You are required to choose one (1) of the following three contemporary ethics issues (Topics 1, 2 or 3) for analysis and produce a board briefing paper for tabling at the next meeting of the company’s...

THE ETHICS OF FASHION
Table of Contents
Introduction    3
Argument: Is fashion inherently unethical?    3
Considerations    3
Draft resolution    6
Conclusion    7
References    9
Introduction
In the current era, the most buzz word of the hour is fashion that beckons a wide range of apparels with ostentatious designs. Fashion has garnered the attention of global populace by its superior quality of clothing and embroidery works of the proficient designers. Fashion, in its truest sense, imparts the touch of glamour with the essence of beauty in humans. Vehmaset al. (2018) have pointed out that fashion is conducive for men and a woman of all styles, texture and looks. The global fashion industry has experienced a major boost in the last few decades due to the impetus in individual’s passion to look good. More often than not, fashion is recognised as a mode of expressing the self before others in an impressive manner that enables the individual to stand out from the rest of the mass. In the words of Goworek, Kent and Perry (2016), behind the colourful, gaudy appearance of the fashion industry, the unethical practices prevail throughout the industry that mostly remains veiled.
Argument: Is fashion inherently unethical?
Considerations
The fashion industry has successfully managed to grab the interest of the youth due to the flaunting of good looks with regal clothing and accessories. However, one cannot neglect the chain of unethical practices that is well pervasive throughout the industry. Often, the spectators have become spellbound with the classy designs and the use of animal fur and skin for manufacturing clothing. The number of animals that suffers every year due to the production of fashionable clothing is almost endless. The fur industry targets animals such as foxes, rabbits, squirrels, seals, bears, martens, dogs, lynxes, chinchillas, racoons, beavers and others (ABC, 2019). According to Reimers, Magnuson and Chao (2016), the leading players of the fur industry mercilessly kill the innocent animals for commercial purpose to sale the fur to the developed nations. It is interesting to note that millions of furred animals are subjected to slaughtered, each year, to support the fashion industry. The unethical, merciless act of butchering for animal fur prevails around the world that are mostly derived from Indian slaughterhouses, African and Australian remote districts, Chinese farming areas and others. Pedersen and Netter (2015) has argued that amid the fashionable leather belt, fur apparels and sweaters, the people miss out the pangs and suffering that animals experience due to their brutal butchering. Notably, the low cost production of the clothing primarily involves the implementation of the cheapest means to kill the furred animals that include suffocation, gassing, poisoning and electrocution. These unethical practices that negatively impact the lives of other living creatures must be accentuated to value their presence in the world.
Behind the eye catching ramp walks meant for displaying the latest fashionable apparels, the exploitation of the workers in the fashion industry is a major drawback. Pedersen and Andersen (2015) have proposed that exploitation takes place in large scale in the fashion industry around the world and mostly, no individual has escaped from the brunt of the blow. In this context, it can be mentioned that the girls and women are the primary victims of low wages along with unfavourable working conditions and opportunities. Despite the attempt of the brands to resolve the matter after being relentlessly urged by the labourers and the consumers, the current legislations and regulations cause a severe hindrance to this intention.Cho and Fiore (2015) have pointed out that that high end brands of the fashion industry can move along the path of mitigating the problem of labour exploitation only if these companies exercise more control over the supply chains. Now, herein the problem lies since if the brands readily accept greater control and power over the supply chain, then they eventually become more susceptible to wide scale legal liabilities. In the recent times, the fashion industry has remained in the headlines of the international news due to the massive strikes called out by the workers on the pretext of exploitation and low wages. Even the significant fashion houses have failed to make sufficient payments to the labourers. The underlying cause of the strikes is demanding higher wages from the employers due to the labour and effort put in by the workers. These unethical fashion practices that are reflected in the reports published few years back state that almost 27% of the world population work under inappropriate and inhuman working conditions in the field of textile industry. Rafi-Ul-Shan et al. (2018) have supported the statement by mentioning that the workers in the fashion industry start with a daily wage as low as US $30 to $39. This clearly suggests that such low amount of salaries for the workers, in spite of their toil, drag them below the poverty level. Amid such low wages, the poor workers are burdened with high production targets that become almost impossible for them to achieve.
The apparel manufacturers have largely shifted their focus their in producing low cost, inferior quality clothing that eventually bring forth adverse impact on the...