Social responsibility and the compassion fashion trend

Social responsibility is the act that any person or entity takes upon themselves to promote the well-being of society or the environment.

Promoting well-being can be done in many different ways. Volunteering or donating to a good cause are amongst the most common ways to contribute positively towards society, communities, and the environment. Social responsibility does not exclude anyone, and it calls on every person to do some introspection on their impact on society. There is a need for every person to do more than just introspection but to rather find practical ways to make a positive contribution.

In some ways, it is more evident that we have made apparent and positive progress with the upliftment of society and communities. This does not mean that we need to stop contributing valuably toward these concerns. However, the environment seems to be the one aspect that needs more attention and education. Many people might not even know that there are many ways in which they can contribute positively towards the environment, conservation, and animal welfare.

Ethical consumerism, more commonly known as ethical shopping, relates to the purchasing of products made without exploiting people, animals, or the environment. Fast fashion is becoming less trendy and ethical consumerism is on the rise. A“compassion trend” rather than fashion trend is the new way to go. Recent research shows that consumers increasingly expect brands to ensure the welfare of animals used within their supply chains. Brands acting in this way are more likely to resonate well with consumers. Though results are encouraging, we need more people to be more aware of animal cruelty when buying textiles, more transparency within animal supply chains, achievement of good animal-welfare outcomes, and a reduction in the use of animal-derived materials overall.

We have proudly partnered with the Farm Animal Rehabilitation Project which focuses primarily on the rescue and rehabilitation of domestic donkey populations saved from the donkey skins trade. They play a major role on the entire continent of Africa, more especially making noteable progress to force the government of Tanzania to close Africa’s largest donkey slaughterhouse and to impose a 10-year ban on the slaughter of and trade in donkeys and donkey by-products. Donkey skins are not necessarily known for use in the fashion industry but are widely used in the cosmetic industry, and the two overlap quite frequently as beauty products are catalysts between fashion and beauty.

Your contribution to and impact on society, communities and the environment can be positive. You can join our Farm Animal Rehabilitation Project and participate in many different ways to do your bit and more. Invest some time into considering your social responsibility and ways to contribute positively towards society. We encourage you to move with the global trend towards compassion fashion and to make positive contributions however you can.

Yours,

Edward Julius (Volunteer Manager)

The Good Hope Volunteers Team

To be part of our amazing volunteer community, please contact us.