UK retailers defend selling cheap clothes in sustainability enquiry

A cropped top in jersey featuring glittery threads with narrow shoulder straps retails for just 3.99 pounds on the H&M website. A pair of blue skinny jeans is a steal for 7 pounds at Primark. These retailers, along with most of the UK high street chains including Topshop, Asos and Boohoo, defended their models of selling cheap fashion in parliament this week when questioned as part of the Environmental Audit Committee’s ongoing inquiry into sustainability of the fashion industry.