The fast fashion industry relies heavily upon low manufacturing costs and volume of sales, which it achieves through hiring cheap labour to produce trend-led garments made of inexpensive materials that are designed to last a season or two at most. This necessitates a large global manufacturing network of low-paid workers. Most of them are women, who are often forced to work long hours for meagre pay while enduring deplorable conditions. Keeping up with retail trends also requires a huge amount of natural resources, and creates substantial waste through the use of toxic chemical dyes or the manufacture of polyester clothing, which, when washed, sheds plastic microfibres that end up in our oceans. Greenpeace’s Detox My Fashion campaign has been tackling the use of hazardous chemicals in textile manufacturing for years. This particular issue used to be overlooked by the industry. But while the Detox campaign addresses ecological issues during the production process, there is still much to be done to reduce the environmental damage caused by the disposal of unsold clothes. It is common within the fast fashion industry to simply burn unsold items. Not only is this a monumental waste of time and resources, it is also extremely detrimental to the environment, as burning products containing plastic fibres is likely to release toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. Both labour violations and waste issues can be tackled through the introduction of a CSR programme, as demonstrated by a number of leading European brands. Some fashion companies now only use organic Fairtrade cotton in their products, which consumes about 95 percent less groundwater and 100 percent fewer pesticides than its traditionally cultivated counterpart. CSR programmes also aim at paying a fair wage to all of the farmers and never employing anyone under the age of 18. Meanwhile, retailers have started collecting textiles through their garment reuse and recycling initiatives. Implementing CSR often seems to be easier for larger brands. However, for brands with multinational supply chains, retroactively introducing sustainability policies can prove highly complex. In that sense, smaller start-up brands have the upper hand, as they are able to build sustainability into all of their business processes from the onset. Regardless of a brand’s size, however, it is highly likely to see a positive reaction from consumers when it implements a robust CSR policy. Several studies have shown that nowadays consumers do care about living ethically. By demonstrating their commitment to CSR, brands are able to capture the sustained interest of this new class of consumers. A fundamental shift in attitude within the fast fashion industry is needed, which begins with reversing the trend-driven mindset. This shift would complement individual sustainability policies, while helping to reduce the sheer volume of waste that the fast fashion industry produces. It will take a concerted effort to pioneer a considered, ‘slow fashion’ mindset, but those that strive for higher standards will establish themselves successfully. Look at the expressions below. They have been taken from the highlighted phrases in the text. Find the phrases and explain them in your own words. Use an online dictionary if you need help. c Work in pairs. Use the highlighted expressions in your own statements about globalisation and CSR. Compare your ideas in class. Work in pairs. A, read the newspaper article on p. 220 and answer the questions. B, read the article on p. 222 and answer the questions. Inform your partner about the contents of your article. What CSR initiatives would you recommend to improve the situation in each case? d 17 a b 1 keep up with something 2 step up something 3 transform something 4 necessitate something 5 endure something 6 tackle something 7 detrimental to something 8 release something 9 from the onset 10 demonstrate commitment (to something) 11 capture something 12 take a concerted effort (to do something) Language skills Extras Explore 10 Trading with the world 133 Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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