Essay On Ethical Issues In The Fashion Industry

Introduction

The modern fashion industry has a dreadful reputation in the area of human rights. The industry was built on abusive labor since the Industrial Revolution. In 1990´s the sweatshop scandals came up to public scrutiny involving large companies, like Nike and Gap. Since then, the public has been aware of abuses across the clothing supply chain. Nearly 1 billion people are employed by the fashion industry worldwide, the majority of whom live and work in peril, unjust and austere conditions.

In garment factories in countries such as Bangladesh, Pakistan, Cambodia, Brazil and even Mexico the people who make our clothes live in poverty. They work long hours for very little pay. Because many garment factories are located in poor, developing countries, such as Bangladesh and Cambodia, a culture of trade unions is often non-existent and workers are banned from collective bargaining with authorities for fairer wages and working conditions.

With growing living costs in housing, food, clothing, education, transport and healthcare, the minimum wages set by their governments simply is not enough. A Living Wage for any worker should be enough to cover her or his basic needs, and the needs of her family, allowing them to live in dignity.

Many garment factories are extremely unsafe and overcrowding. As a result of this factory fires

The emergence of "ethical charter" in clothing-textile distributors is a manifestation. If the subject has emerged in official discourse, it seems to be even a vague awareness, and these abstract charters rarely translate into deeds. The human drama of textile workers around the world, highlighted in the press with sadly spectacular tragedies (collapse or factory fire, suppression of workers protests into violence ...) recall that ethical issues cannot deal by signing the principles of commitments within