Effects of Western Consumer Ethics on the Fashion Industry

In the last few decades, the fashion business has undergone significant changes. Although the proportion of income spent on fashion has decreased, consumers are now more conscious of their purchasing habits. In Western society, the majority of people are content with their level of living. Thus, as they attempt to reflect on their impact and contribution to society, their emphasis is on developing into more well-rounded individuals. People are concentrating on incorporating moral practices into their lives in order to improve as members of society. Engaging in ethical purchasing practices is one of the ways that consumers in Western cultures try to improve as members of the community. The fashion industry is not left behind as consumers buy products that conform to ethical standards.

The change in the purchase behaviors of customers in the Western society has prompted players in the fashion industry to change their operations in order to be perceived as more ethical. Engagement in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) practices has become a norm not only for businesses in the fashion industry but also for those in other sectors. In addition, firms in the fashion industry have to implement sustainability practices in their supply chains in order to be seen as more responsible by the Western consumer. The sustainability practices are also applied in almost every process in these fashion firms. This behavior by fashion companies is mainly driven by the fact that the processes their products go through right from acquisition of raw materials to delivery to the final consumer are open and can be scrutinized by the customers. Therefore, it is important that they engage in practices that are deemed responsible by the customers to maintain their reputation as well as profitability. This paper argues that the Western consumer has had a tremendous impact on the operations in the fashion industry.

Rise of Ethical Fashion

According to Beard, the history of the fashion industry, particularly clothing, is characterized by the exploitation of people and resources (450). The last few decades, however, has seen the industry come of age and consumers are becoming more aware of the effects their consumption behaviors have on the environment as well as people (Beard 540). Given that businesses exist to serve the needs of the customers, it is clear that they have to conform to the new trends in regards to the behavior of consumers. In Europe, changes in the behavior of consumers have affected the way businesses in the fashion industry carry out business. As informed by Beard, companies like Body Shop developed a business strategy in the 1970s that sought to sell ethically inspired products to the market (451). Another impact that the consumer has had on the fashion industry is with respect to testing of cosmetic products on animals. The ethics of Western consumer also left wearing of fur socially unacceptable. Therefore, with consumers becoming more and more conscious of the products they buy, firms in the fashion industry have no choice but to follow suit by promoting ethical behaviors in their production processes. For businesses that are starting operations in the fashion industry, they have the opportunity to implement ethical practices right from inception. On the other hand, for companies already existing in the industry, they have the opportunity to re-examine their practices and operations and see how they can be improved to encompass ethical principles.

Lifestyle and Society

There is an increasing desire by consumers to be perceived as more responsible in their purchase behavior by the society (Beard 453). As such, the society influences the buying behavior of customers to a great extent. With people individually questioning their purpose and place in the society, there is increased self-critique and self-scrutiny (Beard 454). Members of the Western society are focused on leading meaningful lives. People have more expectations from their lives. The expectations do not come from the individual only. The Western society expects more from the individuals. One of the ways through which individuals can fulfill the personal and societal expectations is through practicing ethical purchasing behaviors. As mentioned earlier, members of the Western Society are focused more on becoming well-rounded individuals since they are already satisfied with their living standards. As such, they tend to regulate their behavior in an effort to become better people in the society. Their purchasing behaviors have to follow ethical principles. This means that they have to buy fashion products from companies that uphold ethical standards in their operations. With companies disclosing most of the practices that characterize their operations, consumers are in a better position to make informed decisions in regards to which firms to purchase from. In addition, the advancement of technology has brought with itself the internet from where customers can access all the information they need about a firm’s operations. The Western consumer in the 21st century thus affects the operations of the fashion industry to a great extent. Companies in the industry have to be constantly aware of the ethical requirements of such customer in order to deliver products that exactly matches his/her needs.

Engagement in Sustainability

According to Li, Zhao, and Shi, the fashion industry experience immense pressure from customers and the media in regards to sustainability issues (823). Companies are thus implementing sustainability strategies on their supply chains in order to balance among social, environmental, and economic performance and realize coordination among their stakeholders. As informed by Li, Zhao, and Shi, sustainability involves the engagement in practices that the meet current generation’s needs without having to affect the future generations’ ability to attain their needs (824). Therefore, as a company in the fashion industry carries out its activities, it has to ensure that they are done in consideration of the future generations. As pointed out by Li, Zhao, and Shi, engagement in sustainability practices has been linked with long-term benefits to businesses (824). The businesses that engage in sustainable practices are thus bound to derive benefits in the long-term.

The long-term benefits that firms derive from engaging in sustainability can compensate for the costs of the undertaking. The profitability of the business can increase through engagement in sustainability practices. The rationale behind this is that as the company implements sustainability measures, the customer is going to be aware of them. This can increase the loyalty of the existing customers while attracting new ones who are conscious about their purchase behaviors. Maintenance of existing customers while attracting new ones means that the profitability will rise. As such, through engagement in sustainability practices by firms in the fashion industry, a win-win situation can be created. The business achieves its profitability while the consumer derives the satisfaction of purchasing products that uphold ethical standards.

As informed by De Brito, Carbone, and Blanquart, the supply chain of the fashion industry is very sensitive to sustainability because of its inherent features (538). Chemical products, as well as natural resources such as land and water, are intensely used. Such features mean that the production processes of firms in the fashion industry have a high impact on the environment. Therefore, with this high sensitivity, engagement in sustainable practices is a necessary undertaking, not just for the sake of customers, but in order to meet the interests of other stakeholders as well. Other stakeholders such as the community, employees, and investors also consider the practices of the organization with respect to sustainability. As informed by De Brito, Carbone, and Blanquart stakeholders are concerned about how the company uses resources such as energy, water, raw materials, and chemicals (543). The way the company utilizes these resources can determine to a great extent its performance. The role of stakeholders in influencing the performance of the business cannot be underestimated. Since the business exists to serve the interests of stakeholders, engagement in sustainability has is necessary. Customers are arguably the most important stakeholder group of any business organization. With these customers in the Western society increasingly becoming conscious of how they purchase products, companies have to engage in activities that are thought to be ethical by them. The Western consumer has made businesses in the fashion industry modify their operations to match their needs. In addition, new entrants into the industry have to engage in ethical practices right from inception in order for their products to be accepted by the consumer. It is clear that the operations of firms in the fashion industry have been influenced significantly by the ethics of the Western consumer.

Labor Conditions

One of the features that characterize the modern fashion industry is having production plants in Asian countries where labor is cheap. As mentioned earlier, the percentage of income spent by consumers on fashion products has decreased significantly over the last few decades. In the UK for example, the percentage of household income spent on clothing in the 1950s was 30%; currently, the percentage stands at 12% (Niinimäki). Therefore, companies in the industry have to find ways of reducing the cost of production in order to sell their products cheaply. Asian countries thus offer an opportunity through which the firms in the industry can reduce their production costs. This is achieved through cheap labor source in these countries. With competition intensifying in the fashion industry, the prices of the fashions products are usually low. Low prices of the fashion products only mean that the workers that strive to produce them are poorly paid.

According to Skov, most of the sweatshops that deal with the production of garments for fashion industry lack the basic conditions for comfort and safety such as accessible exits and air ventilation (12). As such, the labor conditions of the workers that produce the fashion products for the Western society are poor. In China, Skov notes that garment workers are hired from young women who come from rural areas (12). These young women usually possess visa for a specific industrial zone and are thus likely to put up with harassments and low wages just to avoid returning home empty handed. These are some of the practices the ethical Western consumer is trying to fight. Most of the time, however, the Western consumer lacks information about these conditions that workers go through while producing products they use. As informed by Beard, firms in the fashion industry continually face pressure to be transparent and authentic (458). This pressure may come from other firms or consumers. With Western consumers seeking information in regards to how the products are made, companies have to ensure responsible practices are carried out throughout their supply chains. According to Beard, as businesses in the fashion industry try to position themselves as ‘ethical,' it is essential that they ensure their procedures and practices go beyond mere aesthetics in terms of branding and marketing (458). The ethical practices have to be integrated into all processes as well as demonstrated in all stakeholders. The firms have to ensure that the workers that make their products do so in good working conditions. This may increase their production costs; however, with customers being more ethical, they may be willing to pay high prices for products that follow ethical standards.

Animal Rights

One of the areas where the Western consumer has influenced the fashion industry immensely is in regards to treatment of animals. The late 19th century was characterized by an increased concern for cruelty against animals (Skov 14). There was the rise of animal rights activists who advocated for animals to be accorded same considerations as people. These advocates were against human beings using animals for their own purposes and were successful in their campaigns against cosmetics and fur. According to Skov, the animal rights campaigns in the 1980s targeted the cosmetic industry and were instrumental in the development of non-animals testing alternatives (14). The efforts of the advocates, as well as consumers, have seen a reduction in animal testing of cosmetics by 80-90% (Skov 14). It is evident that Western consumers can impact greatly the operations of firms in the fashion industry. In the case above, there was a significant reduction in the use of animals for testing cosmetic products. This clearly shows how the fashion industry is controlled by the consumer. As noted by Skov, the campaigns by animal rights advocates targeted mainly the customers (14). The customers were criticized for purchasing fur and cosmetic products that were tested on animals. Given that the fashion firms exist to serve the needs of the consumers, they have to conform to them.

Conclusion

The ethics of Western consumer affects to a large extent the operations of firms in the fashion industry. The fashion industry has to conform to the exact needs of the Western consumer in order to remain profitable. With the Western consumers being already content with their living standards, they look for opportunities to become more ‘well rounded’ people and to impact the society positively. These consumers have the opportunity to impact the society positively through engaging in ethical purchasing behaviors. This means that they have become more conscious of the products they buy and the companies they purchase from. This behavior by customers has driven companies in the fashion industry to engage in responsible practices in order to be seen as ethical by the Western Consumer. Therefore, firms in the industry have to engage in sustainability practices while ensuring laborers work in good conditions and animals’ rights are respected.

Works Cited

Beard, Nathaniel Dafydd. "The branding of ethical fashion and the consumer: a luxury niche or mass-market reality?" Fashion Theory 12.4 (2008): 447-467.

De Brito, Marisa P., Valentina Carbone and Corinne Meunier Blanquart. "Towards a sustainable fashion retail supply chain in Europe: Organisation and performance." International journal of production economics 114.2 (2008): 534-553.

Li, Yongjian, et al. "Governance of sustainable supply chains in the fast fashion industry." European Management Journal 32.5 (2014): 823-836.

Niinimäki, Kirsi. "Ethical foundations in sustainable fashion." Textiles and Clothing Sustainability 1.1 (2015).

Skov, Lise. Ethics and the fashion industry in West Europe. Copenhagen: Creative Encounters Working Paper, 2009.