77 Communications

Cheap fashion = high costs

July 5, 2010 at 2:34 PM Leave a comment

Naomi Klein wrote an interesting op-ed in the Toronto Star this week on the “disposable fashion” industry.  In it, she discussed the issues with wages, working conditions and the nascent labour movements in Bangladesh, Vietnam, etc.  She also mentioned that workers’ movements (including the fair trade movement, which has a strong foothold in the coffee and agricultural industries) have often been helped by consumer groups.

Western women have grown to love the fast and cheap fashions provided by H&M, Zara and other retailers.  Their clothes enable women to be on-trend at minimal cost, and to maintain backbone wardrobes of good-quality classics.  As consumers know more, will they shop differently? And, does this emerging issue offer a cause marketing opportunity for retailers and designers?

I think so. In 2004, GAP introduced a social audit system within its supply chain management practice. A team of auditors were hired to manage relationships with suppliers, and ensure that no children were used to produce GAP merchandise. Suppliers who were caught not complying with the child labour ban were forced to take the child workers out of their staff, put them into school and support their education. GAP also used it big stick of its ordering as leverage with suppliers. Their efforts were successful, and public opinion warmed to them, despite a 2007 minor scandal about child workers in India.

Granted, H&M, Zara and their ilk are not accused of using child labour. Also, there’s a big difference in public reaction to poor conditions for adult labourers, as opposed to the horror of child labour. However, the opportunity remains for retailers to use dignity, labour conditions and human rights as the foundation of strong corporate social responsibility programs. Just as not using plastic bags has become a badge of honour, so too could ethically made clothing. We already have a branded fair trade movement; why not “Fair Made”?

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