Significance and Challenges of Developing a Sustainable Consumption Society

Retail Geography Analysis
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Retail Geography Analysis
Business entities continue to expand the scope of the operations to create more value and make more profits. Part of the expansion constitutes utilization of the scarce resources to create consistent value to customers. Amidst such expansion has risen questions about environmental sustainability, ethical production, and fair trade. It is fair to assert that most organizations still do not adhere to the paradigms above. Often, businesses opt for solutions that befit their own revenue future with little emphasis on the overall impacts that their actions could trigger. That has been marked with operations in the fashion industry. The fashion industry is a competitive and highly attractive industry. Prospects in this industry are dominated by business entities that are primarily motivated to make profits than to be sustainable. This paper explores primary data from Forever 21, Urban Outfitters, and Roots to showcase their adherence to environmental sustainability, ethical production, and fair trade. The analysis is important as it exposes the manner in which organizations value their financial growth at the expense of important factors such as sustainability and the possible impacts of the current trends to the future generations.
Data
The data collected from the three organizations above would be critical to evaluating the manner in which such an organization adheres to the three factors above. Data collection involved surveys where an organization was assessed based on what it showcased visually. Products, structures, and the general presence in the society were integral components of data collection. Research also explored direct interviews where customers would be interviewed about their favorite outlets. Ultimately, the data was collected and recorded from questionnaires. Open-ended questions would be used to determine various operational aspects of each of the three organizations.
The collected data was as follows:
The data was rated as Poor, Good, or Excellent. The data was collected from an average of 10 respondents. An approval of fewer than 3 people translates to poor, 4-6 respondents’ approval is good, and an organizations’ performance is rated as Excellent if approved with more than 7 respondents.
Organization

Environmental Sustainability

Ethical Production

Fair Trade

Forever 21

Poor (2 of 10 Respondents believe that they value the environment)

Good (5 of 10 respondents believe that the entity is rooted in ethical practice)

Good (4 out of 10 respondents believe that Forever 21 trades fairly and with respect to competition)

Urban Outfitters

Poor (0 out of 10 believe in their commitment to environmental sustainability)

Poor (7 out of 10 respondents disapproved the organization’s adherence to ethical practice)

Good (5 out of 10 respondents believe that Urban Outfitters trades fairly and respects the rules of engagement)

Roots

Good (6 out of 10 respondents believe that Roots is in the right path to protect the environment)

Excellent (7 out of 10 respondents believe that the organization roots its operations in ethics)

Excellent (8 out of 10 participants believe that Roots values social fairness and trades while valuing its competitors)

Data from Survey and Observation
The survey and observation delved into other factors in which most consumers seemed not to understand or had no information at all. First was Forever 21. The organization has not made any public declarations about their policy towards environmental sustainability. With a lack of transparency, one is only left to believe that the organization is not emphasizing environmental protection and that is why they are quiet on such a critical issue. Regarding the labor conditions, the organization performed averagely. That is because they have a supplier code of conduct and they audit portions of the organization as a policy. It is, however, unclear whether they have a stable worker empowerment policy. The organization also performed poorly on animal welfare rating where it was notable that they still use exotic animal hair, leather, and wool in their production. They do not use exotic animal skin or fur on their production though.
Urban Outfitters also performed averagely in a number of factors in the observation and survey prospects. Urban Outfitters has shown little motivation to preserve the environment. That is because of their Urban Renewal portfolio that they produce using eco-friendly materials. The organization has also made a public commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. However, the organization has failed to showcase any evidence of its motivation to eliminate hazardous materials in its value chain. They also do not have a definitive report on their water usage or preservation strategies. Urban Outfitters has a sound CSR policy where they encourage their employees and even customers to give back to the community. The company has failed to distance itself from cotton from Uzb...