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