Fashion Revolution was formed just after the tragic Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013 in response to the incident and the lack of knowledge around the question: “who made my clothes?”
The question sparked the beginnings of a global movement for transparency, catalysing conversations and public education around the way clothes are made to demand justice and dignity for the people who “make our clothes”, JustStyle reported.
In 2017, to increase pressure on the industry and give citizens the data they need to power their activism, the Global Fashion Transparency Index in 2017 was launched to measure what big fashion is telling us about their human rights and environmental practices because greater transparency is the starting point to accountability and systemic change.
“A decade later, the Fashion Revolution movement is now strong across 80 countries globally, united by a common vision of a global fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment and values people over growth and profit,” the organisation says.
Fashion Revolution – progress in the last decade
Transparency: Since its beginnings in 2017, through the Fashion Transparency Index (FTI) Fashion Revolution has seen 86% of major fashion brands that have been analysed continuously increase their levels of disclosure with an average of 15 percentage points, with some of these brands increasing their transparency by up to 54%. From just 100 brands initially, today the FTI has expanded to encompass 250 of the world’s largest brands, with 61% actively engaged.
In 2023, for the first time, two brands scored 80% or higher in the Global FTI. After years of slow movement in the luxury fashion sector – when transparency of supplier lists seemed unimaginable – some luxury brands are now disclosing this information even down to raw material level, with the five biggest movers being all luxury brands in 2023. Overall, despite the FTI being in its eighth iteration, far too many brands still disclose nothing year after year, and industry-wide progress remains painfully slow, with brands’ overall average score currently only 26%.
The most notable development can be attributed to the Bangladesh Accord on Health and Safety. Now known as the International Accord on Fire and Building Safety, it was signed just weeks after Rana Plaza and remains the only legally binding agreement in the fashion industry to date. Its achievements are remarkable in terms of life and limb worker issues and saving lives that shouldn’t have been jeopardised in the first place. Fashion Revolution says we must continue to advocate for its protection and expansion.
Transparency has grown from being radical to an expectation from many consumers who are actively seeking ethical fashion alternatives. The fashion industry is very aware of the change in consumer sentiment, and this shift has been disappointingly coupled with a rise in empty promises and misleading claims. In recent years, there has been a growing backlash towards greenwashing, with some citizens launching legal cases against offending brands and calling out public figures online for aligning with them. Citizens globally have mobilised in their hundreds of thousands to campaign for social and environmental justice, and stand with garment worker movements
But despite the progress, there is still some way to go in terms of cleaning up the fashion industry, says Fashion Revolution.
“After a decade of slow progress, it seems the fashion industry is, for the most part, still failing to do what is the bare minimum: taking accountability for its decisions and actions,” adds Fashion Revolution.