This is a reflection paper about the documentary-film entitled "The True Cost", directed by Andrew Morgan.
by Elena M. Ellana
The True Cost is a phenomenal undertaking that welcomes us on an enlightening excursion throughout the world and into the existences of the many individuals and whereabouts behind our clothes. In this narrative film, we investigate how the real costs are stowed away from our view, and how they are frequently covered up by the international media. We likewise take a gander at how these hidden costs can be utilized to make a more maintainable fashion industry. The film investigates the manners by which every individual from these companies is influenced by the fashion industry's impact on their wellbeing, environment, and security.
Around 2015, Andrew Morgan decided to make a documentary film putting so much interest from a disaster that happened in Bangladesh with thousands of victims that happened 8 years ago. With that, Morgan journeyed around many countries to gather information and conduct interviews. Morgan's focus was on garment industries or most often called the fashion industries. These fashion industries that were being assessed are mainly multinational corporations, markets that are often have externalized control, with low-wage of workers and so many problems arising from worker conditions, overconsumption, pollution, diseases, and death. These are being disregarded by growing industries. H&M is one of the global corporations that take control over Bangladesh as one of its major garment manufacturers. The issue alarming, however, is the concern for laborers to lift the minimum wages and to have a safe working environment. Furthermore, we notice the fashion industry is slowly being the essence of these growing generations and we would not know how would it stop knowing that the demand for a luxurious life is ensuing, foreseeing more better versions in the future. Apart from fashion having the most polluting industries, labor issues, and disrupting Earth's major resources, the consumption behavior of people is also being the conceivable cause-maybe or nearly an effect of these fast-fashion chained norms. Purchasing garments is a mind-boggling practice for consumers. The sentimental facets of self-portrait, impulsivity and the frequent demand in shifting fashion join with expenditures, individual conditions, huge overconsumption, and absence of awareness to practices in this kind of industries to make a difficult set of practices in an attempt to change.
Most of these fast-fashion companies come from mostly high or large countries like United States, Canada, Western Europe, etc. They are called core countries which are dominant capitalist countries. They are mostly dependent on peripheral countries to make or manufacture their products. Examples of peripheral countries are Bangladesh which is the second-largest producer of garments in the world. The core countries use these peripheral countries because the wages of the workers are low and so as the resources being replenished, so it can maintain the minimum price of finished products when they are sent to the markets. The benefits that are happening between peripheral countries and core countries are having an unbalanced distribution causing core countries more profitable than the other.
To sum it all up, the world of the fashion industry has come a long way and it has spread all over the world that many are blinded to the real-life behind these fabrics. Many are deceived that despite the good governance of the company as far as people can see, it has shortcomings and a lack of responsibility in various aspects that they handle. However, corporate social responsibility (CSR) could be a must in terms of these organizations. Practicing corporate social responsibility according to Investopedia is the ability of companies to be knowledgeable of the consequences they are facing in society, involving economic, social, and environmental aspects. These are to be undertaken by corporations to have an intent of positive influence throughout the world. The film teaches us the "true cost" that it's time to reflect on these certain things, the clothes that we wear, it's time to invest in something we should only have. Because at the end of the day, it's not only for those whose grief is in the lack of environmental safety of companies but also for those who greed in these not-so-treasured things, isn't this a social responsibility? Andrew Morgan said in his interview, "Let's back off this endless, constant purchasing and invest in clothes we love". Therefore, if there is an established consumer responsibility for every consumer of any products all around the world, then the corporate world could also better implement their responsibility as humane and as globally competitive as possible.