The True Cost: The Bitter Truth behind Fast Fashion

Ertekin, Zeynep Özdamar

doi:10.23860/mgdr-2017-02-03-07

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 3 publications

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“…Films and documentaries are effective media for educating people and increasing their consciousness. “The True Cost” by the director Andrew Morgan is a documentary film released in 2015 about the story of clothes throughout the supply chain, the people who make them and the impact of the industry on the environment (Ozdamar Ertekin, 2017). It shows in a very impactful way the true cost – human cost, environmental cost and societal cost – of making clothing.…”

Section: Social Marketing Implications For Aligning Consumers’ Restle...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The restless desire for the new versus sustainability: the pressing need for social marketing in fashion industry

Atik

Ertekin

2022

JSOCM

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Purpose Detrimental impacts on social and ecological well-being of excessive fashion consumption and production practices are posing threats on future generations. Therefore, the need for sustainable solutions and endorsing them through social marketing efforts is more urgent than ever. From the consumption angle, this study aims to explore the driving forces behind consumers’ restless desire for the new and the growing need to consume sustainably. Design/methodology/approach This paper is conceptual in nature, and through a review of the literature in fashion, consumer, sustainability and social marketing studies, it examines why consumer desire for the new is so profound and how it conflicts with sustainability goals of the fashions industry. With a macrosocial approach, it reveals how multiple constituents of the fashion system can contribute toward sustainability goals. Findings This study explains consumers’ psychological and social needs driving their restless desire for the new and the role of fast fashion companies fuelling this desire. It also discusses the consequences of excessive fashion consumption and presents social marketing solutions at micro, meso and macro levels with upstream and downstream effects toward sustainability goals. Practical implications Considering the increasing consciousness about the negative impacts of excessive fashion consumption, this study suggests both practical and social implications that are associated with multiple stakeholders including consumers, fashion companies and public policymakers. Originality/value This study reveals in detail the challenges and potential social marketing solutions at micro, meso and macro levels, concerning the conflict between consumers’ restless desire for the new and the pressing need to consume more sustainably.

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Section: Social Marketing Implications For Aligning Consumers’ Restle...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The restless desire for the new versus sustainability: the pressing need for social marketing in fashion industry

Atik

Ertekin

2022

JSOCM

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“…Numerous sweatshop scandals since 1990s are a sign of these horrifying and unsafe working conditions. A prominent example is the incident of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh that collapsed in 2013 where 1129 people died and many more were injured (Ozdamar Ertekin 2017). Consequently, if the continuous production and consumption of fashion clothing continues at its current speed, the destructive effects on social and ecological environments will pose a serious threat to the quality of life of future generations.…”

Section: Overview Of Fast Fashion: Critiques and Consequencesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Andrew Morgan, the director of the film The True Cost , the Rana Plaza disaster was a call to action. It became a symbol for the global inequities behind cheap clothing, and after the tragedy, fairness in fashion has become a more important issue (Ozdamar Ertekin 2017). That is when people really get creative, what we see in times of recession.…”

Section: The Roles Of Different Constituents As Initiators Of Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Institutional Constituents of Change for a Sustainable Fashion System

Ertekin

Atik

2020

Journal of Macromarketing

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The sustainability challenges of fashion industry are associated with multiple, interrelated, and complicated issues, involving a large number of different institutional constituents. The collective efforts of different actors at macro level is necessary to address these challenges. However, research that empirically examines multiple actors in the same study are limited. Employing market system dynamics (MSD) as a theoretical framework, this study addresses this gap by providing a more comprehensive perspective on the roles of different institutional constituents - designers, retailers, luxury brands, fashion associations, and consumers - in transformation towards a more sustainable fashion system and the dynamics that mobilize these actors to seek market change. Ethnography with emphasis on participant observation and interviews is adopted as research methodology, supported by secondary data on sustainable fashion practices. The study contributes to macromarketing literature not only by demonstrating the roles of multiple institutional constituents, but also by providing the conflicting perspectives and motives, and innovative ideas and practices in transformation towards a more sustainable fashion system.

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“…We don't have any free space anymore. According to Siegle (2019) and Zeynep (2017), in 2014 we exceeded the worrying limit and since then we have been producing 100 billion pieces of new clothing a year. Without rapid reforms, the fashion industry, whose main player is fast fashion, could be responsible for a quarter of the Earth's carbon budget by 2050.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zero Waste Management and Circular Economy

2021

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Demand for light sources increases with the increasing energetic, technologic and economic requirements of society. The lifetime hours of lamps are longer; however, such a waste still makes up a portion of waste production. The content of toxic metals is one of the factors that influences the environmental impact during their life cycle. Discharged light sources are separated, recycled or disposed. The sorted material can be reused as a secondary raw material, or the waste can be energetically recovered in an incinerator. One of the most disadvantageous options is landfill deposition. The separated fractions of such waste can be reused in terms of lowering the amount of waste and enhancing the circularity. Although compact fluorescent lamps and LEDs are energetically more convenient, their material requirements are more demanding. Purpose:The aim of the study, was to evaluate the heavy metal composition regarding environmental factors, considering the lifetime hours and luminescence.Design/methodology/approach: The content of heavy metals of fluorescent lamp, LED lamp and incandescent light bulb was studied using the XRF analyser. The illuminance of the light sources was measured by a lux meter.Findings: Based on the results, the LED light sources seem to be the most convenient. From the analysis, these light sources contain the lowest amount of copper and lead, also from the perspective of the lifetime hours and already existed collecting system.

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The True Cost: The Bitter Truth behind Fast Fashion

Cited by 8 publications

References 3 publications

The restless desire for the new versus sustainability: the pressing need for social marketing in fashion industry

The restless desire for the new versus sustainability: the pressing need for social marketing in fashion industry

Institutional Constituents of Change for a Sustainable Fashion System

Zero Waste Management and Circular Economy

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