endocrine function, adverse reproductive and fetal outcomes, accidental injuries, overuse injuries and death [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. Periodic reports of international disasters, such as the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse which killed 1134 Bangladeshi workers, are stark reminders of the health hazards faced by garment workers. These disasters, however, have not demonstrably changed safety standards for workers in LMICs [ 12 ].

Textile waste

While getting finished garments to consumers in the high-income countries is seen as the end of the line for the fashion industry, environmental injustices continue long after the garment is sold. The fast fashion model encourages consumers to view clothing as disposable. In fact, the average American throws away approximately 80 pounds of clothing and textiles annually, occupying nearly 5% of landfill space [ 3 ]. Clothing not sent directly to the landfill often ends up in the second-hand clothing trade. Approximately 500,000 tons of used clothing are exported abroad from the United States each year, the majority ending up in LMICs [ 8 ]. In 2015, the United States exported more than $700 million worth of used clothing [ 13 ]. Second-hand clothing not sold in the United States market is compressed into 1000-pound bales and exported overseas to be “graded” (sorted, categorized and re-baled) by low-wage workers in LMICs and sold in second-hand markets. Clothing not sold in markets becomes solid waste, clogging rivers, greenways, and parks, and creating the potential for additional environmental health hazards in LMICs lacking robust municipal waste systems.

Solutions, innovation, and social justice

Ensuring environmental justice at each stage in the global supply chain remains a challenge. Global environmental justice will be dependent upon innovations in textile development, corporate sustainability, trade policy, and consumer habits.

Sustainable fibers

The sustainability of a fiber refers to the practices and policies that reduce environmental pollution and minimize the exploitation of people or natural resources in meeting lifestyle needs. Across the board, natural cellulosic and protein fibers are thought to be better for the environment and for human health, but in some cases manufactured fibers are thought to be more sustainable. Fabrics such as Lyocell, made from the cellulose of bamboo, are made in a closed loop production cycle in which 99% of the chemicals used to develop fabric fibers are recycled. The use of sustainable fibers will be key in minimizing the environmental impact of textile production.

Corporate sustainability

Oversight and certification organizations such as Fair Trade America and the National Council of Textiles Organization offer evaluation and auditing tools for fair trade and production standards. While some companies do elect to get certified in one or more of these independent accrediting programs, others are engaged in the process of “greenwashing.” Capitalizing on the emotional appeal of eco-friendly and fair trade goods, companies market their products as “green” without adhering to any criteria [ 14 ]. To combat these practices, industry-wide adoption of internationally recognized certification criteria should be adopted to encourage eco-friendly practices that promote health and safety across the supply chain.

Trade policy

While fair trade companies can attempt to compete with fast fashion retailers, markets for fair trade and eco-friendly textile manufacturing remain small, and ethically and environmentally sound supply chains are difficult and expensive to audit. High income countries can promote occupational safety and environmental health through trade policy and regulations. Although occupational and environmental regulations are often only enforceable within a country’s borders, there are several ways in which policymakers can mitigate the global environmental health hazards associated with fast fashion. The United States, for example, could increase import taxes for garments and textiles or place caps on annual weight or quantities imported from LMICs. At the other end of the clothing lifecycle, some LMICs have begun to regulate the import of used clothing. The United Nations Council for African Renewal, for example, recently released a report citing that “Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda are raising taxes on secondhand clothes imports and at the same time offering incentives to local manufacturers” [ 15 ].

The role of the consumer

Trade policies and regulations will be the most effective solutions in bringing about large-scale change to the fast fashion industry. However, consumers in high income countries have a role to play in supporting companies and practices that minimize their negative impact on humans and the environment. While certifications attempt to raise industry standards, consumers must be aware of greenwashing and be critical in assessing which companies actually ensure a high level of standards versus those that make broad, sweeping claims about their social and sustainable practices [ 14 ]. The fast fashion model thrives on the idea of more for less, but the age-old adage “less in more” must be adopted by consumers if environmental justice issues in the fashion industry are to be addressed. The United Nation’s SDG 12, “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns,” seeks to redress the injustices caused by unfettered materialism. Consumers in high income countries can do their part to promote global environmental justice by buying high-quality clothing that lasts longer, shopping at second-hand stores, repairing clothing they already own, and purchasing from retailers with transparent supply chains.

Conclusions

In the two decades since the fast fashion business model became the norm for big name fashion brands, increased demand for large amounts of inexpensive clothing has resulted in environmental and social degradation along each step of the supply chain. The environmental and human health consequences of fast fashion have largely been missing from the scientific literature, research, and discussions surrounding environmental justice. The breadth and depth of social and environmental abuses in fast fashion warrants its classification as an issue of global environmental justice.

Environmental health scientists play a key role in supporting evidence-based public health. Similar to historical cases of environmental injustice in the United States, the unequal distribution of environmental exposures disproportionally impact communities in LMICs. There is an emerging need for research that examines the adverse health outcomes associated with fast fashion at each stage of the supply chain and post-consumer process, particularly in LMICs. Advancing work in this area will inform the translation of research findings to public health policies and practices that lead to sustainable production and ethical consumption.

Abbreviations

Low and middle-income countries

Sustainable Development Goal

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Home — Essay Samples — Entertainment — Documentary — Analysis Of “The True Cost” Documentary: The Consequences Of Fast Fashion

Analysis of "The True Cost" Documentary: The Consequences of Fast Fashion

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Main issues in "the true cost" documentary, conclusion and reflection, works cited.

• Morgan, A. (Director). (2015). The True Cost [Documentary]. Life Is My Movie Entertainment.
• Brown, S. (2012). Ethical Fashion: Myths and Realities. Earthscan.
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• Eicher, J. B., & Evenson, S. (2008). The Visible Self: Global Perspectives on Dress, Culture, and Society. Fairchild Books.
• Birtwistle, G., & Moore, C. M. (2007). Fashion Logistics: Insights into the Fashion Retail Supply Chain. Routledge.
• McNeill, L., & Moore, C. M. (Eds.). (2015). Sustainable Fashion: Past, Present, and Future. Bloomsbury Publishing.
• Clarke, A. (2018). Fashion and Sustainability: Design for Change. Laurence King Publishing.
• McDonough, W., & Braungart, M. (2002). Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things. North Point Press.
• Chouinard, Y. (2016). Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman. Penguin Books.
• Fletcher, K. (2016). Craft of Use: Post-Growth Fashion. Routledge.

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The Fashion Industry

The Industry

The fashion industry is considered to be one of the modern industries that continue to establish a place for themselves in the international community. Before the 1850s, most people had their clothes custom-made, and thus the fashion industry was still in its initial stages of development (Runfola & Guercini 2013). However, now the fashion industry has undergone serious transformations in the sense that while there are still a lot of people who prefer custom-made clothes, there is also a wide range of companies that manufacture clothes for the mass market. The main goal of fashion in this case is to provide people with clothes that they would like to wear in order to look fashionable without necessarily having to sacrifice their comfort. Therefore, the emphasis of this brief is put on the real fashion industry that involves creating and manufacturing clothes for real people, not only for the runway models. With a growing global economy and growing population, the fashion industry is expected to also grow exponentially. Growing demand and a growing purchasing power are just some of the critical factors that the industry can take advantage of in the future (Platt 2014). However, it must be appreciated that while the American and European fashion industries are the most advanced in the world, they all rely on outsourcing, looking for raw materials, and they get the products manufactured overseas for the purpose of economy. The international fashion industry, however, is growing in leaps and depends on the level of the exposure that can be afforded, thus posing a significant threat to the current big players of the industry. Some people anticipate that countries in Africa, for example, will soon have a thriving fashion industry that aims to outrace the rest of the world. The rising of the fashion industry in the emerging economies means that dominant fashion powerhouses in the United States and Europe may lose substantial revenue to emerging designers in Africa and from other regions. With this in mind, it is critical to examine how the fashion industry in the West can handle the growing competition from Africa and the rest of the world.

Significant Trends and Drivers for Change

When it comes to fashion, the future is always a crucial matter to regard, especially considering the changing nature of consumers’ tastes and preferences. However, this problem exists only in regard to fashion trends. Within the contexts of business, the brands are more stable, though they do have to face a high level of competition. Some of the significant trends and drivers of change in this industry include the economy, market situation, society, culture, technology, and policy.

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The economy determines whether the market demand will rise or fall depending on the targeted market. As the economy grows, living standards also grow, and people become more financially stable. This means that the most exclusive brands are likely to make more sales as more people feel like they are in a position to spend money on the things that they want. Such market context enables the clothing and textile industry to flourish. The purchasing power, the percentage of the population with high standards of living, and the overall market demand are all aspects of the economy that determine how the organization will perform in the future. Currently, the economy seems to grow steadily, and thus the perspectives of the future look rather attractive for this industry.

Initially, the countries in Africa were considered as parts of an emerging market that provided the already prepared place for products in the Western fashion industry. However, later the market situation has changed significantly. While companies in the West continue to venture into Africa and the rest of the world to sell their products, these other parts of the world are also venturing into the fashion industry while also promoting the concept of buying the local brands. The ideology of associating only with the international brands is no longer considered as solid — thus the Western fashion companies are being adequately challenged. In the future, this trend will significantly affect the way fashion companies from the US and Europe conduct business within a global context. There exists a need to explore ways of creating a competitive advantage for these local and yet very efficient fashion companies that will soon move to the international fashion market as well.

The society is not explicitly expected to change much, but any changes within the society will demand a change in the way these organizations operate. Currently, individuality is one of the most crucial drivers in the industry. People want to be different, to be whoever they choose to be, and they use fashion to express their personalities. This means that for the most part, the companies have to create a lot of exclusive products as opposed to mass production in the past. Such a trend must be considered in the future as well. With regard to culture, it can be noted that the world is getting more globalized, and incorporating some exotic cultures into the product designs is no longer considered implausible. Consequently, fashion designers are expected to step up and play a role in bringing global cultures together.

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In regard to technology, dynamic nature implies a need for the industry to be efficiently attentive. Internet shopping is one of the latest technological changes that the industry has had to adapt to. Therefore, even in the future, all industries should be willing to work with the technology industry in order to serve their customers better.

The changes in policy lead to changes in the way the business operates. Also, policies are also key drivers in the industry. Issues such as intellectual property rights and brands are very critical for this industry, and any changes will affect how these organizations manage to create and market their products internationally.

Areas of Change

Based on the aforementioned trends and change drivers within the fashion industry, the three key areas of change that managers within organizations in the fashion industry will have to work with for a sustainable future are technology, market situation, and society. Companies in the fashion industry need room for flexible adaptations to technological advancements while embracing the changes in the market conditions not only locally, but also globally. Consequently, society will continue to change based on what people seek to achieve in regard to fashion, and it will have a significant impact on how the organizations perform within their respective markets.

Elements of the Fashion Industry

When evaluating the organizational dynamics, there are seven key elements that one must consider. These elements include key regulatory processes, employees, other tangible assets, the external environment, the internal social system, dominant coalitions, and organizational techniques (Diefenbach 2007). All these elements define how a certain organization can conduct business within given circumstances. To survive in the future, companies in the fashion industry will have to focus on three areas of change that include technology, market situation, and society (Bryson 2008). The elements of the organizational dynamics that are most closely linked to these sectors include the external environment, critical regulatory processes, employees, other tangible assets, and internal social system. Each one of these elements will have to be adjusted to match the future contexts of the fashion industry.

The external environment with regards to the organizational dynamics only refers to the circumstances of the organizations as related to the business processes that they undertake. Some of the important factors to consider include the public attitudes, the economy, the laws, and the price levels, among other things (Hotho & Pollard 2007). Technological advancements are often made with the aim of making lives better in one way or another. The invention of e-commerce, for example, was prompted by the need to cater to consumers who lacked the time or just preferred the convenience of not having to go shopping at the brick and mortar outlet (Ahmed, Chowdhury, Uddin & Ferdous 2014). As such, the company has to consider the public attitudes related to advances in technology (Andrews, Cameron & Harris 2008). If the market outlook for new technology is positive, the organization should be willing to comply.

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Under critical organizational processes, the management must consider relying on technology for information gathering and decision making more. Big data is no longer a practical idea in the business industry, but it is also no longer sufficient in regard to creating a competitive advantage in a highly competitive market (Porcheret, Main, Croft, McKinley, Hassell & Dziedzic 2014). Organizations need effective mechanisms to cluster and interpret big data in order to benefit from automated market research. In the future, big data will grow exponentially in volume, thus necessitating the existence of a higher analytical and interpreting capacity.

Employees and other tangible assets also determine how well the company will perform, and in this case, IT experts are a necessity within any organization. However, rather than hiring new IT experts as the field advances, the management must consider investing in the continuous learning processes for their employees. Also, tangible assets such as computers and servers are a considerable investment in this case, based on the growing need for in-house information systems for decision support. In the future, the management will be expected to empower employees, and the best way to accomplish this is to give them the technological infrastructure that will in turn give them access to the organizational knowledge pool.

The internal social system refers to a corporate culture that will also have to change. As the companies embrace technology, some of the conventional corporate structures, such as hierarchy and bureaucracy, will have to be forgotten. Consequently, an innovative corporate structure will be ideal as each employee will have all the information they need to make decisions that are meant to benefit the organization (Jansson 2014). More space to make these decisions will ensure that the management is no longer as involved in the small decisions as they are at the moment.

Market Situation

The market conditions will change significantly in the future, and to remain operational within the new situation, the management will have to adjust their dynamics to prepare for more severe competition from companies in the previously emerging markets, while also catering to the growing global market. The external environment will have to be adjusted as well, especially in regard to the market dynamics. A larger market and a stronger competition mean that the company will have to focus more on their marketing strategies (Mason 2007). For better outcomes, the management must be willing to redefine their strategy in order to refine their target market and thus to consolidate their focus on a market where the brand is stronger, but the sales are minimal. Alternatively, the company can concentrate on innovations as a way of establishing a competitive advantage in an overcrowded market.

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The key organizational processes will also have to be improved in order to match the market situation. Currently, most companies rely on competitors’ intelligence to determine their operational strategies (Collier & Evans 2013). However, as the dynamics shift in the fashion industry, simply knowing the competition will not be enough. The market will be flooded with competitors from all over the world. A more sustainable approach will be able to identify the consumers and thus open a possibility to invest in direct market research and relevant big data analytics (Griffin 2015). Understanding the customers is an efficient process now, and it will still be as important when there are thousands of competitors seeking their attention and loyalty in the global fashion industry.

Furthermore, in a growing and highly competitive market, the employees and other tangible assets will be even more valuable to the company. Rather than looking at the growing population and the fact that it provides the industry with a larger labor market, the organizations will have to consider the expenses involved in finding the right personnel to handle the consumers as expected. High competition within the industry will mean that the companies will have to provide impeccable customer service, and achieving this goal often requires a lot of training and motivation (Sung & Jin 2014). The employees will thus have to be fully engaged and encouraged to stay with the organization. The management may even consider long-term contracts with their best talents.

Based on the dynamics of the market situation, the management will also have to look at the internal social system. A corporate culture that promotes career growth as part of the employee engagement and motivation package will be mandatory in this case. The employees thrive in organizations that allow them enough room to grow as individuals and as professionals (Kim & Johnson 2009). Establishing an environment that encourages the workers’ professional growth often requires the management to be willing to take risks and to promote innovative thinking, while also supporting and enabling decision making with the help of decision-support systems and comprehensive knowledge management systems, implemented within the organization.

Changes in the society will be dictated by a host of factors, the majority of which are mainly unpredictable. However, individualism is the basic factor. People are likely to need unique personal brand images that will prompt them to spend more money. The public attitudes that the companies will be dealing with in this case will play a great role in their performance. Additionally, the company must invest in the market research, although this approach will be rather simplified in the age of the bigger Big Data, provided that the management is willing to invest in the tedious and often very expensive process of analyzing and interpreting the collected data to be used in decision making within the organization (Wang 2016). People change regularly in regard to their tastes and preferences, and in the fashion industry, these changes determine which products will sell and which ones will have to be disposed of.

The key organizational processes that must be adjusted to match the society include information gathering and decision making. The companies may be able to deal with the long and tedious processes required for creating a new product, but in the future, these methods will put the company at risk of being outdone by the competition (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development 2011). To avoid this, shorter approval processes and more knowledge-based decision support systems should diminish the need for multiple consultations before critical decisions are made. The management will have to either work very closely with the subordinates or directly empower them to make all necessary decisions while seeking approval only when the support of the management is critical to the project.

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The employees will also have to be more empowered to work within an organization where the decisions are made as swiftly as possible. In the future, the companies in the fashion industry will not be able to afford employees who are not sure of what they are doing. The employees must be able to make difficult decisions without relying on the management for guidance. Therefore, the companies must start looking for highly qualified employees who have not only the credentials but also the skill set and personality necessary for critical thinking.

The social aspect of the industry’s growth will also require an adjustment in the internal social system. Additionally, the corporate culture must open the new perspectives, putting an emphasis on the individuality, because in order to address the unique needs of the individual customer, the company must first allow the employees to be individuals (Shanley 2007). The corporate structure should thus be able to recognize individualism despite the heightened need for collaboration and seamless operations among the departments.

The sustainable responses to changes require a critical understanding and appreciation of their nature. Within the fashion industry, some of the possible changes are related to the market situation, the technological orientation, and the society-based influences of the business as a whole (Runfola & Guercini 2013; Wigley & Aikaterini 2011). To respond effectively to each of these aspects, the management will have to pay attention to the source of the changes and thus to effectively adjust their operations as needed.

The market situation will change mainly because of the growing fashion industry in the emerging markets. As such, there are new competitors that are slowly developing, capable of flooding the markets with exciting new products that could present formidable alternatives to what is on the market at the moment. The management can not prevent countries in Africa from joining the global fashion industry. The best response, in this case, is to prepare for the influx of competition by strengthening the brand and seeking out new fronts on which to compete.

The technology base will also change radically, as people become more dependent on technology. The management needs to prepare the organization to be more competitive in an era where technology is a necessity. Similarly, investing in technology will no longer be considered as optional. The best response will be to prepare the company by ensuring that the IT personnel are well equipped with relevant knowledge. While the company could wait to hire IT experts when they start falling behind in regard to technology, a better alternative would be to train their current IT team so they could enrich their organizational knowledge pool. This experience will benefit the whole organization in the future.

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As for the society, it is clear that people are increasingly focusing on being ‘different’ while the current fashion industry is mainly built on the concept of mass production, where different designs are produced in large quantities in order to satisfy demand based on the fashion trends (Pedersen & Andersen, 2015). In the future, the situation will change, as each person will be looking for a unique look that sets them apart from the masses. The ideal response would be to seek out the right talent that could enable the organization to embrace and appreciate the concept of individualism. Promoting and supporting individualism amongst the employees will give the organization a broad range of product designs to choose from, thus enabling them to meet market demand for special and exclusive products.

Responding to changes is mainly a matter of understanding the source of the modification and of further aligning the organizational dynamics to match the contexts of the new situation. Furthermore, the central role of the management is to evaluate the changes regarding the particular operational circumstances, and thus to determine which aspects need to be adjusted and which can remain the same (Ferrazzi 2014). In the fashion industry, a lot of adjustments will have to be made, especially by companies in Europe and the US, considering that there is an expected entrance of African fashion businesses into the global fashion market.

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Mastering IELTS Writing Task 2: The Environmental Impact of Fast Fashion

The Environmental Impact Of Fast Fashion has become an increasingly prevalent topic in IELTS Writing Task 2 essays. Given its relevance to contemporary global issues, this subject is likely to appear more frequently in future exams. Based on recent trends and past exam questions, here are a few potential prompts related to this theme:

Some people believe that the fast fashion industry is primarily responsible for environmental degradation. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The fast fashion industry has been criticized for its negative impact on the environment. What measures can be taken to address this issue?

Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the fast fashion industry, considering its environmental impact.

For this article, we’ll focus on the second prompt, as it offers a comprehensive approach to discussing the environmental impact of fast fashion while encouraging critical thinking about potential solutions.

Table of Contents

• 1 Analyzing the Essay Prompt
• 2 Sample Essay
• 3 Writing Tips
• 4 Key Vocabulary
• 5 Conclusion

Analyzing the Essay Prompt

This prompt requires candidates to:

• Understand the concept of fast fashion and its environmental implications
• Identify and explain specific measures to mitigate the negative environmental impact
• Provide a well-structured response with clear examples and explanations

Sample Essay

Here’s a sample essay addressing the given prompt:

The fast fashion industry, characterized by rapid production cycles and low-cost clothing, has come under scrutiny for its detrimental effects on the environment. This essay will discuss several measures that can be implemented to address the environmental concerns associated with fast fashion.

One of the most effective measures is to promote sustainable production practices within the industry. Companies can invest in eco-friendly materials, such as organic cotton or recycled fabrics, to reduce their environmental footprint. Additionally, implementing water-saving technologies and reducing the use of harmful chemicals in the dyeing process can significantly minimize pollution. For instance, major brands like H&M and Zara have already begun incorporating sustainable materials into their product lines and setting targets for reducing water usage in their manufacturing processes.

Another crucial step is to encourage consumers to adopt more sustainable shopping habits. This can be achieved through education campaigns that raise awareness about the environmental impact of fast fashion and promote the benefits of buying higher-quality, longer-lasting garments. Governments and NGOs can play a vital role in this by organizing public awareness programs and incorporating sustainability education into school curricula. Furthermore, incentivizing second-hand shopping and clothing rental services can help reduce the demand for new fast fashion items.

Implementing stricter regulations on the fashion industry is also essential. Governments can introduce legislation that requires fashion brands to disclose their environmental impact, set mandatory recycling targets, and impose penalties for excessive waste generation. The European Union, for example, has proposed new regulations that would make textile producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, including disposal and recycling.

Lastly, investing in innovative recycling technologies can help address the issue of textile waste. Developing advanced recycling methods that can efficiently process mixed fabrics and transform them into new materials would significantly reduce the amount of clothing ending up in landfills. Companies like Renewcell and Evrnu are pioneering such technologies, creating new fibers from discarded textiles that can be used to produce high-quality garments.

In conclusion, addressing the environmental impact of fast fashion requires a multi-faceted approach involving sustainable production practices, consumer education, stricter regulations, and technological innovation. By implementing these measures, we can work towards a more sustainable fashion industry that balances style with environmental responsibility.

(Word count: 365)

Writing Tips

When tackling this topic in your IELTS Writing Task 2 essay, consider the following tips:

Use specific examples : Incorporate real-world examples of companies, technologies, or initiatives to support your arguments.

Demonstrate topic knowledge : Show your understanding of the fast fashion industry and its environmental impact through relevant vocabulary and concepts.

Structure your essay clearly : Use clear paragraphs, each focusing on a distinct measure or solution.

Use linking words : Employ transition phrases to connect your ideas smoothly and improve the overall coherence of your essay.

Balance your argument : While the prompt asks for measures to address the issue, you can briefly acknowledge the challenges in implementing these solutions for a more nuanced response.

Key Vocabulary

Here are some essential vocabulary items to help you write effectively about this topic:

Fast fashion (noun) – /fɑːst ˈfæʃ.ən/ – Inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to the latest trends

Sustainable (adjective) – /səˈsteɪ.nə.bəl/ – Causing little or no damage to the environment and therefore able to continue for a long time

Environmental footprint (noun) – /ɪnˌvaɪ.rənˈmen.təl ˈfʊt.prɪnt/ – The impact of human activities on the environment, measured in terms of resource use and pollution

Textile waste (noun) – /ˈtek.staɪl weɪst/ – Discarded clothing and other fabric-based materials

Eco-friendly (adjective) – /ˈiː.kəʊ ˈfrend.li/ – Not harmful to the environment

Recycling (noun) – /riːˈsaɪ.klɪŋ/ – The process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects

Consumption patterns (noun) – /kənˈsʌmp.ʃən ˈpæt.ənz/ – The way in which people acquire and use goods and services

Biodegradable (adjective) – /ˌbaɪ.əʊ.dɪˈɡreɪ.də.bəl/ – Capable of being decomposed by bacteria or other living organisms

Circular economy (noun) – /ˈsɜː.kjə.lər iˈkɒn.ə.mi/ – An economic system aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources

Upcycling (noun) – /ˈʌpˌsaɪ.klɪŋ/ – The process of transforming by-products, waste materials, or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality or environmental value

The environmental impact of fast fashion is a critical topic that is likely to appear in future IELTS Writing Task 2 exams. By understanding the issue and being prepared to discuss potential solutions, you’ll be well-equipped to tackle such prompts. Remember to practice writing essays on related topics, such as:

• The role of consumer behavior in driving fast fashion trends
• The economic implications of shifting towards sustainable fashion
• The responsibility of governments versus corporations in addressing fashion industry pollution

By expanding your knowledge and honing your writing skills on this subject, you’ll be better prepared for your IELTS exam and able to contribute meaningfully to discussions on this important global issue.

• IELTS essay samples
• Vocabulary List

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