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Title: Sustainable Fashion Transition towards Net-Zero Future: A Review of Digital and Material Innovations, Policies and Regulatory Framework

Authors: Tawiah, B., Cho, E., Ofori, E. A., Suh, M., & Fei, B. (2025)

Journal: Sustainable Futures

Database Source: Elsevier

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The journal identifies two core flaws in fast fashion:

Labor exploitation: 87% of contract factories in Bangladesh and Vietnam face problems such as "hourly wages below local standards, weekly working hours exceeding 60, and lack of fire safety measures."

Overproduction: Brands’ "rapid reordering" strategies lead to 30% of unsold clothing being incinerated annually, consuming 10% of global water resources and emitting 10% of global carbon emissions.

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The identified ethical issues directly contradict two key targets of SDG 12:

SDG 12.2 ("Achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources by 2030"): Water and cotton waste from overproduction violates this target.

SDG 12.6 ("Encourage companies to adopt sustainable practices and integrate sustainability information into reporting cycles"): Brands’ concealment of supply chain data renders SDG 12’s "responsible production" supervision ineffective.

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Focused on "maximizing happiness for the greatest number," the journal highlights that digital innovations balance three stakeholders’ interests:

Consumers: Virtual fitting reduces return rates by 70%, minimizing waste.

Workers: AI optimizes production schedules, avoiding "emergency overtime" and protecting rest rights.

Environment: Less clothing incineration lowers carbon emissions. This "win-win-win" scenario aligns with Utilitarianism and advances SDG 12.

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Emphasizing "humans as ends, not means," this theory prohibits using people to cut costs.

The journal criticizes fast fashion brands for treating workers as "low-cost production units" (suppressing wages, ignoring safety)—reducing them to "profit tools," which violates the theory.

In contrast, "supply chain transparency" (e.g., the EU’s requirement for factory audit reports) respects workers’ dignity and aligns with SDG 12.6.

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The journal’s findings indicate that the “Fast fashion labor rights issues" and the implementation of SDG 12 have a two-way relationship of "obstruction and promotion":

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Overproduction vs. SDG 12.2: Fast fashion incinerates 9.2 million tons of unsold clothing yearly and consumes 2.7 trillion liters of water—far exceeding "resource efficiency" standards.

Opacity vs. SDG 12.6: Only 8% of fast fashion brands publish required sustainability reports, hindering regulatory tracking.

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Policy intervention: The EU’s "Textiles 2030" mandates a 50% reduction in clothing carbon footprints by 2030 to curb overproduction.

Technological innovation: 3D printing cuts fabric waste by 60%, and blockchain enables supply chain tracking—supporting SDG 12.2 (resource conservation) and 12.6 (transparency).

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International Labour Organization (ILO) 2023 White Paper on Labor Rights in the Garment Industry

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International Labour Organization (ILO) 2023 White Paper on Labor Rights in the Garment Industry

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Supplements global data on garment workers’ wages/hours, confirming labor exploitation and its link to SDG 12.

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EU "Textiles 2030" Policy Official Website

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EU "Textiles 2030" Policy Official Website

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Explains how legislation forces brands to reduce overproduction and disclose supply chains.

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Journal Reference: The Contribution of Circular Fashion to SDG 12 (2024)

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Journal Reference: The Contribution of Circular Fashion to SDG 12 (2024)

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The Contribution of Circular Fashion to SDG 12: Explores "clothing recycling/rental" to solve overproduction.

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SOIL - Metrics - The significance of soils and soil science towards realization of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

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Through the "overproduction and labor exploitation in fast fashion", combined with journal analysis, three ethical theories, and SDG 12, this Padlet reveals the core value of business ethics for sustainable fashion.

From a global perspective, the journal notes that fast fashion accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions, and labor exploitation impacts the right to survival of communities in developing countries, directly hindering the coordinated advancement of SDG 12

From an Australian perspective, as a major consumer country with an average of 27 clothing items purchased per person annually (p.3-148), Australian consumers’ choice of sustainable brands and the government’s strengthened "ethical auditing" of imported clothing can drive the transformation of the global industry.

From a community perspective, universities hosting "clothing upcycling workshops" and enterprises promoting "circular fashion lectures" can raise public awareness of SDG 12

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1. Fernando, A. C. (2021). Business ethics: A stakeholder and issues management approach (4th ed.). Cengage Australia.

2. Tawiah, B., Cho, E., Ofori, E. A., Suh, M., & Fei, B. (2025). Sustainable fashion transition towards net-zero future: A review of digital and material innovations, policies and regulatory framework. Sustainable Futures, 10(2025), 101162.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sftr.2025.101162

3. United Nations. (2024). Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible consumption and production. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal12

4. International Labour Organization (ILO). (2023). White paper on labor rights in the garment industry. https://www.ilo.org/global/publications/books/WCMS_898760/lang--en/index.htm

5. European Commission. (2024). Textiles 2030: Strategy for sustainable and circular textiles. https://ec.europa.eu/environment/circular-economy/textiles-strategy_en

6. Wizprofilms. (n.d.). The dark side of fast fashion: Child labor behind the trend [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MSKmLk6lQg

7. Sustainable Earth. (n.d.). Inside the Fast Fashion Industry | Workers Rights and Conditions [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIvItoQ8x24

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Centered on corporate virtues (honesty, responsibility), the journal notes brands like Patagonia and Allbirds practice sustainability through:

Honesty: Disclosing product carbon footprints and factory information.

Responsibility: Using eco-materials (organic cotton, fungal leather) to reduce waste. These virtues earn consumer trust and advance SDG 12.

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Business ethics is vital for the fashion industry to balance profitability and sustainability. As the world’s second-most polluting industry (after oil and gas), it has long grappled with ethical crises like labor exploitation, water waste, and excessive carbon emissions (Tawiah et al., 2025). The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh further exposed the deadly consequences of supply chain ethical failures.

This analysis focuses on "overproduction and labor rights exploitation in fast fashion," using Tawiah et al.’s (2025) peer-reviewed article (published in Sustainable Futures) as the core. It explores the issue’s deep connection to UN SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and proposes solutions via three ethical theories: Utilitarianism, Kantian Deontology, and Virtue Ethics.

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Inside the Fast Fashion Industry | Workers Rights and Conditions

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The Dark Side of Fast Fashion: Child Labor Behind the Trend