Read the text and complete the gaps in the sentences.

Fashion is big business. The clothing industry accounts for a massive share of retail profits worldwide. It is estimated that the industry is worth around $1.3 trillion (just under £1 million million), excluding shoes, jewellery and second-hand clothes. Just over half of that comes from sales of womenswear, while menswear accounts for approximately 31% and childrenswear for 16%. The market is dominated by ten countries, with the USA and China responsible for 42% of all spending. Fashion’s success is partly due to comparatively low prices on the high street, combined with a minority of customers who are happy to pay a higher price for luxury items. But why are companies able to keep prices so low on the high street – so low that clothes from the cheaper shops are sometimes known as ‘fast fashion’, which can be thrown away when they’re no longer wanted? Material can be bought very cheaply in some parts of the world, and it can also be produced very quickly. In addition, there are some countries where labour is available cheaply – the workers who manufacture clothes can be paid a lot less than workers in the west. The savings from these low costs are passed on to customers. Some customers are not happy about this, however, and alongside the rise in ‘fast fashion’, there has been an increase in the number of ethical consumers who are demanding changes in the industry. Their concerns include the working conditions in the factories where clothes are made, as well as environmental issues resulting from the way crops like cotton are grown and materials are produced – often with harmful chemicals. Animal cruelty can be a concern too, as well as the amount of waste that is generated by ‘fast fashion’. So how are businesses responding to these concerns? Well, there are clearly opportunities for businesses to act differently to generate the profit they need to survive, but to create a different kind of wealth for society. The relationship with their suppliers is an obvious starting point, and a number of companies now follow fairtrade ideals. As well as paying farmers, producers and the people who make their clothes a fair price, they help producers to improve their business skills. People Tree is an example of a clothing company which has taken this opportunity. It was founded in 1991 by the social entrepreneur Safia Minney, and was the first fashion company to be awarded the World Fair Trade Organisation product label. This recognises the company’s contribution to fair pay, good working conditions and equal rights for women. It has also won awards for its environmental standards – it uses natural materials for its clothes, and doesn’t use dangerous chemicals. Other entrepreneurs and start-ups have since started to work in a similar way. Could the future be looking optimistic for ethical fashion?


1 Around ___________________________ in the clothing industry comes from menswear.
2 Shoppers in the USA and China account for __________________________ of the total spending.
3 Low cost of material and ___________________________ means that clothes can be very cheap.
4 Some companies are helping their suppliers by ___________________________.
5 The environmental standards that People Tree follows are: ___________________________.