Eco-Friendly and Fair

3Mind the gap

Fashion consumers’ intentions and behaviours

Mark Sumner

1. Introduction

The global fashion industry is worth in excess of $1.5 trillion of global trade per year and employs more than 250 million people within its supply chains, which extend from the cotton fields of Africa and India to the garment factories of Bangladesh and Vietnam and ultimately to the mostly middle class consumers ingrained in the culture of consumption.

This globalised trade is associated with well-documented negative impacts on the environment and local communities. The consumption of energy, the use of highly toxic chemicals, the degradation of water supplies, poor pay, gender inequality and forced labour are just some of the issues associated with fashion ...