Sustainability and Ethics

On a lecture on Sustainability and Ethics within the Fashion Industry we were shown two films, Sustainable Fashion: the movement and the Story of Stuff. The films highlighted the growing issue of Fast/Throw Away Fashion, looking into the harms of pesticides, insecticides, and chemicals, along side carbon footprints, wages and recycling. The first film focused on our actions as a whole within the fashion industry, where as the second looked at smaller groups and how a difference can be made to life in general to obtain a better goal.

We also looked into Corporate Social Responsibilities, with the example of Next being shown. All brands are required to have a CSR and work around being ethical, sustainable and being transparent with regards to these matters. I have found the CSR for Topshop, which is part of the Arcadia group.

http://www.nextplc.co.uk/corporate-responsibility.aspx

www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/category/about-us-80/home?cat2=273012&intcmpid=W_FOOTER_%20ABOUT#fragment-6

"Fashion Footprint is Arcadia Group’s programme to monitor and manage the social and environmental impacts of our business. It provides our ethical activities with a focus and framework, underpinning our objective to be a responsible retailer.

Now entering its ninth year, Fashion Footprint reinforces our commitment to sustainability; a commitment that we believe makes just as much sense from a business perspective as it does from an ethical one.
Our Fashion Footprint vision provides us with a mission statement that we can all get behind: to produce fashionable products in an ethical way and demonstrate a responsible attitude towards people and the environment."

http://www.arcadiagroup.co.uk/fashionfootprint

Other links and sites I have considered whilst looking at sustainability and ethics

http://www.consideratedesign.com/about/the-concept/

http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2008/aug/24/ethicalfashion