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The garment industry has long been infamous for its unethical practices and sweatshops, but with the development of (ultra) fast fashion, it has developed into one of the most harmful industries in terms of workers’ rights and the destruction of the environment.

Weak labour laws in the Global North and the Global South enable brands to systematically exploit workers — 60-70% of whom are women — with little consequence, for profit.

A tremendously rich industry 

  • Fashion is a $2.5 trillion industry globally with luxury representing $1.6 trillion in 2023 — an 8-10% increase compared to 2022.
  • Nike made $5.7 billion in 2023 in net profit while Inditex (Zara, Mango, Bershka) made €5 billion.
  • Bernard Arnault, head of luxury fashion group LVMH, is (depending on the date) the richest man in the world with an estimated net worth of $190 billion as of September 2024 (Forbes). Amancio Ortega, founder of Inditex is the 13th richest man in the world (Forbes).
  • Fashion’s CEOs earn millions annually. Nike’s head earns 33 million, Skechers 19 million, Gap 14 million.
  • Despite the pandemic, in 2022, the fashion industry reported a yearly profit that was double the profits from the previous decades.

Poverty wages 

  • Nine out of ten garment workers interviewed in Bangladesh cannot afford enough food for themselves and their families. One in three workers interviewed are separated from their children, in 4 cases out of 5 due to a lack of income. (Oxfam, 2019).
  • It’s estimated that less than 2% of garment workers make a living wage.
  • No fashion brand can say all its workers are paid a living wage.
  • Garment workers earn on average 45% less than a living wage (Industry Wage Gap Metric, 2022).
  • Workers were cheated out of $4 billion in stolen severance in the last 15 years.

Made by forced labour

  • Allegations of forced labour were found in the supply chains of 46% of fashion companies (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre).
  • In 2016, a scandal revealed H&M clothes were made by Syrian refugee children in Turkey.
  • Around 20% of the world’s cotton comes from Xinjiang in China: reports have shown that over 500,000 people could be forced to pick cotton in that region.

Union-busting

  • Major garment producing countries, such as Myanmar, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Turkey, belong to the list of 10 worst countries for workers to organise in. Countries like Vietnam or China have no independent unions at all.
  • Brands’ pressure on factories to be as cheap and flexible as possible is a constant incentive for factory owners to bust unions.

Unsafe factories and health risks

  • Workplace deaths and injuries, caused by unsafe working conditions, continue to occur regularly in countries such as India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey.
  • Heat, repetitive movements, chemicals, long working hours harm workers’ health, while factories often have little health and safety mechanisms in place.
  • The auditing systems that most brands use to check their supply chains are woefully inadequate to detect something simple as lacking safety measures, let alone complex issues such a union-busting, bullying or gender-based violence.

Environmental impact

  • The garment industry represents 20% of water pollution and 10% of greenhouse gas emissions, more than international aviation and shipping industries combined. With the rise of fashion flights and the use of AI, this trend is getting worse.
  • Globally, 92 million tonnes of clothing are thrown away each year. Clothes landfills are now visible from space. The average person buys 60% more clothing compared to 15 years ago, and wears them an average of seven times (Barnardo’s, 2015). The amount of clothes produced yearly has doubled since 2000.

Fueling gender inequality and violence

  • Around 60% of garment workers globally are women, nearly 80% in some regions.
  • Women typically hold the lowest positions and earn lower pay than men. They rarely have access to maternity leave and child care.
  • Women are subjected to sexual harassment. One study in India from 2022 found all interviewed women had experienced gender violence or harassment from their supervisors.
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