8 November 2023 – Fast fashion brand Boohoo has again come under fire for their unethical business practices. But the way fast fashion brands make money isn’t just unethical, it’s also bad for the environment.
Back in 2020, the online fashion retailer Boohoo promised to clean up its act and improve its business practices. Workers at the company’s suppliers were found to work under poor working conditions and for little pay.
Through its “Agenda for Change”, the company pledged to rectify the issues brought up. Among the measures it said it would take was to pay suppliers a fair price for the clothes they produce and give realistic delivery timescales.
However, a BBC investigation has found that Boohoo has not lived up to its promises. An undercover journalist has found that staff were constantly pressuring suppliers to lower their prices, even after orders had been placed with a price agreed.
The online retailer also imposed unrealistic lead times during the time the journalist worked undercover at the company. For any week that a supplier was late, Boohoo imposed a 5% price cut.
Lawyers of the fast fashion brand claimed that the timescales set by the company weren’t unrealistic and disputed that discounts were set unilaterally by the executive chairman, as claimed by the BBC reporter.
Profits Over Ethics
The example of Boohoo shows how the fast fashion business model is often based on unethical practices. And it’s a lucrative business, with Boohoo making sales worth £1.7bn last year alone.
The aim of this type of fashion retail is to provide customers with new clothes and styles as quickly as possible at the cheapest possible price. Customers are encouraged to constantly buy new garments according to fashion trends.
As one of the market leaders, Boohoo clearly has a lot of leverage, which allows them to push down prices and timescales. And while customers might benefit by getting their clothes for cheap prices, it comes at a cost to the workers making the garments.
To achieve tight timescales the manufacturers have two options: increase their workforce or make their staff work longer hours without overpay. The first means more expenses, which might not be viable, especially if they are also pressured into lowering their prices.
The second will introduce unhealthy and unsafe conditions for workers. If, as a society, we want to ensure that workers all over the world are treated well and paid adequate wages, companies have to do business ethically.
This includes only working with suppliers who operate ethically and treat their workers fairly. But the problem with the type of fashion Boohoo sells is that it encourages unethical behaviour.
But it’s not just working conditions and human rights that are impacted by it; the environment suffers too.
The Cost Of Fast Fashion To The Environment
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries globally. According to studies, it is responsible for 20% of the world’s annual water consumption. This industry also produces 10% of the global carbon dioxide emissions yearly. On top of that, it produces 92 million tons of waste every year.
The way we consume fashion nowadays has changed drastically from a few decades ago. We now buy new clothes on a weekly basis according to fast changing fashion trends.
When quality was once important, today it’s more important that the garment is fashionable and cheap. Often clothes are only worn a few times before they are thrown away and replaced with new ones.
And the impact on the environment is huge. The manufacturing process harms wildlife, pollutes soil and water, degrades land and creates vast amounts of carbon dioxide and uses huge amounts of water.
The number of garments made every year has doubled over the past two decades. And we now consume 400% more fashion than we did 20 years ago, with the environment paying the price.
Our Opinion
Fast fashion is a recipe for disaster. It drives people to constantly buy new clothes to the detriment of our environment and the human rights of the workers who produce them.
And it’s not just the brands like Boohoo, who focus on this business model. Most clothes stores change their ranges several times a year and not just according to the seasons.
But the worst about the way fashion works nowadays for me is that it’s so difficult to get good quality garments that will last for years. I still have jumpers and dresses I bought 10 or 15 years ago. I take good care of them and repair them and they last.
But most things I bought in the past 5 years got damaged after a few washes. And often I just couldn’t repair them. The problem is the quality, it’s just not there anymore.
And that’s because today people don’t want clothes that last for years, they just need to last for a few weeks, months at the most. Then they move on to the next ones.
A lot of the old clothes get thrown away, which is why we create such a huge amount of textile waste every year. I don’t throw away clothes. If I can’t wear them anymore, I repurpose them.
I have made pyjamas out of dresses, hats and gloves from old jumpers and many a bag from old jeans. But that’s not the solution.
We need the industry to change. We need our society to change. We need to move a way from this consumerist and throwaway society and towards a sustainable fashion industry.
