Part 6. In 2013 the Fashion Revolution campaign, “Who made my clothes,” was launched in England, evolving into a global movement that was spawned from the Rana Plaza building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh killing over a thousand people, and injuring many more.(11) Reports state the building was structurally unsafe and not up to code. Many issues led to the Dhaka factory collapse, and it is only one example of unfortunate factory incidents that have taken place since industrialized manufacturing. It is alleged that managers in a separate incident at a Bangladesh factory fire had prevented the employees from fleeing, costing the lives of over 100 mostly women workers. On September 11, 2012, two separate factory incidents occurred in Pakistan. In the commercial capital of Karachi, 300 people were burned to death in a factory fire. An investigation into the incident discovered that emergency exits in that building had been blocked. The second fire that day happened in a shoe factory killing 25 people. The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety was established in the weeks following the Dhaka factory collapse. A second coalition also comprised of representation from major fashion retailers joined the efforts for ensuring safe environmental practices within supply chains. Both groups championed inspections, forcing compliance on discovered issues. Since these tragedies, the Fashion Revolution movement has continued momentum spearheading the improvement of working conditions for garment workers worldwide.
Women account for about 80% of the garment industry workforce, and it is estimated that 98% of them are not earning a living wage, demonstrating how gender inequality is prevalent in the garment workforce.(12) Men are typically in production management roles, or serve as line supervisors, while the sewing operators and lowest level positions within production are filled by women. A qualitative study published in 2019 that focused on a Bangladesh factory reported female workers facing physical illnesses and pain due to their work demands.(13) Often, they are working in environmental conditions which exacerbate illness and lead to injury. Women factory workers in places like Bangladesh are uncomfortable discussing their health problems with their male bosses because they cannot relate to the physical or biological concerns that the women have. One narrative relating to this concern involves the period of menstruation women experience, causing an increase in need for bathroom visitation. They are unlikely to express this need to their boss, and therefore unable to address their hygiene. These women’s struggles for economic mobility have forced them into this kind of employment situation.
Covid-19 has exacerbated the issues of inequality and workload within the garment industry workforce, requiring industry leadership to examine vulnerability and a post-pandemic redesign of the industry.(14) Newly established transparency has alleviated some of these issues that major players have acknowledged in the recent past. NGOs and other private organizations’ inquiries and investigations have exposed child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking within company supply chains. These offending companies are finally being held accountable, prompting new legislation, and changes to policies and industry standards that protect the workforce.
In 2019 the United Nations Alliance for Sustainable Fashion was launched to reduce the destructive practices of the fashion industry. Notable environmental statistics that are cause for concern are listed on the UN’s website. Currently, New York Lawmakers are spearheading the most aggressive legislation in the country and the first of its kind to address the impacts of the fashion industry. The Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act (S7428/A8352) aims to hold fashion retailers accountable and ensure those doing business in NY are operating within the bounds of the Paris Climate Agreement. The proposed bill requires disclosure of operations within the supply chain map, as well as social and environmental impact reporting.
(12) Maxine Bedat, “The High Cost of Our Cheap Fashion | Maxine Bédat | TEDxPiscataquaRiver,” YouTube (YouTube TEDxTalks, May 21, 2016), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5r8V4QWwxf0.
(13) Sadika Akhter, Shannon Rutherford, and Cordia Chu, “Sewing Shirts with Injured Fingers and Tears: Exploring the Experience of Female Garment Workers Health Problems in Bangladesh,” BMC International Health and Human Rights 19, no. 1 (2019), https://doi.org/10.1186/s12914-019-0188-4.
(14) “Asia-Pacific Garment Industry Suffers as COVID-19 Impact Ripples through Supply Chain,” Garment sector in Asia and the Pacific: Asia-Pacific garment industry suffers as COVID-19 impact ripples through the supply chain, October 21, 2020, https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/WCMS_758428/lang--en/index.htm.
“NY State Assembly Bill A8352.” NY State Senate, February 22, 2022. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a8352.
“NY State Senate Bill S7428.” NY State Senate, January 26, 2022. https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s7428.
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