Ethics of Fashion Business

Fashion is something that is constantly changing but the ethics behind it should remain the same. Ethics related to fashion include producing designs that will benefit consumers while being conservative toward the environment. In a way it is basically saying designs will be inspired based on moral values, what is right and what is acceptable. There are elements in this that go beyond cool and trendy fashions that can have an impact on daily living more than many of us realize. Commercial, social and environmental factors are all affected as fashion ethics are implemented. So what is ethical fashion?

Ethical fashion can have various meanings. It can help reduce negative activity being experienced among people all over the world. The aspect of being ethical does this already but in this case it focuses on the fashion and design element. Such ethics may help reduce poverty, improve livelihood and help counteract environmental concerns. It depends on the approach taken and the end result expected. With fashion business practices, elements such as social interaction, environmental factors and good intentions on the commercial market can all affect how a brand or design is received by its intended market.

There are various elements that make up ethical fashion practices such as animal rights, reducing the use of water, providing fashions to sustain and support livelihoods, fair wages for workers, energy use and being more efficient with it, using fabrics that are eco-friendly, and good work conditions for workers are all elements that are adopting solutions to ensure proper ethical standards are being followed. Part of the problem with sticking to ethical standards includes increasing costs and the need to earn revenue in order to stay in business. Some designs seem to have intentions of making fast money or starting eye-catching trends people will talk about versus providing meaningful fashion that can serve multiple purposes.

While there has been improvements made regarding fashion ethics, more work still needs to be done in order to implement further changes and to maintain standards already in place. Responsible purchasing, fair trading and social compliance are a few issues that have advantages and disadvantages that need to be addressed and/or revised. There are organizations specifically designed to help those in the fashion business practice and prioritize their ethical standards and provide additional understanding as far as their role in society.