ISO CERTIFICATIONS AND SUSTAINABLE FASHION PRACTICES IN MALAYSIA: A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31436/iiumlj.v32i2.904Keywords:
ISO Standards, Fashion Industry, Environmental Management System (EMS), Quality Management System (QMS), MalaysiaAbstract
This study aims to investigate the impact of International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) certifications, specifically ISO 14001 for Environmental Management System (EMS) and ISO 9001 for Quality Management System (QMS), on Malaysia’s fashion industry. The research examines the effects of adhering to international standards on the industry’s environmental performance, quality, safety, and efficiency and emphasises the importance of compliance within the existing legal framework. This study leverages qualitative and doctrinal approaches, employing a literature review of research from academic articles, statutes and national policy frameworks to explore the impact of ISO certifications, particularly focusing on ISO 14001 for EMS and ISO 9001 for QMS, and identifies challenges faced by the industry, including compliance costs, lack of specific guidance, and resistance to change, while also investigating the potential positive impact by drawing parallels from other industries. The findings demonstrate that following the ISO standards has positive effects on the legal environment, financial performance, and business operations of fashion companies, enhancing the industry’s sustainability, quality, safety, and efficiency. However, the study suggests that ISO should provide more industry-specific guidance to assist Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the fashion industry, promoting broader and more effective adoption of these standards in Malaysia. The research aligns with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and provides valuable insights and potential strategies for the fashion industry in Malaysia to embrace sustainable and ethical practices in their operations.
Metrics
References
Ali, Qaisar, Asma Salman, Shazia Parveen, and Zaki Zaini. ‘Green Behavior and Financial Performance: Impact on the Malaysian Fashion Industry Qaisar’. SAGE Open 10 (2020): 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020953179.
Ann, Goh Eng, Suhaiza Zailani, and Nabsiah Abd Wahid. ‘A Study on the Impact of Environmental Management System (EMS) Certification towards Firms’ Performance in Malaysia’. Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal 17, no. 1 (2006): 73–93. https://doi.org/10.1108/14777830610639459.
Awise Co Ltd v Carely Industries Sdn Bhd (dahulunya dikenali sebagai LLH Solutions Sdn Bhd) & Ors [2023] MLJU 2157 (2023).
Badhwar, Aayushi, Saniyat Islam, and Caroline Swee Lin Tan. ‘Exploring the Potential of Blockchain Technology within the Fashion and Textile Supply Chain with a Focus on Traceability, Transparency, and Product Authenticity: A Systematic Review’. Frontiers in Blockchain 6, no. February (2023): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbloc.2023.1044723.
Choy, Er Ah. ‘Prestasi Alam Sekitar Rantaian Industri Tekstil Dan Pakaian Di Malaysia: Faktor Dorongan Daripada Perspektif Pemodenan
Ekologi (The Environmental Performance of the Textile and Apparel Industrial Linkage in Malaysia: Motivating Factors from an
Ecological ’. GEOGRAFIA Online Malaysian Journal of Society and Space 5, no. 3 (2009): 44–56. https://doi.org/ISSN 2180-2491.
Department of Standards Malaysia. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS – REQUIREMENTS WITH GUIDANCE FOR USE (FIRST
REVISION) (ISO 14001:2004, IDT) (2005). http://reg.upm.edu.my/eISO/portal/standard ISO/MS ISO 14001 2004.pdf.
Department of Statistics Malaysia. ‘The Annual Economic Statistics (AES) - All Sectors’. Putrajaya, Malaysia, 2022. https://newss.statistics.gov.my/newss-portalx/ep/epProductCatalogForm.seam?cid=8941.
Eicher, Lawrence D., Willy Kuert, Roger Maréchal, Vince Grey, Raymond Frontard, Olle Sturen, Anders Thor, and Roseline Barchietto.
Friendship Among Equals: Recollections from ISO’s First Fifty Years. ISO (International Organization for Standardization), 1997. http://www.iso.org/iso/home/about/the_iso_story.htm.
‘Green Technology Master Plan Malaysia 2017-2030’. Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water (KeTTHA). Putrajaya: Ministry of Energy, Green Technology and Water Malaysia (KeTTHA), 2017. https://www.pmo.gov.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Green-
Technology-Master-Plan-Malaysia-2017-2030.pdf.
Hazudin, Siti Fahazarina, Siti Aishah Mohamad, Ilyani Azer, Rozain Daud, and Halil Paino. ‘ISO 14001 and Financial Performance: Is the Accreditation Financially Worth It for Malaysian Firms’. Procedia Economics and Finance, 2015, 56–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(15)01131-4.
Hultgren, Michael, and Fredrik Pajala. ‘Blockchain Technology in Construction Industry- Transparency and Traceability in Supply Chain’. ROYAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, 2018. http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1229861/FULLTEXT01.pdf.
Igini, Martina. ‘10 Concerning Fast Fashion Waste Statistics’. Earth.Org, 2023. https://earth.org/statistics-about-fast-fashion-waste/.
International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). ‘ISO 11612:2015’. Accessed 15 March 2024.
https://www.iso.org/standard/57457.html.
International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). ‘Technical Committees’. Accessed 24 April 2024. https://www.iso.org/technical-
committees.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘About Us’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/about-us.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘Contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals with ISO Standards’. Geneva, Switzerland, 2018. https://www.iso.org/publication/PUB100429.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘DSM-Malaysia-Membership: Member Body’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/member/1911.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘ISO/TC 38 (Textiles)’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/committee/48148.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘ISO 14001:2015(En) Environmental Management Systems — Requirements with Guidance for Use’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/en/#iso:std:iso:14001:ed-3:v1:en.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management Systems — Requirements with Guidance for Use’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/standard/60857.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘ISO 45001:2018 Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems — Requirements with Guidance for Use’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/standard/63787.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘ISO 8559-2:2017 Size Designation of Clothes — Part 2: Primary and Secondary Dimension Indicators’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/standard/64075.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management Systems — Requirements’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/standard/62085.html.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO). ‘Standards’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.iso.org/standards.html.
Keng, Tan Chin, and Syazwan Zainul Kamal. ‘IMPLEMENTATION OF ISO QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES OF MALAYSIA’. Journal of Technology Management and Business 3, no. 1 (2016): 1–23.
Lo, Chris K.Y., Andy C.L. Yeung, and T.C.E. Cheng. ‘The Impact of Environmental Management Systems on Financial Performance in Fashion and Textiles Industries’. International Journal of Production Economics 135 (2012): 561–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2011.05.010.
Macchion, Laura, Andrea Furlan, and Andrea Vinelli. ‘The Implementation of Traceability in Fashion Networks’. In 18th Working
Conference on Virtual Enterprises (PROVE). Vicenza, Italy, 2017. https://inria.hal.science/hal-01674902/file/455531_1_En_8_Chapter.pdf.
Malaysiakini. ‘Taylor’s University Continues to Be a Trailblazer in Fashion Education’. 10 July 2023. https://www.malaysiakini.com/brandedcontent/671461.
Malaysian Green Technology And Climate Change Corporation. ‘MyHijau SME & Entrepreneur Development Program’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.mgtc.gov.my/our-services/myhijau-sme-entrepreneur-development-program/#:~:text=MyHIJAU SME and Entrepreneur Development,local green products and services.
MS ISO 4415:2005 (2005). https://mysol.jsm.gov.my.
MS ISO 5084:2003, Department of Standards Malaysia § (2003). https://mysol.jsm.gov.my
MS ISO 9001:2015 (2015). https://www.iium.edu.my/media/70818/MS ISO 9001 2015 ENG.pdf.
Muslim, Nina. ‘Saving The Environment One Dress At A Time’. Fokus BERNAMA, 18 September 2023. https://www.bernama.com/en/bfokus/news.php?environment&id=2226538#:~:text=FASHION WASTE&text=According to SWCorp and KlothCares,tonnes end up in landfills.
Nedra, Abbes, Xu Jun, Sejri Nèjib, and Duan Jiajia. ‘Effect of ISO (9001) Certification and Article Type Produced on Lean Six Sigma Application Successes: A Case Study Within Textile Companies’. Fibres and Textiles in Eastern Europe 30, no. 2 (2022): 17–22. https://doi.org/10.2478/ftee-2022-0003.
Patagonia. ‘Material Traceability’. Accessed 6 May 2024. https://www.patagonia.com/our-footprint/material-traceability.html.
Penfabric. ‘Penfabric: About Us - OEKO-TEX’, 2023. https://www.penfabric.com.my/aboutus/OEKO-TEX.html.
Razali, H. M., M. Ibrahim, M. Omar, and S. F.M. Hashim. ‘Current Challenges of The Batik Industry in Malaysia and Proposed Solutions’. AIP Conference Proceedings 2347, no. July (2021). https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0055651.
Shaharudin, Rizaimy Mohd, Siti Fairuza Hassam, Jamaludin Akbar, Nik Ramli Nik Abdul Rashid, and Noor Fatihah Natashabiha Mohd Noor. ‘Determinants of ISO 9001 Quality Management System Effectiveness Amongst Electrical And Electronics Manufacturing Firms In
Malaysia’. International Journal for Quality Research 12, no. 3 (2018): 655–76. https://doi.org/10.18421/IJQR12.03-07.
Sorooshian, Shahryar, and Lee Sue Yee. ‘Demotivating Factors Affecting the Implementation of ISO 14001:2015 in Malaysia’. Environmental Quality Management 29 (2019): 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.21664.
Standards of Malaysia Act 1996 (Act 549) (n.d.). https://jsm.gov.my/images/1-about-dsm/corporate-info/document/Act_549_-_Standards_of_Malaysia_Act_1996_as_at_30_April_2012.pdf.
Thakker, Alka Madhukar, and Danmei Sun. ‘Sustainable Development Goals for Textiles and Fashion’. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29453-1.
United Nations. ‘Take Action For The Sustainable Development Goals’. Accessed 15 March 2024. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/.
Wang, Yiyan, and Norsaadah Zakaria. ‘Influence of Size and Fit on Malaysian Apparel Industry Sustainability : A Scoping Review’. Sustainability (Switzerland) 16, no. 6 (2024): 1–14. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062486.
Yusof, N. J. M., T. Sabir, and J. McLoughlin. ‘Quality Approaches for Mass-Produced Fashion: A Study in Malaysian Garment
Manufacturing’. International Journal of Mechanical, Aerospace, Industrial, Mechatronic and Manufacturing Engineering 9, no. 10 (2015): 1675–81. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nor-Mohd-Yusof-2/publication/313006281_Quality_Approaches_of_Mass-
Produced_Fashion_-_A_Study_in_Malaysian_Garment_Manufacturing/links/588c2d5292851cef13601250/Quality-Approaches-of-Mass-Produced-Fashion-A-Study-in-Mala.
Zimon, Dominik, Teresa Gajewska, and Marcela Malindzakova. ‘Implementing the Requirements of ISO 9001 and Improvement Logistics Processes in Smes Which Operate in the Textile Industry’. Autex Research Journal 18, no. 4 (2018): 392–97. https://doi.org/10.1515/aut-2018-0020.
Zimon, Dominik, and Peter Madzik. ‘Impact of Implementing ISO 14001 Standard Requirements for Sustainable Supply Chain Management in the Textile Industry’. FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe 27, no. 6 (2019): 8–14. https://doi.org/10.5604/01.3001.0013.4462.
Zimon, Dominik, Peter Madzik, and Robert Sroufe. ‘The Influence of ISO 9001 & ISO 14001 on Sustainable Supply Chain Management in the Textile Industry’. Sustainability (Switzerland) 12, no. 10 (2020): 1–19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12104282.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
© Copyright 1993-2024 IIUM Press
The IIUM Law Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
- Consent to publish: The Author(s) undertakes that the article named above is original and consents that the IIUM Press publishes it.
- Previous publication: The Author(s) guarantees that the article named above has not been published before in any form, that it is not concurrently submitted to another publication, and that it does not infringe anyone’s copyright. The Author(s) holds the IIUM Press and Editors of IIUM Law Journal harmless against all copyright claims.
- Transfer of copyright: The Author(s) hereby transfers the copyright of the article to the IIUM Press, which shall have the exclusive and unlimited right to publish the article in any form, including on electronic media. The Journal in turn grants the Author(s) the right to reproduce the article for educational and scientific purposes, provided the written consent of the Publisher is obtained.
