So whose responsibility is it to be ethical? The consumer or the business?

With ethical bloggers and eco-focussed businesses calling for more transparency from fashion companies about their supply chain — the question is, does the average customer really care?

We’ve all had that experience of finding the pair of jeans that fit perfectly or the tee with the right colour and design — but how many of us would leave these new favs on the rack if the swing tag didn’t showcase the brand’s supply chain impact, or a promise they pay their workers a living wage.

Fast fashion continues to drive supply and demand globally, lead times from design concept to in-store delivery are now counted, incredibly, in weeks not months, signalling the beginning of the end for seasonal production ranges. This demand rests with us, the consumers. Beyond the heavy environmental impact of this high-speed turnaround through waste, fast fashion also creates the opportunity for exploitation of the garment production workforce through unethical business practices and lower social economic opportunities.

"It’s important for consumers ?to know they are using their spending power responsibly"

When a customer walks into a clothing store or browses an online retail site, why should they shoulder the burden of knowing whether the garments were made by workers paid a living wage. It’s hard enough to decide colour and style, and navigate inconsistent size charts without adding in research of a company’s supply chain transparency.

Some independent organisations make an effort to fill this gap, to encourage change within the clothing industry and have created frameworks for brands to validate their production processes. These frameworks deliver easier-to-understand rating charts for consumers to understand if their purchase has been produced ethically.

Take a look at the Ethical Fashion report from Baptist World Aid and the Good on you App.

To answer the question, I posed at the start of this article, I believe consumers do care about transparency. It’s important for consumers to know they are using their spending power responsibly and not contributing to the systematic exploitation within the clothing industry. Equally, clothing brands must do their part and ensure they deliver acceptable conditions and wages for their workers, and make it clear in their messaging to consumers.

Swing tags are a useful place for ethical product information — after all, it’s this close to the point of purchase where consumers may still decide not to buy if a company’s brand ethics don’t meet the bar. But is this enough?

Of course, we can now scan QR codes that link to webpages filled with information and brightly coloured infographics about workers conditions, product origins and a company’s environmental impact.

Emerging technologies like Blockchain will deliver brands the ability to record the actions of their entire supply chain and then share that data to consumers in real time. For companies who fail to take up the opportunity to be more transparent will stand out for all the wrong reasons.

Ethical clothing problems can only be solved through a collective effort and commitment from all stakeholders. This shared responsibility will eventually deliver a fair and equitable outcome.

A win for mankind.