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.

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

Journal: Sustainable Futures

Database Source: Elsevier

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

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.

• 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.

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