Dirty laundry

After researching and analyzing the economic and the cultural point of view of environmental sustainability I concluded that the price of a garment has a deeper value than what the price tag indicates. The most important thing that I learned this week was that fast fashion retailers are offering low prices because they are exploiting their workers by paying them extremely low wages and making them work under harsh conditions. Companies like Forever 21 are playing dirty by taking advantage of the disadvantaged workers in developing countries that will work for any type of income; because by employing low labor cost the company can benefit from higher revenues and competitive advantage. This information helped me connect he dots between cheap prices and trendy clothing. Before being aware of the reasons behind low priced clothes I was innocently attracted to the lowest prices. It is important for me to know that companies support unethical practices because from now on I will put more thought into where I choose to shop. I will no longer go for the cheaper price because I can’t bear with the thought of me supporting inhumane jobs. Also, knowing that companies are practicing unethical production practices will be something that I will keep in mind and further research when I pursue a career as a buyer in order to avoid doing business with companies that do not care for their employees.

Although this was the last week of the Environmental Sustainability course, it will not be the last week that I learn about sustainability issues. I plan on keeping up with the news related to the issue because I know that the importance and relevance of the issue is growing day by day.