Is It Ever Ethical To Buy From Big Brands?
In recent years, big brands have been releasing ‘conscious’ collections left, right, and centre!
It is now common knowledge how damaging the industry of fast fashion is for the planet and its people. This growing awareness of environmental issues has also seen consumers more interested in ethical consumption from both small- and large-scale businesses. Within the environmentalism community, there is often a push to consume from small businesses, but I know not everyone wants to walk around in hemp shorts and sandals made from bottle caps. So, the fact many big brands are now offering green initiatives and conscious collections creates an opportunity to attract new customers into the world of sustainability.
The problems with fast fashion from big brands
Big brand fashion is closely connected to fast fashion. A $2.5 trillion sector, behind oil, the industry is the second biggest polluter on Earth. With an aim of making products cost as little as possible, businesses in the fast fashion industry often ignore the environmental cost of their production lines in the name of profit. Big brands involved in fast fashion use toxic dyes, produce huge amounts of waste, exploit garment workers by paying them under the living wage. They also reduce costs by paying unsafe and unregulated factories to produce their merchandise.
So, despite big fashion companies transitioning into a more ‘conscious’ mindset, they still often function within the damaging realms of fast fashion. To stay ‘with the times’ and maintain consumers in 2021, big brands have been pressured to shift their business models to be greener and more ethical.
The question is: Can it ever be ethical to buy from big brands?
Firstly, let’s discuss what I mean by ‘big brands. Think NIKE, HM, and Zara, all of these are huge international brands which now offer Sustainability manifestos or ‘conscious collections’ of some kind:
- Zara’s ‘Life’ campaign discusses their commitment to sustainability by 2025.
- Despite a history of being called out on their use of sweatshops and underpaid garment workers, Nike’s ‘move to zero’ campaign aims to reduce NIKE’s journey towards zero carbon and zero waste through collective action.
- HM now has an entire page on ‘sustainability’ on their website homepage, which gives insight into the brand's perspective on sustainability and their own ‘conscious collections.’
These are just some examples of how big brands are attempting to become more sustainable. Though some people argue that these huge multinational businesses can never really be fully ethical, I believe it is possible to buy ethically from these big brands, and there are actually some benefits to doing so.
Let’s explore this a little further…
Big brands may never be ethically ‘perfect,’ but choosing to consume from the ‘conscious’ sections of these businesses can have a positive impact on the world’s mission to become more sustainable.
See, every time we shop, we vote with our wallet. So, by choosing to purchase items from the ethical collections within big brands, you are telling the business, ‘I want more of this!’. You can therefore have a big influence on the business's decision to reorient themselves as an ethical business. Never forget: your consumption choices have the power to change the orientation of big brands.
As big brands produce at such high rates all over the world, it is vital we get them to shift their practices and philosophies through choosing to buy ethical products off them.
Secondly, a lot of the time, bigger brands are actually more ethical than slightly smaller brands.
I know what you are thinking, how?
Well, big brands have a huge reputation to uphold. Therefore they put more time and effort into ensuring their production lines are as regulated and as ethical as they say. According to Royal Holloway University, ‘reputation-conscious’ big brands had 35 percent fewer working violations than generic brands. As they are so conscious of maintaining a good reputation in the mainstream, big brands are more incentivised to stick to regulations. This means that it might be more ethical for you to buy from the 2nd biggest company in the world than, say, the 44th of 230th. These smaller businesses may not be held as accountable by the public or as concerned about fulfilling ethical obligations.
Eco-friendly movements have generally been headed by fringe communities in society such as hippies, eco-warriors, social justice, and student groups. Another benefit of big brands becoming more ethical is that it shifts environmentalism into the mainstream. You don’t have to change where you shop; you just have to change the kind of products you buy. This means it is a lot easier for the public to get on board with environmentalism. These businesses hold such huge power in the world of consumerism; they really have the ability to rewrite the story of fashion consumption. Furthermore, these businesses are likely to remain powerful in the fashion industry for decades to come, so it is our responsibility to help them change direction.
A big problem of big ‘ethical’ business
A common problem that arises when businesses are trying to promote a greener image is ‘greenwashing.’ ‘Greenwashing’ is the dissemination of disinformation by an organisation so as to present an environmentally responsible public image. Greenwashing by big companies makes you; the consumer believe the business cares when in reality, they continue with unsustainable and unethical business models and practices that exploit both the planet and its people.
What to bear in mind when shopping ethically from big brands
Whilst there are benefits to buying ethically from big businesses, you must stay vigilant about the who, the what, the where, the when, the why of a business’s so-called ‘green initiatives.
Yes, you can and should support big businesses that are turning ‘greener.’ They hold such power in the world of consumption but do your research into the business’s holistic actions and production lines before you make a purchase.
Ultimately buying ethically from big businesses will help worldwide sustainability movements. Just make sure you spend your money wisely and are not tricked into the ‘greenwashing’ lies of the corporate industries.
Happy ethical shopping!
