IB English B Globalization & Ethics Notes

Solution

Title: The True Cost of Cheap Clothes

Every week, new styles appear on shop racks for the price of a coffee. For students, this feels like freedom: a chance to change our look without breaking the bank. But behind every $5 T-shirt is a chain of factories, workers, and consequences we rarely see.

The Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh in 2013 killed more than 1,100 garment workers. They were producing clothes for global brands, sold cheaply to consumers like us. Low prices depend on long hours, poor safety, and wages that barely cover food. When we buy fast fashion without thinking, we are part of that cycle.

Of course, not everyone can afford expensive sustainable brands. But there are practical steps: buy fewer items, swap clothes with friends, or support shops that commit to fair trade. These choices send a signal that students care about more than just price.

Globalisation has connected us, but it also demands responsibility. The question is not “Should I buy clothes?” but “At what cost?”

Solution

Title: Fashion at Any Price?

Globalisation has put trends at our fingertips. From Madrid to Manila, a student can walk into a mall and buy the same shirt for the same low price. On the surface, this looks like equality. Everyone, no matter where they live, can access the same styles instantly. But the truth is more complex. While consumers enjoy cheap fashion, the workers who produce it often face unsafe conditions and wages that barely cover food.

The 2013 Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh is the clearest example. Over 1,100 people died making clothes for brands we recognise. Cracks were visible in the building walls, yet workers were forced inside to meet global demand. This was not a random accident; it was the logical outcome of a system built on pressure to produce more, faster, and cheaper.

Some argue that these jobs, even poorly paid, are better than no jobs at all. They say fast fashion factories offer income where there are few alternatives. That is partly true. Yet “some income” cannot justify the absence of safety or dignity. Globalisation has connected us through supply chains, so ethics must travel across borders too. The benefits of trade should never come at the cost of basic rights.

Fast fashion also raises another question: identity. Walk through any high street and you will find the same brands, the same slogans, the same cuts of clothing. Local textile traditions, once tied to culture and history, are being displaced by global logos. Globalisation is not just producing cheap clothes; it is producing a homogenised consumer culture, where individuality is reduced to a logo on a T-shirt.

Consumers, however, are not powerless. Fairtrade labels and campaigns such as Fashion Revolution demand transparency from brands. Social media allows students to share information about ethical alternatives and expose scandals quickly. Choosing fewer, longer-lasting items or buying second-hand are simple acts that reduce demand for disposable fashion. Governments also play a role. New European legislation now requires fashion companies to check factory standards across their supply chains. This proves accountability is possible when consumer pressure and policy combine.

The issue goes beyond clothing. It asks a larger question: what values are we willing to wear? Globalisation offers us convenience, variety, and low prices, but at a hidden human cost. Our generation has the chance to redefine what “fashionable” means — not just what looks good, but what is produced fairly. The challenge is whether we will keep buying without thought, or whether we will use the reach of globalisation to demand fairness across borders.