Sustainability Challenges in the Fashion Industry: Managing Waste and Ethical Labor Practices

Objectives: To investigate the sustainability issues facing the fashion industry, with a focus on waste management and ethical labor standards. To evaluate consumer awareness, buying behavior, and company sustainability projects. To address the key environmental degradation and unethical labor practices within the fast fashion industry. Methods: A mixed-methods approach was used, including: Consumer surveys, Expert interviews, Case studies, Secondary sources. Regression analysis was applied to evaluate the relationship between consumer knowledge and sustainable fashion choices. Results: Consumer knowledge about sustainability does not notably affect sustainable fashion choices, highlighting a gap between awareness and actual shopping behavior. Despite CSR efforts, ethical labor practices remain a significant issue, with garment workers suffering from low pay, poor working conditions, and few rights. The industry faces short product lifecycles, excessive textile waste, and the problem of greenwashing, which undermines sustainability efforts. Conclusion: Recommendations include: Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) systems for waste management, Governmental interventions to enforce supply chain transparency. Financial incentives to support sustainable consumption. Systemic change may be driven by strengthening corporate responsibility, consumer education, and investing in circular economy models (recycling, upcycling, resale). Achieving a more ethical and ecologically responsible fashion sector requires collective efforts from legislators, fashion companies, and consumers.