Triple bottom line refers to a business practice where the profit/loss of a business, or the “bottom line” as it is otherwise known, becomes tied to social and environmental outcomes as well as profit. For the fashion industry, this takes on a unique view of ethical fashion as an opportunity to give back to community, create sustainability, as well as developing a marketable product. It is a trinity that takes all these things into account.

Social

Responsible fashion responds to the communities it serves. This comes in the form of fair wages and employment practices and giving back to the community. Everyone has a voice in this process. All those involved in the manufacturing process benefit from responsible fashion practices. Practices that exploit the workforce and the environment are not sustainable in the long run and will make it more difficult for the industry to continue.

Environmental

One of the names for ethical fashion is slow fashion, because it tries to eliminate waste by creating a product that will last. Slow fashion uses enduring styles that continue through many seasons, that are easy to repair and thus put less of a strain on the environment. The clothing produced is designed for the season in which it is sold.

Resources are limited, and slow fashion addresses this by reducing the resources that are needed to make the product. The need for transport is also limited which further reduces environmental strain. This ties back to responsible fashion addressing the needs of its community by not taking more than that community can sustain and reusing whenever possible.

Financial

The financial impact can be seen in more ways than just the profit/loss of the company. Ethical fashion does need to be marketable in order to continue, and, while clothing sells, it also increases the financial well-being of the community that contributes to its process from the resource suppliers to the manufacturers to the sellers.

Conclusion

Transitioning to the triple bottom line, a bottom line that includes society and the environment along with profit, creates the new wave of clothing design and manufacture and will help develop a more sustainable future for many communities, not just a single one.