COVID-19 and Fashion Transparency

Fashion Revolution’s Fashion Transparency Index shows how companies in the fashion industry are
mass producing with environmental and social sensitivity and awareness, and being open about it.
Especially with times changing and the defense for our environment on the rise, this index has really
helped keep companies in check. It has also helped shed light on some of the companies that need
improvement. The average score of all 250 companies analyzed is a sad 23%. While it is better than last
year, (which was 21%) 23% is still a very low number. Many athletic wear companies that were getting
heat in the 90s are up to 70%, while certain luxury companies are below 40%. 
This number means that many of these luxury clothing brands are not disclosing their manufacturing
policies and commitments. Some companies choose to not disclose for the purpose of a negative effect on
consumers. There are 10 brands that even scored a 0 on the index this past year. With the drastic effects of
COVID-19, many retailers are beginning to withdraw commitments from many of their manufacturers.
The question here is whether this is for the purpose of the shareholders or the workers? Many of the
products sold come from countries being greatly affected by COVID-19, and the demand for many
products is rapidly decreasing. This leaves a lot room for companies to become more transparent with
their use of manufacturers and such because most retail stores remain closed thus far. This means that
facilities are not having to overproduce to the level that many of them were, and therefore their stats do
not look like they normally do. The companies’ carbon emission, employee numbers, and other common
issues are greatly decreasing. 
There are many people that believe that this pandemic could cause a positive change in the fashion
industry. Companies becoming much more aware of their sales, quotas, and overproduction could truly
have a positive effect on the environment. Global brands are having to restructure their business models
in order to survive the economic crisis, and there are some who have not been able to survive and are
losing most if not all of their stores. The restructuring of business models is what is giving people hope
for the long-term. I hope retail companies do in fact become more environmentally and socially conscious
in the future because of the pandemic. There is so much that goes unseen and so many wrongdoings that
if we knew about them all I think there would definitely be a negative response from consumers, but the
point of the FTI is that if these companies do come clean and get backlash, it could force a real change in
their policies. I have a feeling we are quite a ways away from this, but it is the end goal, and I am
remaining hopeful.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

COVID-19 Blog

As the coronavirus rages on, an important question arises: should western countries aid the so-called "third world," particularly Africa, in combating the pandemic? I believe the answer is no, for two main reasons. My first objection is rather obvious: the United States currently has more confirmed COVID cases than all of Africa combined, and it isn't close. There are several possible explanations, including the warmer weather, but the exact reason isn't necessarily relevant. After a domestic coronavirus response which can only be described as a disaster of earth-shattering proportions, who are we to go on an international health crusade? There are millions of vulnerable Americans who are currently unable to receive adequate care. Our resources need to be going to them first, not abroad, and most certainly not to parasitic, too-big-to-fail corporations. My second objection: when was America's last successful large-scale international intervention, viole...
Read more

SARS CoV-2, COVID-19, and The World

It's no secret that right now the SARS CoV-2 is wreaking havoc across the world. As of today, the United States has surpassed China as the nation with the most cases of the novel coronavirus, with over 86,000 cases in our country to date. This is all pretty crazy, especially considering that this is all because of a pathogen that supposedly started with either bats or pangolins (the only mammal in the world known to have scales) in a small localized region of China. Of course, it's not only the health effects that are wide-reaching; the social effects are also just as prevalent. One of the ways in which the world is rapidly changing in regards to social effects is through panic buying of goods at places such as supermarkets and hypermarkets such as Walmart. However, the good news is that food in general is not going to run out; there may be shortages of certain particular items, nevertheless, as certain nations have curtailed exports. What is bound to change, possibly permanent...
Read more

COVID-19 Blog

As the spread of COVID-19 becomes greater many opinions on how to respond to this global pandemic have surfaced. Just a few months ago much of the population in the United States felt unthreatened by the virus as it spread through China, being concentrated in Wuhan, and later spreading in Europe. It was not until the virus quickly erupted in the United States that we each understood the true severity of this pandemic. Now we are seeing how individuals are being greatly impacted by this virus as we are all being asked to stay home and the everyday parts of our lives have been flipped upside down. In the opinion piece about what responsibility developed countries have for helping less developed countries I both agreed and disagreed. My initial response is that if places, like the United States, are struggling with medical resources how can we even begin to be helpful in less developed countries. Hospitals all throughout the United States are beginning to have to make life or death decisi...
Read more