Ethical Issues in The Textile Industry - ORDNUR (2024)

The textile industry is far big than we consider in our minds. Clothing, bedding are majors for this industry and further classified into subcategories. We must know the importance of ethical issues related to these major and big money-making industries at this point in life. We are going through significant environmental changes, and for this, we must know from where are our clothing or even bedding sourced?

What are ethically sourced products?

When you are lying comfortably in different layers of bed sheets, duvets, comforters,duvet covers, blankets, and other bedding essentials, even for once, have you ever visualized from where this bedding came from? Unless we had severe environmental issues, we never emphasized it, but now it is high time to know and consider buying. Bedding serves as the style statement around which an entire room is stylized.

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What changes ethical sourcing of products can create?

Small steps create significant impacts

Ethical Issues in The Textile

Let us take it from the beginning; when we are talking about ethically sourced products, we refer to how these products were made and came in the market for sale. The whole procedure of product making must be environmentally responsible and sustainable. This includes the start of seed implant through workers’ rights and the social impact of that product’s supply.

What are the ethical issues?

Every industry has its ethical issues, but some of the most overlooked ethical problems of the textile industry are low wages, child labor, animal cruelty, high usage of natural resources, environmental pollution, and increased consumption and wastage of products.

Low wages

Farmers and workers are paid significantly less, especially when looking after the natural resource fields like cotton, silk, and wool.

The business’s low return, high venture nature entraps farmers and laborers into a descending winding of debt, low pay, stress, poor health issues, anxiety, and depression.

Child labor

Child labor is one of the significant issues in the textile industry. Small children of low-income families are forced to work. Due to drastic changes in climatic conditions, many other problems such as drought, hunger, water shortage have occurred, and they migrate and force child labor to save their families.

Animal cruelty

This is very much related to the production of bedding. Like down and feather duvet and pillows. Birds are killed for their down and feathers, but still, there are some companies like Rayman Textiles that believe in a natural collection of down and feathers of birds. Companies relying on a raw display of feathers’ quantity of their products are less expensive than the companies that incline animal cruelty and produce bulk.

High usage of natural resources

Growing natural materials like cotton and wool incorporate more usage of natural resources. As they require more water quantity, and as we all know, water is getting scarce from the earth and requires pesticides and fertilizers for growth. So, we must use these resources wisely.

Environmental pollution

The increase in population has affected the textile industry’s production, which is one of the significant polluters with a considerable carbon footprint. In addition to these toxic chemicals, dyes, bleaches required for bedding production also pollute our environment. Materials like microfiber and rayon are like plastic and they do not decompose and sit in soil or water for years and years.

Increased consumption and wastage of products

With the increasing population around the global consumption of everything has also increased. So, the need for new bedding has also increased, and some people change them very often, which results in wastage of resources, and some bedding materials end up in landfills.

What changes ethical sourcing of products can create?

Products made from ethical sources have a lower profit margin but help in climatic and environmental change movements. We must assure before buying from where our products are coming from.

Ethically grown and manufactured products are acknowledged to reduce the carbon footprint, drastically damaging our surroundings. The other good reason for ethical products is to go organic. Organic products require less water, less energy, and less usage of fertilizers and pesticides, which are a reason to kill many insects and birds.

Small steps create significant impacts

For an ethically sourced product, you need to focus on small things to get more significant results. Therefore, we deal in premium quality down duvets, as we collect down and feathers from the natural shedding process of birds and wrap them in Egyptian cotton casing to give you the best.

Ethical Issues in The Textile Industry

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Ethical Issues in The Textile Industry - ORDNUR (2024)

FAQs

What are the ethical issues in the textile industry? ›

One of the primary ethical concerns in the textile and apparel industry revolve around labor practices. Historically, the industry has faced criticism for exploitative working conditions, child labor, and unfair wages.

What are some of the problems associated with the textile industry? ›

Overconsumption of natural resources

The textile sector was the third largest source of water degradation and land use in 2020. In that year, it took on average nine cubic metres of water, 400 square metres of land and 391 kilogrammes (kg) of raw materials to provide clothes and shoes for each EU citizen.

What are the top ethical issues in the fashion industry? ›

7 Main Ethical Issues In The Fashion Industry
  • Low Wages. There is a reason why influential fashion brands depend on developing countries to fulfil their labour requirements. ...
  • Child Labour. ...
  • Environmental Concerns. ...
  • Animal Cruelty. ...
  • Body Shaming. ...
  • Health And Safety Risks. ...
  • Demand For Blood Diamonds.

What are some ethical and social factors to consider when using textiles products? ›

Social Issues Related to Textile Materials

The degradation of working conditions and exploitation of workers in some parts of the textile industry is a significant issue. This includes low wages, poor health and safety status, and child labour.

What are the four major ethical issues? ›

The most widely known is the one introduced by Beauchamp and Childress. This framework approaches ethical issues in the context of four moral principles: respect for autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice (see table 1).

What are the three main ethical issues? ›

There are three main types of ethical issues: Utilitarian, Deontological, and Virtue. Utilitarian ethics focus on the consequences of an action, while deontological ethics focus on the act itself. Virtue ethics focuses on the character of the person acting.

What were the dangers of working in a textile factory? ›

There are numerous health and safety issues associated with the textile industry. They include: chemical exposure from the processing and dyeing of materials, exposure to cotton and other organic dusts, musculoskeletal stresses, and noise exposure.

How did the textile industry affect society? ›

The factories provided a wide variety of textile products to everyone, everywhere. They were also an important source of new jobs. People moved from farms and small towns to larger towns and cities to work in factories and the many support businesses that grew up around them.

What is the textile industry primarily concerned with? ›

The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of textiles: yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry.

What is the biggest ethical issue today? ›

Harassment and Discrimination in the Workplace

Harassment and discrimination are arguably the largest ethical issues that impact business owners today.

What ethical issues are there? ›

These issues include privacy and confidentiality, issues related to socially vulnerable populations, health insurance discrimination, employment discrimination, individual responsibility, issues related to race and ethnicity, and implementation.

How does ethics affect the fashion industry? ›

Ethical fashion takes into consideration the rights of both the people who make the clothing and the animals from which some materials may be taken, and the environmental impacts the creation of the clothing may have on the environment.

What is ethical sourcing in the textile industry? ›

Ethical sourcing is the process of making sure that the materials and components used in manufacturing clothing are sourced from suppliers who adhere to fair labour practices.

What are three environmental impacts of the textile industry? ›

Clothes, footwear and household textiles are responsible for water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and landfill. In 2020, textile consumption in the EU caused on average the third highest pressures on water and land use and the fifth highest use of raw materials and greenhouse gas emissions.

What is the most ethical material for clothing? ›

7 most sustainable fabrics for clothing
  1. Recycled materials. Using old fabrics to make new clothes is better for the planet. ...
  2. Hemp. ...
  3. Linen. ...
  4. Certified organic cotton. ...
  5. Bamboo. ...
  6. Modal fabrics. ...
  7. Fruit- and plant-based vegan leather.
Nov 8, 2023

What are ethical practices in the fashion industry? ›

At its core, ethical fashion advocates for fair treatment of workers, environmentally sustainable practices, and social responsibility. It challenges the conventional, often exploitative, fashion industry norms, paving the way for a more conscientious approach to style.

What are the issues when textiles are not fair trade? ›

Environmental pollution

The local communities benefit from the employment but at the cost of their health due to exposure to harsh chemicals, improper safety, and poor environmental practices. Toxic substances, heavy metals, dyes, bleaches, etc., cause leaching in the groundwater during the production activities.

What are the ethical issues in retail industry? ›

Because retailers are the final link between manufacturer and consumer, ethical issues often arise in the practices used toward consumers. Common issues in retail include deceptive or misleading marketing, poor treatment of consumers, and misleading sales tactics.

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