Responding with care: ethical measures in the fashion industry during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
Emerald
Materia
Ethics of care Fashion industry COVID-19 Health Sustainability Grand challenges
Fecha
2023-11-09Referencia bibliográfica
Castillo, A., Gutierrez, L., Montiel, I., & Velez-Calle, A. (2023). Responding with care: ethical measures in the fashion industry during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal [10.1108/JFMM-02-2023-0030]
Patrocinador
Government of Andalucia (Research project CV20-45590); Government of Spain (Research projects TED2021-130104B-I00 and PID2021.124725NB.I00)Resumen
Purpose – This paper aims to analyze the ethical responses of the fashion industry to the first wave of the
COVID-19 pandemic when the entire world was shocked by the rapid spread of the virus. The authors
describe lessons from emergency ethics of care in the fashion industry during the initial months of COVID-
19, which can assist fashion managers in improving ethical decisions in future operations.
Design/methodology/approach – Rapid qualitative research methods were employed by conducting realtime,
in-depth interviews with key informants from multinational fashion companies operating in Spain,
a severely affected region. A content analysis of news articles published during the first months of 2020 was
conducted.
Findings – Five critical disruptions in the fashion industry were identified: (1) changes in public needs, (2)
transportation and distribution backlogs, (3) defective and counterfeit supplies, (4) stakeholder relationships at
stake and (5) managers’ coping challenges. Additionally, five business survival responses with a strong ethics
of care component were identified, implemented by some fashion companies to mitigate the damage: (1)
adapting production for public well-being, (2) enhancing the flexibility of logistic networks, (3) emphasizing
quality and innovation, (4) reinventing stakeholder collaborations and (5) practicing responsible leadership.
Originality/value – Despite the well-documented controversies surrounding unethical practices within the
fashion industry, even during COVID-19, our findings inform managers of the potential and capability of
fashion companies to operate more responsibly. The lessons learned can guide fashion companies’ operations
in a post-pandemic society. Furthermore, they can address other grand challenges, such as natural disasters,
geopolitical conflicts and climate change.