This 78-page report is based on interviews with more than 160 workers from 44 factories, most of them making garments for retail companies in North America, Europe, and Australia. Workers report violations including physical assault, verbal abuse – sometimes of a sexual nature – forced overtime, denial of paid maternity leave, and failure to pay wages and bonuses on time or in full. Despite recent labor law reforms, many workers who try to form union to address such abuses face threats, intimidation, dismissal, and sometimes physical assault at the hands of factory management or hired third parties.
Recherchetool für Materialien
Research Tool for Materials
The materials database contains media on our key topics of working conditions in the textile and clothing industry and the environmental impact of clothing. The types of media include studies, guidelines and reports, as well as films, podcasts and web tools.
The country profile provides basic information on the clothing and footwear industry and wage situation in Slovakia. In terms of wages, average wages, minimum wages and subsistence wages are discussed. The country profile shows wage-related labour and human rights violations and formulates demands on brands and retailers. It summarizes the results of an on-site investigation and statements from interviews with workers and gives case studies.
The country profile is linked to the study ‘Abandoned: Women workers’ poverty wages in garment factories in Eastern Europe and Turkey’
Servitization is a growing phenomenon to improve resource efficiency, leading to positive effects for the environmental and for society. Product service systems are one of the most effective instruments to attain a resource-efficient circular economy.This report demonstrates an economic feasibility assessment, by specifying two examples of servitization for circularity in the apparel and fashion industry, and outlining potential business models, along with prospects for future research.
This research provides a snapshot of how workers in Nike, Primark, and H&M’s supply chains have been impacted during the pandemic in terms of their wages, working conditions, and labour rights.
The research links the struggles of workers in Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Indonesia directly to the wealthy brands who have profited from their labour. When reports provide a generalised overview of the industry, brands often deny that reported violations occur within their own supply chains, defending their business models with unsubstantiated claims. While this report takes a deeper dive into three brands’ supply chains, we recognise that many other garment brands have similar violations in their supply chains.
This report reveals the hidden reliance of the fast fashion industry on fossil fuels. It demonstrates how the historical and projected growth of synthetic fibres, such as polyester, has become the backbone of the prevailing unsustainable fast fashion business model, which is driving runaway consumption and presents a major obstacle to a circular economy. It also uncovers how, in light of the fashion industry’s growing dependence on fossil fuels, the oil and gas industry are betting on production of plastic, including plastic-fibres, as a growing share of their revenue.
The production of polyester alone is leading to annual GHG emissions equivalent to 180 coal power plants and this is projected to nearly double by 2030. In addition to the climate crisis, fashion’s addiction to fossil fuels is also driving the waste crisis – from ubiquitous microfibre pollution to mountains of textile waste ending up in nature, landfills and incinerators. The report calls for a significant slow-down of fast fashion and highlights the upcoming EU textile strategy as a good opportunity to introduce sweeping legislation that should change the course of the industry.