Tracing the way for an environmentally and socially fair fashion supply chain The fashion industry has resulted in toxicity for both environment and people. An EU-funded project presents holistic solutions to make it more resilient, responsible and sustainable. Climate Change and Environment © Kay A/peopleimages.com/stock.adobe.com Environmental sustainability is a top priority in Europe that encompasses all sectors of human activity, including the fashion industry. However, the term ‘environmental sustainability’ also extends to the social element: it cannot be conceived independently from working conditions and their impact on the workers. The EU-funded FReSCH project was developed as an action-research initiative looking at climate action and social justice in fashion supply chains. It aims to examine the contradictory tensions between economic, environmental and social sustainability practices. “We are facing intertwined social, economic and environmental crises happening simultaneously,” explains project principal investigator Donna Marshall. “The purpose of the FReSCH project is to leverage scientific knowledge to create inclusive social dialogues, foster systemic conversations and drive radical change in the fashion industry. The transformation will be based on real-life evidence and lived experiences,” adds project researcher Hakan Karaosman. Action and research with fashion SMEs and workers FReSCH used a novel methodology known as simultaneous multi-level action research. It adopted both top-down and bottom-up approaches and considered how the cost and operational demands of brand organisations, as well as their environmental and social demands, affected suppliers and their workers. The FReSCH action research sample involved a fashion giant and six tier-1 suppliers producing woven garments and jersey products. They were chosen using a combination of theoretical (different to each other) and literal (similar to each other) replication techniques to ensure both diversity and generalisation to theory. Researchers collaborated with these manufacturers, which were located in the main production regions in Turkey and had access to their managers and workers over an extended period. Consequently, the research team engaged 13 lower-tier suppliers: fabric producers, yarn manufacturers, and various service providers such as printing, embroidery and dyeing - all of which were linked with tier-1 suppliers. The research shows that when suppliers perceive the way brands exploit their structural power, it leads to resentment. In response, some suppliers develop their own brands or partner with brands which see that the true value of collaboration in the supply chain is driving prosperity for all. “Brand-supplier interactions need to be honest and transparent. They should be based on trust, partnership, fairness, and empathy, rather than being simply transactional,” notes Karaosman. Moreover, the study highlights that certain practices by brands negatively impact workers in their supply chains. These practices include overproduction, brand hegemony, arms-length relationships, emotional detachment by brands, top-down governance, standardised performance rating tools, limited knowledge by auditors and brands, data issues, conflicting requests, compliance-focused relationships, and conflicting demands. Holistic solutions for the transformation of the fashion system “Fashion supply chains are characterised by imbalanced power relations. The fashion industry cannot achieve just transition without integrating the people working across all supply chain tiers into decision-making processes and social dialogues,” notes Karaosman. “Managers and workers within supplier organisations have great ideas about what, how, and by whom radical change must be operationalised, so they must be heard.” In addition to various academic articles and media contributions, FReSCH has been engaged with policy making. At the EU level, the project contributed to a public consultation on the EU Strategy for Sustainable Textiles. FReSCH also submitted a mission development statement to the European Commission on Just, Fair and Inclusive Transition to a Circular, Low-Environmental Impact Europe. The project is now contributing to the #ReFashionNow movement. Keywords FReSCH, fashion industry, fashion supply chain, environmental sustainability, social sustainability, sustainable fashion, circular economy
