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This year on Earth Day, April 22, a collection of large fast fashion companies previously known for unethical and unecological practices have made a pledge to become fully eco-conscious. This includes large fashion brands such as H&N and Shin.
Greg Anthony, the CEO of Shin, explains that their past practices have gone too far and are unsustainable considering the state of global warming.
“In the past and at the beginning of starting my company, it was about money and trying to make more money, trying to find ways to pay workers less and less, finding the cheapest materials as possible, and inflating the price of the finished product, while still keeping it cheap for the consumer,” says Anthony.
Anthony explains that this was always in the interest of the consumer and that, “people don’t care about sustainability. People care about wearing trendy clothes for the cheapest amount possible. Myself, along with other CEO’s of similar brands, have made this decision as the planet is our number one priority due to increased threats of global warming the past decade.”
Renata Heath, the CEO of H&N, agrees with this statement and adds that, “change is long overdue. It was sickening when my assistant showed me how many greenhouse gasses are produced from my company alone, year after year.”
“We’ve even introduced clothing lines with seemingly eco-conscious premises to truly see how easy it is to greenwash customers,” says Heath. “The results were astonishing.”
Heath explains that customers don’t typically care or read into the information about what they are consuming, and that “it breaks my heart to see my income increasing exponentially while the workers of my company and the environment suffer.”
Not only do the companies pledge to pay their workers minimum wage, but an astonishing livable minimum wage. In addition, the company will use only sustainable materials containing zero plastic.
“I didn’t even consider that it costs more than $5 to produce, manufacture, and ship a simple T-shirt,” says Spencer Fernandez, a fourth-year fashion commerce student with a focus on fashion merchandise. “I always thought that companies were transparent with their manufacturing processes.”
“Turns out, when clothing companies reveal where their fabric is sourced, who makes their clothes, how much they pay their workers, etc., it’s actually a good thing,” adds Fernandez, who adds they have never actually bought an item of clothing themselves.
To further their sustainable practices, Shin is cutting down on carbon emissions from transportation by zero. “We’re getting rid of any transportation that uses fuel. Instead, we will be hiring professional athletes to bike our products across the country or to row our products across bodies of water by boat,” adds Anthony, who adds that they are not liable for any harm caused to the athlete.
Although Earth Day is a short three weeks away, these companies are adamant on ending their unethical practices by this time and expect to see major changes in the global environment and the global economy soon after.
When asked if they would continue their sustainable progress after Earth Day, however, all CEOs replied “no comment.”
