It ain't fashion, if it ain't sustainable

Transform Trade

Supply Chains / Small Players

16 May 2023

2 minutes

Due to the high competition between small suppliers in the garment sector, brands are able to purchase orders for very low prices, even below the cost of production. These include costs required to meet code of conduct compliance, as well as necessary production costs like energy or transport prices.

Europe's Fashion SMEs: Squeezed by Unfair Trading Practices, But Power Dynamics Beginning to Change

Researchers from the University of Portsmouth under the aegis of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office have come out with a report that reviews unfair trading practices (UTPs) in textile supply chains, along with a case study analysis of emerging best practices.

By

Staff Writer

Supply Chains / Payments

9 January 2023

3 minutes

The survey looked at the period from March 2020 to December 2021 and was funded by the University of Aberdeen through an award from the Scottish Funding Council under the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).

Most High-Street Fashion Brands in UK Paying Below Cost of Production, Allege Bangladesh Suppliers

A survey conducted by the University of Aberdeen and trade justice charity Transform Trade has said that large fashion brands sourcing clothes from Bangladesh for the UK market are allegedly paying below the cost of production.

By

Staff Writer

Young India Fashion Survey 2025

Textile Recycling Expo

ITF Intertex Portugal 2025

Most Popular

Tariffs and Seconds / SMART View Interview

If unfair trade barriers persist, there's the risk of seeing mountains of usable clothing pile up in the US, while markets abroad fill the gap with cheap, low-quality fast fashion that often results in more waste, not less. Keeping the second-hand clothing trade flowing freely is in everyone’s best interest: economically, socially, and environmentally. This is a moment to build smarter, fairer, and more circular global systems, not to shut them down.

Trade Barriers on Second-Hand Clothing Disrupt a Globally Significant Reverse Supply Chain

Subir Ghosh

24 April 2025

Event Preview / Intertex Portugal Interview

ITF Intertex Portugal expects the participation of over 250 top-tier exhibitors, alongside the anticipated presence of more than 5,000 professionals from over 20 countries.

Balancing Between Nearshoring and Regional Supply Chains with a Global Outlook

Subir Ghosh

3 May 2025