Boohoo Group is trying to link its image to sustainability, not stores.
On February 14, the Manchester-based fast fashion giant will host the Ethical Fashion panel ‘New Fashion Must Haves: Ethical Clothing Starts with Industry Collaboration’ at Source Fashion, a sustainable sourcing show in the UK United.
During the talk, five Boohoo executives will discuss how clothing brands and retailers are responding to the demands of conscious consumers and the importance of being known as an “ethical fashion brand” – with a healthy supply chain – to increase customer loyalty and improve brand reputation.
“With a strong content schedule designed to address the industry’s most pressing issues, I’m thrilled to welcome Boohoo to the stage as they emphasize the increased importance of ethical sourcing in their business strategy,” said Suzanne Ellingham, director of resources at Burimi Moda.
But is it possible for fast fashion and ethical sustainability to coexist in the same breath?
Steady thrust
This isn’t Boohoo’s first attempt to push a sustainable narrative.
In November, the fashion e-tailer announced Kourtney Kardashian Barker as its newest ambassador, with “a focus on sustainability.”
As the newest face of Boohoo, the reality TV star was put in charge of curating two capsule collections, which she helped create “along with a journey of inquiry into the possibilities of creating a more sustainable fashion future”. , said Boohoo, whose parent company. also owns brands including Karen Millen, MissPap, Nasty Gal and PrettyLittleThing.
Kourtney Kardashian Barker for Boohoo
With kindness
However, social media did not take the news well. In fact, many critics cited the Kardashians’ well-documented excesses, including their “jet-setting” ways and “running over the water budget” in drought-stricken California. Others pointed out that Boohoo was “basically a fossil fuel brand” as its clothes are full of petrochemicals.
“While most people would be more likely to choose the private jet hostess who defies celebrity as the Queen of Overconsumption, Boohoo has made the fascinating choice to appoint her as their sustainability ambassador,” George Harding-Rolls, manager of the campaign at the Changing Markets Foundation — a corporate watchdog group — told Sourcing Journal when the collaboration was announced. “The announcement comes with little detail about how this new collection will be sustainable, how the brand is tackling working conditions, their over-reliance on fossil fuel-derived fibres, over-consumption, sustainability, waste – the list goes on. “
The Kardashian-Barker x Boohoo collaboration debuted about a month after the company — along with UK-based retailers Asos and George at Asda — were investigated for misleading its customers about the eco-friendliness of its clothing, shoes and accessories. her.
If the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the UK’s antitrust watchdog, finds Boohoo in breach of the Green Claims Code – which requires businesses to back up environmental claims for goods and services – the regulator could “take enforcement action” by companies were asked to change their behavior. In a worst-case scenario, it could take them to court.
“People who want to ‘buy green’ should be able to do so with confidence that they are not being misled,” Sarah Cardell, the CMA’s interim chief executive, said at the time. “Eco-friendly and sustainable products can play a role in tackling climate change, but only if they are genuine.”
In response, Boohoo said it would work “in collaboration” with the CMA and “is committed to providing its customers with accurate information on the products they purchase”.
The sweatshop scandal
Boohoo also has a proven track record of ethical operations in its supply chain.
After claims of sweatshop-like conditions in its factories in 2020, Boohoo commissioned an independent review. The findings revealed that the e-tailer knew of “widespread, if not endemic” problems across its supply chain in Leicester, England, which included numerous life-threatening and health and safety violations and sub-minimum pay.
Led by Alison Levitt, a former legal adviser to the Crown Prosecution Service, the three-month inquiry concluded that while there was no evidence that Boohoo had committed any criminal offences, reports of low pay and unsafe conditions were “substantially truths’ and the company Monitoring of ‘many failures in Leicester’s supply chain’ proved ‘inadequate’ due to ‘poor corporate governance’.
Adding fuel to the fire, Levitt also described dirty toilets, buildings in “deplorable” condition and “no safe drinking water”. She added that Boohoo is “focused on generating revenue sometimes at the expense of the equally important liabilities that large corporate entities have”.
Despite countless accusations, Boohoo released a Hail Mary statement to save face.
“We’ve made some mistakes, but over the past 14 years we’ve done more good than wrong,” Mahmud Kamani, chairman of the Manchester-based ultra-fast fashion e-tailer, told a parliamentary hearing in the Kingdom of Joined December 2020. The business has grown between 50 [percent] 100 more [percent] a year at the top of the line and processes fall; what we are guilty of is that processes are not developed quickly enough.”
Furthermore, Kamani said that while he was “shocked and appalled” by the allegations of labor abuses, any discrepancies occurred in factories that Boohoo did not own or control. “I can’t know everything in this business, but I know this is a priority in our business,” he added.
About a year ago, Boohoo turned on the lights on its new clothing factory in Leicester, which it said would support up to 180 jobs.
“It’s more than just a factory, it’s a learning and collaboration hub, as it gives our teams the opportunity to work on site and an opportunity to see a factory in action first hand,” CEO John Lyttle said in a statement. in that time. “We welcome the opportunity to share that knowledge with the wonderful educational institutions in the city and to strengthen our collaborative working relationships with our approved suppliers.”
