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Fast Fashion The production of fast fashion is highly
thrives on constant change and the
detrimental to
frequent availability of new products. our environment. Fashion
is apparently the second largest polluting
HERE ARE VARIOUS DEFINITIONS FOR Supply chains are central to the creation
industry in the world. The slow fashion
TFAST FASHION, BUT BASICALLY IT ALL of fast fashion. Designers need to
movement has arisen in opposition to fast
COMES DOWN TO "LOW COST CLOTHING understand their market, being able to
fashions, blaming fast fashions for
COLLECTIONS THAT MIMIC CURRENT respond to market demand. Some local
pollution (both in the production of
clothes and in
FASHION TRENDS" THAT ENCOURAGES retail groups have invested in quickthe decay of synthetic
fabrics), bad workmanship and poor
CONSUMERS TO BUY HEAPS OF ITEMS, turnaround strategies that are conducive
working
conditions
DISCARD THEM AFTER A FEW WEARS AND to this kind of operation. Their acquisition in developing
countries.
THEN COME BACK FOR ANOTHER BATCH OF of clothing manufacturers allows them to
NEW OUTFITS. FAST FASHION HAS ALSO turn garments from concept to items
It is said that the cotton required to make
BECOME ASSOCIATED WITH DISPOSABLE available in store in less than 2 months.
They have also formed strategic alliances
a simple t-shirt requires thousands of
FASHION BECAUSE IT HAS DELIVERED with independent cut, make and trim
litres of water to produce
DESIGNER PRODUCT TO A MASS MARKET
factories, which is key to their supply- cotton is then
. The
AT RELATIVELY LOW PRICES. IT HAS chain strategy in a fast-growing home fabrics before being
processed into
COMPLETELY CHANGED HOW CONSUMERS market. There is shipped halfway around the world
collaboration
MAKE PURCHASES throughout the fashion value chain, which to
is important for the growth of the
be cut and assembled. This t-shirt is then
industry as a who
Designs move from catwalk quickly tole. exported thousands of kilometres to
capture current fashion trends. Emphasis reach the stores. This convoluted process
is on optimising certain aspects of the creates massive
Two terms that are important in the fast amounts of carbon
supply chain for these trends to be are 'quick response' and
fashion industry
dioxide which is bad for the environment.
designed and manufactured quickly and
'marketing'. Quick response was
inexpensively to allow the mainstream Alas, fast fashion
developed to improve manufacturing is not a new trend. It
consumer to buy current clothing styles at already started in
processes in the textile industry with thethe 1960's. What has
lower prices. Competition is fierce at become a major 'trend' is the human
aim of removing time from the
every end of the fashion spectrum. The casualties of fast
production system. Marketing is the key fashion, especially in
consumer in the fast fashion market
driver for fast fashions. developing countries.
Social Audits Initiative (BCI) ent
Labour Relations, Occupational Health &ails. The BCI exists to
make global cotton production better
Safety, Employment Equity and Skills
N A RECENT ARTICLE ON THE Development. for the people, the environment and the
IBIZCOMMUNITY'S WEBSITE, CHRISTIAN sector's future. Growing better cotton
GERLING ASKS THE QUESTION: WHAT The quality and the price of the locall and other laws and
respects nationa
PREVENTS LOCAL CLOTHING AND TEXTILE producers may be acceptable, but they
standards.
MANUFACTURERS FROM BREAKING INTO THE also need to be able to demonstrate that
INTERNATIONAL MARKET? ACCORDING TO the working conditions they provide for
To be licenced to grow Better Cotton,
GERLING, THERE ARE SEVERAL ANSWERS, their workers comply with local laws first reach a set of
farmers must at
BUT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT and with international best practice.
minimum requirements. Cotton farming
ELEMENTS IS THAT MANY DO NOT MEET THE (Apparently, most overseas importers
takes place under a wide range of
SOCIAL AUDITING REQUIREMENT. have a zero tolerance to gaps in labourns, one being social,
different conditio
standards.) which include labour for example. The
A social audit is a means to measure BCI verification audit is done by an
compliance with regulations and best "independent third
Within this context, it is clear that if local party" and is similar
practices throughout the value chain. to an independent external audit.
clothing and textile manufacturers wish
to enter into and be successful in the
To be compliant, manufacturers in South The local manufacturers in the cotton
international market, an independent
Africa's clothing and textile industry important as a quality
pipeline is serious about trading
social audit is as
need to prove that they are playing by internationally
and safety audit and a financial audit. and some of them have
the rules as set out in the various Acts, already embarked on social audits.
eg Basic Conditions of employment,
This is exactly what the Better Cotton
Helena Claassens - Cotton SA
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