The Global Pursuit of Cheap Labor : - the Race to the Bottom and the Moral Responsibility of the Consumer

Aim: This study aims to analyze four strategies consumers use in order to avoid responsibility concerning the impact one’s clothing consumption can have on human rights. The purpose is to investigate whether the clothing industry contributes, or does not contribute, to human rights. Furthermore the aim is to analyze how these established arguments are justifiable in relation to a theory of moral responsibility. Methodology: This study includes a descriptive and normative argumentation analysis. The data that has been collected for this study mainly consists of various scientific reports from independent sources, reports from diverse human rights organizations and also sustainability reports from a few chosen clothing companies between the years 2015–2019. The chosen clothing companies included in this study were selected as being the largest within the fashion industry. Findings and conclusion: The results of this study are based on four pro-arguments and four contra-arguments which, respectively, are presented. The pro-argumentation supports the thesis that the clothing industry contributes to human rights whereas the counter argumentation undermines the thesis of the study. The facts presented in each argument successfully either support or undermine the thesis and therefore provide with the interpretation that there can be noted connections, as well as lack of connections, between the clothing industry and human rights. The conclusions presented from the analysis show that it is possible for consumers to use the described four strategies in order to avoid responsibility