In my role as an Ambassador for ReMake World, I am compelled to shed light on the pressing issues faced by factory workers in the fast fashion industry through the impactful #JustPayIt Campaign. However, before delving into the specifics of this crucial initiative, it is imperative to gain a comprehensive understanding of the fast fashion industry itself.
The fast fashion sector, known for its rapid production and quick turnover of trendy garments, plays a pivotal role in shaping the global fashion landscape. Behind the glitz and glamour, however, lies a harsh reality faced by countless factory workers who toil in challenging conditions to meet the relentless demands of the industry. These unsung heroes, often invisible to consumers, bear the brunt of exploitative practices, from meager wages to unsafe working environments.
This article aims to unravel the intricate web of struggles faced by these workers, providing a poignant glimpse into the complexities of the fast fashion industry and laying the groundwork for a deeper exploration of the transformative #JustPayIt Campaign. By amplifying the voices of those silenced by the machinery of this industry, we hope to spark awareness, empathy, and ultimately drive positive change in an industry that touches lives on a global scale.
the rise of fast fashion
We’ve all been dazzled by the glitters of seasonal fashion trends and some of us, still are daily. With fashion’s cycle of trends changing so often as they do (sometimes these only last a few weeks), it’s easy to get tempted and purchase the latest and cheapest fashionable piece. We know that once the trend is over, we won’t be wearing that piece anymore. That’s why fast fashion is so successful.
Since the 1990s, in first-world countries, fast fashion has become increasingly popular, as consumers purchase trendy clothing at a fraction of the cost of high-end goods. This business model is made possible only by clothing manufacturers relying on cheap labour in developing nations, where workers are often exploited, underpaid, and subjected to inhumane working conditions. In this article, I will delve into the topic of sweatshops and examine how this trend has developed in recent years and discuss what we can do as individuals to change this fashion cycle.
what are SWEATSHOPS?
Sweatshops are typically either small or large manufacturing facilities that exploit workers by subjecting them to unhygienic, unpaid and unfair working conditions. Unfortunately, many fast fashion retailers such as H&M, Shein and Forever 21 receive daily shipments of new clothes that come from places like these. To keep prices low, these companies outsource production to suppliers in underdeveloped nations, who in turn delegate the work to unregistered vendors that are not bound by any regulations. As a result, these brands are not obligated to provide safe and healthy working conditions for their workers.
Despite the stronger labour laws in developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, sweatshop-like conditions persist here too. Leicester garment workers are one such example, with more than half of them paid below minimum wage and given no holiday pay. While this issue is more prevalent in South Asian factories such as China, Cambodia, Bangladesh and India, it remains an issue in the developed world.
THE HUMAN IMPACT
Sweatshops have been around for decades, and despite media coverage, they continue to persist. The fast fashion industry is one of the most notorious culprits, having long supported a system that pays workers below subsistence wages to maximise profits. This business model, which prioritises selling large quantities of clothing at unsustainable prices, has resulted in less and less profit for those who create them.
To produce items quickly and cheaply, sweatshop workers – typically women and children – endure gruelling workdays and receive meagre pay that does not cover basic living expenses, while suffering deplorable working and living conditions. In various manufacturing nations, such as Bangladesh, China, and India, the minimum wage only covers half to a fifth of what a family needs to survive. In Bangladesh, workers make around 33 cents an hour, while the average wage in Indian sweatshops is barely 58 cents.
poor working conditions
Working conditions are unsafe, unsanitary, and often inhumane, as many sweatshops are located in impoverished nations with weak labour laws and little government oversight. Workers risk losing their jobs if they attempt to challenge their rights or working conditions. These garment industry workers are expected to work 14 to 16 hours per day, seven days a week, and are often subject to verbal and even physical abuse from their managers. They are frequently exposed to harmful substances with inadequate ventilation, and accidents and injuries are commonplace.
In 2013, over 1,000 garment employees in Bangladesh lost their lives while working when the Rana Plaza factory collapsed. In 2012, the Ali Enterprises fire killed over 250 garment workers in Pakistan. And that’s not the only accidents taking place in these inhumane workplaces, but just two of the most infamous ones.
child labour
These businesses prey on the poor, particularly underprivileged children. A survey of mills in India revealed that 60% of those employed were under 18 years old when they started. These children are especially vulnerable to being forced to work in sweatshops because they are caught in the cycle of poverty.
Although some argue that sweatshops provide job opportunities for those who might not have them otherwise, the reality is that these factories do not alleviate poverty. Employees and children are forced to spend most of their wages on food to support their families, leaving them with little chance to escape poverty.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
The fashion industry’s persistent production of new clothing has a significant negative effect on both humans and the environment alike. The industry’s planned obsolescence strategy, which leads to items wearing out quickly due to poor manufacturing quality, exacerbates the issue. In fact, between 80 and 100 billion new clothing items are produced each year worldwide, while a truckload of worn clothing is burned or buried in landfills every second. The number of times an item of clothing is worn before being thrown away has dropped by more than a third in the last 15 years. In the UK alone, people reportedly dispose of one million tonnes of textiles annually. That’s a staggering amount of clothing that ends up burned in a landfill somewhere south of the globe!
the issue with microfibres
As we already know, the fashion industry is the second most polluting business in the world, second only to the oil industry. It requires 93 billion cubic metres of water annually, which is equivalent to 7,500 litres needed to manufacture one single pair of pants. Furthermore, there’s the microplastic pollution issue that stems from the fashion industry too.
The amount of plastic microfibers dumped into the oceans each year is almost 500,000 tonnes and it comes from the microplastic released from the cheap clothing we wash daily. When you wash your clothes tiny fragments are lost, fragments so small that they are not filtered when water is processed and filtered at the water treatment plants and so these fibres find their way into the rivers and oceans where they are then consumed by marine life and so finding their way into the food chain.
Of course, there’s a way to counteract this staggering number, and that’s by using a Guppyfriend washing bag when washing our clothes.
The Guppyfriend laundry bag filters micro-fibres out and so after a few uses you can take out the caught fibres and put them in the recycling.
The German textile research institute – Fraunhofer Institut UMSICHT – has found that the Guppyfriend washing bag prevents 86% of fully-synthetic and 79% of partly-synthetic fibres from escaping.
water pollution
The toxic colours produced in factories and the chemicals used in cotton cultivation are two other factors that contribute to environmental pollution. Water that is chemically contaminated kills organisms in and around streams, reducing ecological diversity in these areas. The chemicals used in dyeing have also been linked to various cancers, digestive issues, and skin irritation, all of which can have negative effects on human health. When crops are irrigated with dirty water, contaminated fruits and vegetables enter the food chain, posing a significant risk to human health.
Take what is happening in Ghana as an example of the fashion industry’s pollution. Over the years, Ghana has been inundated with donated clothing from various countries, including the UK, US, and China. These items are sold to exporters and importers, who distribute them to vendors in bustling markets like Kantamanto, Accra, one of the world’s largest second-hand clothing markets. However, with the rise of fast fashion, the quality of these imports has declined, resulting in a surge of pollution in their seas and waterways. In fact, Korle Lagoon, once suitable for swimming, is now one of the world’s most polluted water bodies, largely due to the demand for cheap and disposable clothing.
WHO’S DOING IT WRONG?
In the last few years, we’ve heard a lot of scandals regarding fast fashion brands and the way they treat their factory employees. One of them is Boohoo, who is now considering shutting down its factory in Leicester, UK after a BBC investigation found that had broken promises to make clothes ethically.
The site in Thurmaston Lane, Leicester, opened in 2022, with plans for it to also be used as a training facility but has later been found to be a first-world sweatshop with allegations over poor pay and supply chain failings.
Last spring, Shein, another fast fashion giant, was found to pay its garment workers as little as 3p per item. The brand offers over 6,000 new styles every day at incredibly low prices, starting at just a few pounds, and ships them worldwide. However, despite their success, garment workers in Guangzhou factories were found to be working long hours for little pay.
According to a Channel 4 documentary, “Untold: Inside the Shein Machiine” employees at the factories were allegedly working up to 18 hours a day, including weekends, and only receiving 3p per item with just one day off per month. So, next time their Black Friday 1p sale comes on, let’s all think about who’s paying the price for our new clothes…
#JustPayIt
Fast fashion companies are not the only ones not following the regulations when it comes to factory workers’ rights. New research has revealed that Nike, a prominent fashion brand, has refused to pay 4,500 workers in Thailand and Cambodia. These very workers produced the brand’s products during the COVID-19 pandemic when no other suppliers were available.
Interestingly, Nike was once known for its poor labour practices in the 1990s but has since invested billions of dollars to improve its image. There’s now a petition we can sign to get the brand to pay their workers. The hope is that, if tens of thousands of Nike customers demand that the company pay the millions of dollars it owes in unpaid wages, the company will likely respond accordingly. You can sign the Nike #JustPayIt petition here.
WHAT CAN WE DO TO HELP?
It’s important to be aware of a brand’s transparency level when considering a purchase. If a brand isn’t forthcoming with information, it could be a warning sign. To gain more insight into a brand, visit their website and take note of their operations. Resources such as Fashion Revolution and GoodOnYou provide annual fashion transparency reports, detailing how major fashion brands treat their employees and the environment.
Additionally, campaigns like the Clean Clothes Campaign call for brands to pay their workers and respect laour rights, while the Accord on Fire and Building Safety urges brands to sign a legally binding agreement on health and safety in the garment industry, and was established in response to the Rana Plaza factory collapse, leading to significant progress.
As consumers, we can apply pressure on brands, big or small, to join these campaigns and sign the Accord, thereby ensuring the safety and well-being of garment workers worldwide.
Related – Sign the #PayUP Petition Today
