In the fashion industry, ethics are related to ensuring that companies don’t compromise on the safety and quality of the product.
Many fast fashion brands are usually held accountable for their ethics. This is because many of them are using harmful practices such as polluting water bodies, conducting animal testing, discrimination, and giving extremely low wages.
Fast fashion brands are increasingly becoming a problem for the world. These brands are producing very negative effect on our ecosystem.
Many shoppers have started making a conscious effort in order to reduce their impact on the environment.
In this article, I’ll be discussing whether the brand Aritzia, is a fast fashion one or not.
So let’s get right to it!
Is it really fast fashion?
The brand, Aritzia, is one of the leading brands when it comes to fast fashion. It’s one of the most approachable brands as it offers trendy clothing to its customers.
Aritzia is a Canadian brand which was launched in 1984. Its aim is to provide beautiful clothes in aspirational stores with exceptional service. The brand has grown to become Canada’s most popular brand.
Why it may be better than other companies, Aritzia is still a fast fashion brand.
This becomes a problem for the world because fast fashion brands contribute towards the destruction of our ecosystem.
As these brands produce clothes in bulk and come up with the latest trends every other week, they’re also responsible for producing a lot of waste. As soon as a new trend arrives, the old one is discarded and ends up in landfills.
These brands also use materials which aren’t as eco-friendly. For instance, they make use of hazardous chemicals which are neither safe for the environment, nor you.
On the other hand, the brand admits to using some environmental friendly materials, such as Tencel.
However, upon research, no evidence could be found that it’s taking meaningful action to reduce the hazardous chemicals.
Although, they have become carbon neutral, but this just isn’t enough. There was no evidence found against reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their supply chain either.
Is Aritzia an ethical company?
A brand is considered to be ethical if it consciously makes moral decision and is making efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. Ethical brands don’t harm humans, animals, or the environment.
This Canadian brand has always regarded itself as an ethical one. They have dedicated an entire page on their website to showcase their efforts towards sustainability.
For instance, Aritzia released a statement in 2020 which stated that they’ve significantly reduced their carbon emissions.
It also claims that they’re trying to explore sustainable methods of production. The brand believes that upholding human rights is one of its priorities and also tries to ensure a healthy workplace.
However, many people tend to doubt these ethical claims. This is because fast fashion brands are known for using harmful chemicals.
Aritzia has failed to provide any information on what action they’ve taken to stop using harmful chemicals.
This brand also lacks transparency in its use of water and cotton. They’ve shown no way on how they help in reducing wastage.
Therefore, how can a brand be considered ethical, if they’re not even transparent about their practices. It makes one think about what they’re hiding.
Ethical brands are also the ones that are cruelty-free. Aritzia has banned the use of fur, wool, leather, and other animals in their products. They’ve also published many animal-friendly policies.
However, their efforts and claims have no value because they haven’t been certified by any animal rights organizations.
Does Aritzia use child labor?
Unfortunately, Aritzia hasn’t published any information regarding its suppliers or the working conditions in their factories.
This makes it extremely difficult to find out whether this brand is following fair labor policies or not.
However, it tries to ensure its customers that they are committed to eliminating all sorts of discrimination as well as unequal pay.
Moreover, Aritzia has condemned child labor as well as other labor practices which are harmful and unfair.
On the other hand, it’s extremely hard for customers to trust this brand and its claims regarding labor standards.
This is because they haven’t provided the public with any information about the location of their factories.
This Canadian brand achieved a score of 11 to 20% in the Fashion transparency index. There was no evidence found that the brand ensures payment of a living wage.
Due to a lack of transparency, many people rate this brand as not good enough and find it unethical as well.
Where does Aritzia make their clothing?
It’s been reported that Aritzia manufactures its clothing in Italy as well as the USA. However, the company doesn’t disclose any information to the public about where its suppliers are located.
Aritzia is owned by Brian Hill who is a Canadian entrepreneur. He has employed more than 2000 people.
Aritzia also published a code of conduct that states that all suppliers must pay the workers a living wage. It also insures that safety standards are met.
However, it was found that they have a factory in Vietnam. This adds to the problem because this country is known for having low production costs because of poor labor conditions.
Many fast fashion brands prefer countries like these as it keeps their costs low while also maintaining high profits.
In order to become more sustainable, Aritzia moved towards manufacturing products that are made using recycled materials and organic cotton. Their commitment towards quality as well as sustainability makes one trust them a little bit.
However, to be able to form a supportive customer base, the company needs to be more transparent about its practices.
Final Thoughts
Aritzia isn’t a conventional fast-fashion brand, but it definitely comes under the umbrella of being one.
It’s considered a better choice than other fast fashion brands. However, Aritzia can do much better in terms of providing information regarding its practices and policies.
The lack of transparency makes people avoid it the most. Even though Aritzia is a fast-fashion brand, its efforts towards becoming better for the environment don’t go unnoticed.
Through sustainable efforts like reducing waste and managing greenhouse gas emissions, Aritzia has taken a step in the right direction.
