Accrediting Ethical Fashion

Investigating the implementation of third-party ethical certification in Australian fashion social enterprise.

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Background

In response to widespread concern over issues of sustainability and unethical practices, many fashion businesses are seeking out accreditation systems in a bid to mitigate consumer mistrust and communicate different ethical and sustainable aspects of their business models.

Fashion social enterprises comprise a small but important section of the Australian fashion industry and as values- and mission-focused enterprises, they have a significantly higher incentive to validate claims regarding ethical or sustainable credentials.

Within a landscape that includes 14 key third-party accreditation systems, Australian fashion social enterprises are faced with a complex task of navigating which accreditation systems are the most suitable for their business operations.

Report

Our report draws on the insights gained from a series of roundtable focus groups and in-depth interviews with academics and representatives from government agencies (GAs), accreditation organisations (AOs) and fashion social enterprises (FSEs).

Our research identified six common issues regarding the implementation of ethical accreditation systems for fashion social enterprise:

Cost of accreditation
Value of accreditation
Layering of accreditation
Risks of using accreditation
Risks of non-accreditation
Expectation of ethical ‘perfection’.

Together, the analysis of these issues provides a comprehensive picture of the challenges involved in the accreditation process and informs our recommendations of how the implementation of third-party accreditations can be better supported.

Read the report

Key findings

Accreditation and certification systems have the potential to encourage the implementation of more ethical and sustainable practices in Australian FSEs and across the broader Australian fashion industry. However, as this research indicates, there are currently several barriers that prevent FSEs from becoming accredited through third-party systems and challenges that hinder these accreditation systems from having the impact they aim for.

Based on the six common issues identified, we have established four recommendations to better facilitate the process of third-party ethical accreditation and certification: consumer education, cost subsidies and resourcing, baseline ethical standards, and regulation of accrediting bodies.

Support

The Enabling Impact Platforms provided funding to support the research including the roundtables, transcription and research assistance. They also connected the team with relevant interdisciplinary researchers to provide advice and participate in the roundtables. 

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

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Accrediting Ethical Fashion