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Fashion companies are increasingly being confronted by critical social organisations and consumers who want to know where and how their clothing is made. There is a growing need for new products and services that can be made and delivered with respect for human beings and the environment. At one time the image of durable and responsible clothing was quite negative. It was hardly what you would call hip and fun – the clothing of the sandals-and-woolly-socks types. This situation is now beginning to change. Recent attention for CSR and the constant lobbying and activities by social organisations such as the Clean Clothes Campaign www.cleanclothes.org and Goede Waar have stirred many consumers and companies to action.

Designers and other concerned individuals in the fashion and clothing chain are starting a wide range of initiatives that demonstrate the close relationship that can exist between CSR and fashion.
Step by step, many companies are trying to change for the better. New initiatives are being undertaken, in the Netherlands and elsewhere in the world, and the fashion sector is quickly catching up in this area. This is essential, because in the entire life cycle of an article of clothing (from raw materials to the rubbish heap), social and ecological themes are of great importance. A lot of clothing is produced in low wage countries where the working conditions in the factories often leave much to be desired. And in a number of cases, the production of clothing and its raw materials is very harmful for the environment.