Labour standards issues in the fashion industry supply chain: an ethical assessment of priorities and practical solutions

Abstract

The aim of my dissertation is to provide an overview of the labour standards issues that underlie the manufacturing process in the fashion industry’s supply chain. This is done by conducting an ethical assessment of these issues and by determining what order of priority they should be given when they are addressed. In the first two chapters, I focus on providing definitions of the concepts of sustainable development and social sustainability, in order to analyze issues related to social sustainability in the specific context of the fashion industry. In the third chapter, I conduct an ethical assessment of the social issues discussed in chapter two, using Martha Nussbaum’s capability approach as a normative framework. Finally, in the last chapter, I provide two examples of practical solutions that, if implemented on a large scale, would significantly improve labor conditions. The first solution entails actions that fashion brands and companies can take, whereas the second example is a practical tool that can be used by both brands and consumers to take action on social issues related to the garment industry.