Challenges and Best Practices in Clothing Industry for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability

BUSINESS ETHICS
RESPONSIBILITY AND
SUSTAINABILITY

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
TASK...............................................................................................................................................3
Key challenges relation to corporate responsibility & sustainability relating to clothing
industry........................................................................................................................................3
Best practices considered within chosen sector, making reference to ethical and moral
problems......................................................................................................................................5
Potential suggestions for businesses in industry to show they are being more accountable by
taking into account global considerations...................................................................................7
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................10
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................11

INTRODUCTION
Ethics, responsibility and sustainability are key element of business success and growth.
By following business ethics principles, and CSR policies a company can sustain for long with
specific sector in effective manner. In business, three aspects of sustainability include social,
economic & environmental. The role of organizations in addressing all these threes elements
depend on management activities implemented in the firms. Due to performing unethical
practices, a company cannot be able to sustain for longer time period as it effects profitability
and its productivity negatively as well as build negative brand image within market place.
The current study will explain challenges faced by sector in relation to corporate
responsibility and sustainability. It will justify the best practices within industry, making
reference to moral and ethical issues. Furthermore, it will clarify possible suggestions for
companies operating in specific sector to show they are being more responsible by taking into
international considerations.
TASK
Key challenges relation to corporate responsibility & sustainability relating to clothing industry
Clothing industry is one of the most profitable and globally integrated sectors in the
whole world. It summarizes forms of trade and sector along production as well as life chain of
garments and clothing, starting with textile industry, embellishment utilizing embroidery, via
fashion sector to fashion retailers up to trade with textile recycling and second hand clothes.
While operating businesses and their operations activities, this industry face a lot of challenges
related to business accountability and sustainability, which direct impact on its brand value and
market position all over the world in negative manner.
Environmental challenges-
It can be said that, second to oil production, clothing industry is the most polluting sector
in the world and apparel's material is a wider contribution to this major issues. Cotton is
recognize as natural fibre that make up to over 40% of clothing, but, it unfortunately has
devastating impact on environment and more consumers are becoming aware of it (Garcia-
Torres, Rey-Garcia and Albareda-Vivo, 2017). It is extremely watered intensive, especially
needing 6500 to 15,600 litres per pound of cotton. Furthermore, for manufacture of cotton, wide
amounts of toxic pesticides are utilized by clothing industry, that make it most chemically
dependant element in the universe. It is one of the biggest challenge, sector faces since for so

long that affect human as well as wild life. For example, when people wash their cotton clothes,
it contaminates water which goes through various small rivers where fishes and other animals,
die due to toxic as harmful chemical. It analysed that these chemical have detrimental health
impact on workers who perform and work in clothing sector, to produce clothes for men, women
and child. There are other types of materials this sector uses that are hazardous to natural
environment around people are nylon and polyester which are non-biodegradable.
Less recycling products-
Another challenge related to clothing industry that affect its sales, market image and
overall operational efficiency is, lack recycling products, like use of plastic packaging. Clothing
industry for packing their products are using plastic bags, that contribute in landfill with
materials which are cannot recyclable (Koszewska, 2018). Plastic is one of the most potential
element that contribute in land pollution, it is not easy to recycle. Recycling plastic will also put
negative impact on environment as it horrible for beauty of nature and fresh air. When people
drop their plastic waste, polythene and bags into recycling bin, it most likely makes their way
around the universe, where it can be posed a health risk to individual. In many countries, like
UK, USA and other, government make strict rules for clothing industry, they ban use of plastic
for any purpose which save environment, but affect overall business practices. A growing
number of people who are showing their environmental concern, pressurizing clothing industry
to ban plastic packaging and contribute in CSR activities. Due to this challenge, management
face a lot of issues as they are feeling high pressure to do what market wants in short term
period, which is not possible.
Affect of chemical used-
Clothing industry is considered as polluting industry, they face sustainability and
corporate responsibility challenges includes multiple, complicated and interrelated issues
(Goworek and et.al., 2018). They not play a important role in global public discourse on water
shortage, climate change, human rights and chemical society. Their consumption and production
raise varied questions and worries that create challenges about how local people live their social,
political and economic lives as well. It identifies that clothing industry use chemical to dye their
clothes and make it attractive, that attention of buyers towards purchasing, but it effects
environment negatively. Chemical dyes that are already used in manufacture of clothes lead to
skin issues. Problems such as rashes, eczema and skin irritation have been noted among most