Can’t we rely on governments to enforce and regulate work conditions?

In an ideal world, governments would protect the rights of workers in their own countries. All governments have a responsibility to protect workers and their rights, to regulate companies and foreign investments.

However, brands specifically choose suppliers in poorer countries with weaker labour laws or little to no enforcement.Their actions also keep governments in this position. Brands pit countries against each other in a race to the bottom. By threatening to leave for another country with lower wages or less rules, brands actively push governments to keep wages low, repress protests and relax labour laws.  

We support our international partners who lobby for worker protection in their countries. But one government cannot solve the garment industry’s problems alone. They are trapped in a globalised system where brands can withdraw their orders at any time and there is a perverse incentive to push down wages and restrict union rights.

Brands have the size, power and responsibility to change their practice and transform the global garment industry to respect the rights of workers and the environment. This is why they are our primary target.