Issues Surrounding Ethical Clothing

Running head: ISSUES SURROUNDING ETHICAL CLOTHING
ISSUES SURROUNDING ETHICAL CLOTHING
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ISSUES SURROUNDING ETHICAL CLOTHING
According to the principle of Common Good (CG) under the Catholic Social Thought
(CST), each individual must possess sufficient access to all the resources and goods that are
available in the society in order for her or him to live a fulfilling life (Caritas.org.au, 2019).
“The rights of the individual personal possessions and community resources must be balanced
with the needs of the disadvantaged and dispossessed”, explains the CG principle (Caritas.org.au,
2019). To ensure that the principle of CG is reached, people must work together to better the
wellbeing of every individual in the society and the larger world (Caritas.org.au, 2019). The
principle is also associated with the principle of Human Dignity (HD), another significant CST
principle. The principle of HD states that every person is created in the likeness and image of
God and hence, “has inherent dignity” (Caritas.org.au, 2019). Every human being irrespective of
gender, creed, ethnicity, age, ability and sexuality has the right to lead a dignified life and that is
the foundation of the CST (Caritas.org.au, 2019).
An issue has recently challenged the principle of CG both locally, that is, in Australian
context and globally. The issue surrounds the concept of ethical clothing or ethical fashion.
Ethical fashion refers to the ethical fashion design, retail, production and purchasing of clothing
(Manchiraju & Sadachar, 2014). The concept covers wide-ranging issues that include
exploitation, working conditions, sustainable production, fair trade, animal welfare and the
environment (Manchiraju & Sadachar, 2014). As evident from the description, ethical fashion
aims to look at issues and problems that most people fail to see in the price tags and brand names
associated with clothing (Manchiraju & Sadachar, 2014). In a report published by Oxfam,
several brands in Australia have been listed under the “naughty” tag while some have managed
to secure a place in the “nice” list (McCormack, 2019). The “naughty” ones are those fashion

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ISSUES SURROUNDING ETHICAL CLOTHING
stores, which have failed to disclose their factories where the clothes are produced (McCormack,
2019).
When viewed from the principle of the Common Good, this issue has raised questions
over the adherence to the CG while undertaking any business or any other work (Caritas.org.au,
2019). The CG principle states that every individual has equal rights to live a fulfilling life but
the way the big fashion brands exploit the workers, it goes completely against the principle of
CG (Caritas.org.au, 2019). The incidence of a building collapsing in Bangladesh in 2013
claiming over 1000 lives brings forth the way the principle of CG not only challenged but also
shattered (Caritas.org.au, 2019). Hence, it is clear that the ethical clothing issue is challenging
the principle of CG not only in Australia but also in other countries.
The societies across the globe need to come together to address and defeat this issue and
to do that, they must follow the principles defined by the CST (Caritas.org.au, 2019). However,
prior to solving or even addressing the issue, it is important to understand the magnitude of the
issue. One must first know the impact of ethical clothing on not only the individuals but also the
environment and the society. In the TEDx Talk presented by Lucy Siegle, it is revealed that
every year, humans use around 80 billion new garments. However, 2 million tonnes of textile are
found in landfills, which is, rendered useless every year (YouTube.com, 2019). This statistic
reveals that people are throwing away their clothes as fast as they are buying those. The speaker
than shows some staggering numbers in the fashion industry that reflect the issue of ethical
fashion or ethical clothing. The speaker reveals that most high-end fashion brands never
acknowledge the hard work put in by the workers that make up a vital part of the supply chain.
The speaker gives example of Bangladesh that has the highest percentage of GDP (Gross
Domestic Product) dependence on fashion – 80 percent to be exact (Youtube.com, 2019).