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Social Goods | Cotton Farming, Male Modelling Exposed, PETA Confronts Hermès

Social Goods is a weekly roundup of the most important news at the intersection of fashion and ethics, sustainability and corporate social responsibility.

Kate Abnett

08 June 2016

"Most Big Users Failing on Cotton Sustainability" (Reuters)
"Most companies using cotton do nearly nothing to improve environmental sustainability in its supply, environmental groups have announced."

"The Hidden Dangers of Male Modelling" (Newsweek)
"Men and boys are increasingly at risk in the odd, unregulated workplace that is the fashion world."

"Inventively, PETA Became a Shareholder in Hermès to Confront It About Its Use of Exotic Skins" (Quartz)
"PETA representatives attended the Hermès annual shareholders' meeting in Paris, and the animal rights group used the opportunity to publicly confront Hermès CEO Axel Dumas."

"Sports Direct's Mike Ashley Admits Paying Staff Less Than Minimum Wage" (The Guardian)
"Mike Ashley has admitted that Sports Direct effectively paid staff less than the national minimum wage and is in talks about compensating warehouse employees."

In This Article

Topics

Sustainability

People

Axel Dumas

Organisations

Better Cotton to Expand Due Diligence After Brazil Deforestation Investigation

Fashion’s biggest sustainable cotton certifier said it found no evidence of non-compliance at farms covered by its standard, but acknowledged weaknesses in its monitoring approach.

Chanel’s Latest Legal Battleground: Upcycling

As they move to protect their intellectual property, big brands are coming into conflict with a growing class of up-and-coming designers working with refashioned designer gear.

Fashion’s Virgin Plastic Problem

The industry needs to ditch its reliance on fossil-fuel-based materials like polyester in order to meet climate targets, according to a new report from Textile Exchange.

Are H&M and Zara Harming Forests in Brazil?

Cotton linked to environmental and human rights abuses in Brazil is leaking into the supply chains of major fashion brands, a new investigation has found, prompting Zara-owner Inditex to send a scathing rebuke to the industry’s biggest sustainable cotton certifier.