Many apparel companies have little to no knowledge as to how
their products are being made or what kind of damage it is doing to our world? According
to an article from Green Biz titled How The Fashion Industry can avoid its
own Foxconn, there has been over 6,000 water pollution violations from
apparel factories in China, and many of those factories are making apparel for well-known
brands and retailers that we love to wear and shop at. Though many companies
are taking steps towards Going Green, they are still avoiding their responsibilities
involving doing business with places or factories that are in chronic
non-compliance with environmental laws. Many
of us taking this course are upper classmen preparing to go out into the
fashion industry and make our marks in this world. After doing all of the
research and readings for this week and learning more and more about the
environmental issues that are going on in our world, I have finally decided who’s
side I will be on. Have you? I feel as though it is time to acknowledge the
Pink Elephant in the room, but I also feel that consumerism can be better dealt
with after finding a solution for the main core of the issue, which are
international businesses of factories around the world. I know you are probably
thinking in what ways could you possibly help in this area of the environmental
issues going on with polluted factories all around the world. Like I mentioned
before, we are all preparing to go out into the fashion world and make it better
than before and my argument is to get you thinking about ways we can influence
people in this world and in the fashion industry where we will be working side
by side along with other people who may or may not share the same beliefs
regarding sustainable practices as we do. To achieve sustainability in this
world that we live in, I think that it begins with the top levels of
management, meaning Corporate America. And believe it or not, many of us will
be working in top levels of management very soon.
Sustainable development is development that cultivates
environmental and social conditions that will support human well-being
indefinitely. Sustainable development begins with designers and retailers
taking a stand towards Industrial Ecology, and Corporate America leading their
companies into the direction of environmentally friendly practices. Starting
with top levels of management, Corporate needs to conduct a paradigm that
involves taking specific steps towards safety procedures and environmental
problems within their factories, in hope of a paradigm shift occurring if
successful. Factories where more of the serious pollution problems are
happening is where any multinational apparel corporate responsibility programs
needs to focus on. From reading Shifting
the New Dominant Social Paradigm in the Apparel Industry… by Armstrong and
LeHew, I found some sustainable approaches that I believe Corporate have the
ability and power to adjust, such as the materials and energy used to create their
products, replacing existing products with environmentally friendly ones, and
inventing new ways for consumers to be able to receive satisfaction with their
products. Top management is the voice of their company and they are the leaders
in the industry, so who better to lead in the changes toward sustainability
than corporate.
There have been many companies working towards
sustainability with new projects, designs, etc. While reading the article
called, Sustainable Apparel Coalition Plans Industry – Wide Eco- Index, I
was informed that The Sustainable Apparel Coalition created the Sustainable
Apparel Index. This tool is designed to keep database of scores assigned to all
the workers in the life cycle of a garment. Any apparel company could benefit
from this Index by selecting materials and suppliers, while computing an
overall sustainable score based on the industry standards. Another program
recently designed to clean up the environment is called “Clean by Design”, from
an article titled Threaded: Cleaning Up The Fashion Industry From The Top
Down. This new project focuses on ways to produce clothing more sustainable
by cutting water waste, energy waste, and reducing pollution. This program has
many big companies jumping on board like Wal-Mart, Target, JC Penny, The Gap,
etc.
I believe that if corporate gets involved and more hands on
with what is going on throughout the supply chain, it could really help us
towards our goal with “Going Green”. My message to readers of this blog, is
basically just awareness of what is going on and where the solution of the
issue is aimed at. Yes the Pink Elephant in the room is another issue involving
consumers and how unaware they are with efforts they could be taking to help
the environment too, but if we start at the top where the leaders of this world
give direction on where the economy is headed, then the message will soon
spread to the consumers and they will follow.
Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it is hard for us to police the world and that one part of the solution is Corporate America. If they take a stand, then hopefully, we could see a trickle down effect. I also believe that the consumer is uninformed and, to some extent, uninterested in knowing about the problems in the garment industry. I believe the other Pink Elephant is profit. I believe a big part of the reason that Corporations do not want to become sustainable is that it will eat into their profits. Until they can figure out a way to do both, I think it will be a slow process. What are you thoughts?
Carly
This is an excellent point, Carly. Profit is king in our industry and others. The question will be if we can detach profit from the environmental destruction, so that one does not beget the other.
DeleteDr. Armstrong
DeleteAs we have talked about needing a paradigm shift with consumerism, we need to have a paradigm shift in Corporate thinking. There are companies, such as Patagonia, who have had financial success along with being good environmental stewards. As the sustainable movement grows stronger, I believe this shift will take place.
Carly
Carly,
ReplyDeleteI was talking to my dad about sustainability the other day, hes been in the construction industry for many, many years and he thinks all sustainability really does is drive up prices. However, I do think that with the raising pressures to be eco-friendly our generation will be the ones to come up with an affordable and sustainable solution. I also think that it is imperative for the designers to make the consumer aware of what they can do. Designers are the creators in our industry, I think they will be the ones to make the biggest impact and make everyone aware.
Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoy the Clean by Design video you posted. The people in this program seem to be really passionate about what is going on in the environment. The steps they are taking to help will have a tremendous impact in the future. I thought it was very interesting that you talked about the factories of the world contributing to pollution. Your blog is the first I've read on this subject. What inspired you to write about the factories? In your research did you find examples of any factories that are trying to lower their toxic emissions?
Carly I agree with you and because of the economy the way it is now, many people are not to concerned about the fashion industry but are just concerned about owning a fashionable garment at a cheap price. You also make a good point involving the profit issue, which relates to what Carly said about sustainability driving up prices. The big picture is that if sustainability is going to ever be fulfilled it will have to start with everyone working together to achieve the same goal, and not just for their own selfish reasons but for the generations after us. Cara, yes designers are the creators in this fashion industry and make the biggest impact on consumers, thankfully many designers have already began to step up and come together to address this issue. Its the big players who I feel needs to step it up a little more and lead their companies in a more ethical way. Rachel I am so glad you enjoyed it as much as I did! This new program is so cool because of the top leaders in the fashion community, from the CFDA to Vogue teaming up with the NRDC, joining together to make a huge impact on this issue. From going deeper and deeper into my research, and becoming a little overwhelmed with this issue, I finally took a step back and reflected over all of my findings and asked myself where do we start, where's the biggest problems occuring, and who's responsible. Yes this issue is well over our heads today, but will be the issue we stand face to face with tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteJust like Rachel, I too loved that video. It was mentioned that designers are overwhelmed with where to start on the research and how to go about sustainability. They want to do their part but aren't sure how to execute. Just like you mentioned Nicole, I too became overwhelmed with my research. I love that Clean By Design breaks it down. I'm the type of person who needs to be told in papers, projects and other assignments, exactly what is expected. Having directions for how to be eco-responsible is a brilliant idea. That way designers will be able to focus on all issues and not have it be a big mess they're trying to sort through. I also agree with the video that designers need to come together. Even in such a competitive industry, we need to take a stand. I'm sure you've been asked the question of how you want people to think of you when your gone. I think thats an important question a designer should ask themselves as a designer! How do you think consumers can become apart of this too?
ReplyDeleteHi, Danika;
ReplyDeleteThis is a great video! You have done a nice job of sharing your perspective on what you have learned from the readings this week. Be sure to make it obvious which sources you are using, and that you use ALL the assigned readings for the week. What did you think of the Thorpe reading?
You've done a great job with your research activity. I also appreciate the sharing of ideas that is happening on your blog site and those of your buddies'. Keep this up!
Thank you so much for your feedback Dr. Armstrong, I will definitely go into more depth with all the assigned readings next time and with my sources. I enjoyed reading Thorpe and felt that it gave a good introduction regarding development and design with sustainabilty. I enjoyed reading about designers challenges with balancing apperance and cost with their fashion design pieces. I believe if they succeed in making sustainable designs appeal to consumers with affordable prices it would put us in a better place for the economy. The biggest question is how can designers make sustainable apparel and interior products more affordable? Im not sure if this is even possible but I know for a fact if it happened, consumers would defifnitely be willing to buy the products.
DeleteNicole,
ReplyDeleteI like Cara’s question of how the consumer can get involved. The consumer may be the driving force that encourages sustainability in the apparel industry. I remember when I was younger, Abercrombie & Fitch was a new and exciting company. I wanted to buy my clothes there but my mom did not like the way the company advertised. She felt like it was to sexual and she would not allow me to purchase any of their clothes. Other parents felt the same way and there was a boycott of their stores. It wasn’t long before Abercrombie started to feel the results of this effort and changed their advertising strategy. It is amazing how much power the consumer really has. Unfortunately as I researched this subject, it appears they are back to their tactics. I know what the consumer needs to do; how do we get them involved?
Carly
Carly,
ReplyDeleteI did a little research on how to involve customers in business decisions. According to an article on the online Wall Street Journal website, many companies survey their customers in order to make decisions that will make consumers happy. It even stated that some companies have turned to Twitter to survey customers. I believe this is a great idea because Twitter has become so popular and people are on it all the time. Instead of going up to a customer and putting them on the spot, they simply ask via an online social interaction site.
Rachel,
DeleteThank you for your feedback! I think twitter is a great way to contact the consumer and receive input. I was put on the spot at Q'doba on several occasions last fall to fill out a survey. I found that I did not fill it out as accurately as I would have if I had more time; however, If they would have sent it via twitter, I would have been more likely to answer it thoroughly.
Carly
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ReplyDeleteRachel,
ReplyDeleteI think companies nowadays are constantly searching for consumer input. Social media sites always have promotions if you "like" their page and I've received several emails asking for surveys as well. Another way I've noticed companies reaching out is making it personal, by saying you're invited, they make it feel exclusive. By receiving those daily emails from all your favorite stores, they cut back on the paper they would've had to used to send out mail flyers. Those flyers normally end up in the trash anyways! I've also noticed that several companies have put "lookbooks" or their catalogs online. I'm a big fan of magazines that you can actually hold but I think that is a great way for people to look through the catalog without requesting a subscription and therefore wasting more paper.
Cara,
DeleteYour thoughts on this are very knowledgable. I've noticed on some online clothing sites that if you become a member of their store then you can receive free shipping or free gifts. It does make you feel exclusive and specially treated by that store. The problem I believe though is that our generation at least till we were 14 or so didn't really receive online magazines and our parents didn't grow up up with online stores so most parents still don't buy their children clothes online. I believe older generations still appreciate physical magazines. When younger generations come along such as our children I believe that cyber magazines will be much more popular especially since the Nook has come out and physical magazines may even be nonexistent.
Cara and Carly,
ReplyDeleteGetting consumers involved with becoming sustainable is a very complicated task. I think that the easiest answer to this is by informing consumers of the problems. This can be done, like mentioned in comments above, online surveys would be a great way to get consumers involved, community meetings informing people of this issue is another way, advertisement, or celebrities and designers coming together and influencing people are all ways to get people involved. Bill Gates said, "I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the solutions, they will be moved to act."
My Reflection
ReplyDeleteI learned so much about what goes on within the apparel industry and about the Pink Elephant in the room regarding consumerism. It struck me to learn how much we as consumers are involved with the destruction of our economy and how we also play a huge role in the environmental issues going on. But the most important thing that I learned and found most interesting was how many retailers in the Apparel Industry aren’t very transparent when it comes to their supply chain and how their products are developed. While doing all of my readings and research, I saw myself becoming more and more irritated with these retailers for their lack of responsibility of care for their product history and environment concerns. I had no idea that there was so much illegal activity going on inside many of these factories producing products for these retailers, such as illegally dumping untreated toxic waste water into rivers and streams, which has resulted in many water pollution violations and the destruction of our ongoing issue with sustaining our economy. This information is very useful and relevant to me because I know here very soon I will be working in corporate America and dealing with retailers and the way we all do business and I will be working along with other employees trying to find newer and better way we can be sustainable in our company. This research that I’ve conducted this past week has given me insight and ideas about being sustainable and I know that I will be able to use this information in the future after graduation and even now with regarding consumerism. I can definitely apply what I have learned about consumerism to my own everyday life by recycling everything that I use to just throw in the trash, shopping at retail companies that are actually practicing sustainability, instead of buying cheap clothing that will lose its value within months I will start investing in more ecofriendly apparel that will last over time, and more importantly I will start informing others about the Pink Elephant in the room and what we as consumers can do to improve our economy. Knowing what I know now, I want to learn more about some other ideas that big companies are coming up with in regarding their factories in other places around the world. I want to know what steps and policies are being put into place for the economy. I also want to know in what ways is the government getting involved in this issue and what ideas are they proposing. I enjoyed all of the new information that I received and learned about this past week and I cannot wait to see what new information I’ll be learning about in these next two weeks!