Talking Strategy: How Ethical is your Brand?
Consumers care about the story behind the products they buy, and they are increasingly demanding clothing which has been manufactured in an ethical way—using environmentally sustainable materials and by workers who are treated fairly by their employers. However, many brands find it difficult to identify and locate good manufacturers with whom they can work, and there are many grey areas for brands to navigate when creating an ethical brand. This report outlines some of the findings resulting from an interview by Textiles Intelligence with Gus Bartholomew—the co-founder of Supplycompass, a company which specialises in helping brands to work with socially responsible suppliers—and it examines: the circular economy and the principle of 'reduce, reuse, recycle'; certification; labelling; and support provided by ethical standards organisations and initiatives such as the Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF), the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Made-By, and the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO). The report also examines some of the strategies followed by four ethical brands—namely H&M, Know The Origin, P?ramo, and Unifi—and it provides three examples of online platforms which help consumers to find ethical brands, namely Good on You, Our Good Brands and What's Your Legacy?
SETTING THE SCENE
INTRODUCTION
CREATING AN ETHICAL PRODUCT
ETHICAL STANDARDS ORGANISATIONS WHICH FACILITATE, SUPPORT OR MONITOR SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND STANDARDS CERTIFICATION
bluesign
World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) Fair Trade Standard
Fair Wear Foundation (FWF)
Flocert
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
ISO 9001: 2015
Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex
SA8000 Standard
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP)
LABELS
Fair trade
Organic standards
Environmental standards
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
SOME EXAMPLES OF ETHICAL BRANDS
H&M
Know The Origin
P?ramo
Unifi
OTHER ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN THE ETHICAL PRODUCTION OF APPAREL
ONLINE PLATFORMS WHICH HELP CONSUMERS TO FIND ETHICAL BRANDS
INTRODUCTION
CREATING AN ETHICAL PRODUCT
ETHICAL STANDARDS ORGANISATIONS WHICH FACILITATE, SUPPORT OR MONITOR SUSTAINABLE PRACTICES AND STANDARDS CERTIFICATION
bluesign
World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) Fair Trade Standard
Fair Wear Foundation (FWF)
Flocert
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
ISO 9001: 2015
Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex
SA8000 Standard
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP)
LABELS
Fair trade
Organic standards
Environmental standards
REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE
SOME EXAMPLES OF ETHICAL BRANDS
H&M
Know The Origin
P?ramo
Unifi
OTHER ORGANISATIONS INVOLVED IN THE ETHICAL PRODUCTION OF APPAREL
ONLINE PLATFORMS WHICH HELP CONSUMERS TO FIND ETHICAL BRANDS
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Circular economy
Figure 1: Circular economy
