Search results
47 results
Sort by:
BLOG - A decade in denial
How the Sustainable Apparel Coalition is denying reality, while patting itself on the back.
BLOG - A history of negligence: How Gap and other major brands failed to draw lessons from the That’s It Sportswear factory fire
The 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse shocked and captivated the world. But outside of Bangladesh, fewer remember the trail of mass-casualty factory disasters that preceded it. Eleven years ago today, 29 garment workers lost their lives when a fire broke out in the That's It Sportswear garment factory, where they made clothes for major American brands. On this day, our thoughts are with all families affected by this fire and our aim is to ensure that incidents like this can never happen again.
BLOG - Big brands have mistreated their workers throughout the COVID-19 crisis
Stark figures from the Clean Clothes Campaign show that garment workers are owed between 2.42 and 4.38 billion GBP in unpaid wages from the first three months of the Covid-19 pandemic alone.
BLOG - Brands are weathering the pandemic. Garment workers are not
As researchers and advocates working to improve labor rights in the garment industry, we are used to heartbreaking stories. But what we are seeing during the pandemic is a new level of despair among workers, as widespread loss of jobs and income robs them of the ability to feed their families.
BLOG - Brands can be ‘agents of change’ in Bangladesh
The fast fashion business model of decreasing prices and reduced lead times contributes directly to the cycle of low wages, protest, and repression in Bangladesh. Something’s got to give.
BLOG - Cambodian garment workers are hit hardest in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic
They going hungry with no food and no wage, Employers and Brands are turning their back!
BLOG - It's time for global clothing brands to defend Sri Lankan workers
Sri Lanka’s yearlong economic and political crisis, which led to the president being toppled last year, is unsurprisingly hitting the country’s lowest-paid workers hardest.
BLOG - Dhaka fire shows that Bangladesh must build better safety systems, rather than scrap the Accord
On the night of 20th February a fire broke out and rapidly spread through the densely packed Chawkbazar district in Dhaka, Bangladesh. At least 70 people died in the fire, which was exacerbated by illegally stored, highly combustible chemicals in the buildings.
BLOG - EU law to end deathtrap factories can't be just a box-ticking exercise
Women could see large cracks in the walls. They knew that returning to their sewing machines meant risking their lives, but factory owners were threatening to withhold their meagre salary that barely puts food on the table.
BLOG - Failing workers by design: The fatal assurances of the social auditing industry
Rasul was working in the Multifabs garment factory on 3 July 2017 when he suddenly heard a loud noise and felt something hit his head.
BLOG - Former workers of Neo Trend remain empty-handed after 14-month-long engagement with Ethical Trading Initiative and member brand Next
Turkish garment factory Neo Trend Textile closed officially on 1 July 2021 due to a loss of orders in the COVID-19 pandemic.
BLOG - Garment workers cannot foot the bill for the pandemic
With shops closing and people staying at home, the pandemic has changed how we shop but also how garment workers live.
BLOG - Global brands, global exploitation
A small Thai factory without a name, more of a room than anything else, few windows, a ceiling low enough that those inside could touch it, toilets too dirty to use, one door at the front, another at the back providing the only fresh air, and no electric fans to cool temperatures of up to 37 degrees Celsius (100F).
BLOG - H&M praised by media for committing to pay poverty wages
Last week several media outlets applauded H&M for committing to raise its purchasing prices to meet the increased legal minimum wage for the garment sector in Bangladesh. H&M is reportedly the first global brand to tell its Bangladeshi suppliers it will do so. While this may be true, the praise heaped upon H&M is unwarranted, and the fact the industry and media applaud it is indicative of a thoroughly broken system.
BLOG - I made clothes for Uniqlo but I didn’t get paid
Whether you buy a new wardrobe or not won’t change my situation, but knowing what happened to me might get you involved. My story is about Uniqlo, the Japanese brand that’s opening stores like mushrooms in Europe.
BLOG - Is Your Brand Paying Its Share to Reduce Bangladesh Workers’ Wage Despair?
Garment worker protests, a brutal police crackdown, worker deaths, arrests, and worker repression, and finally an official minimum wage announcement that is far below living wage levels.
BLOG - Leicester's coronavirus lockdown is no surprise to its garment factory workers
As the UK’s first local coronavirus lockdown was imposed in Leicester earlier this week, another shocking story joined it in the headlines.
BLOG - London Fashion Week’s #PositiveFashion must include #GarmentWorkersRights
Sustainability has become a buzz word in fashion, so much so that London Fashion Week 2019 is dedicating a whole exhibition area to #PositiveFashion, a space in which to “explore the most compelling stories around sustainability.”
BLOG - Marking Human Rights Day: How can legislation help protect the people who make our clothes
December 10th marks the celebration of Human Rights Day around the globe –a moment to recognise the impact of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on livelihoods and to affirm the importance of human rights everywhere. In the fashion industry, and during a moment when the global pandemic has upended business-as-usual, it’s more important than ever to fight for the rights of the people working in garment supply chains and demand an end to forced labour.
BLOG - Cambodian garment workers: never paid enough to escape the debt
The new minimum wage for garment workers in Cambodia is set at 204 USD per month, despite trade unions’ demand for a much bigger increase. The new minimum wage is a huge disappointment for the 700,000 workers in the Cambodian garment and footwear sector, who are increasingly struggling to make ends meet.
BLOG - Nike turns its back on Cambodian workers
Nike’s Annual General Meeting will be held on September 12. The brand will likely dazzle its shareholders with the results achieved since its June announcement of a 10 per cent annual revenue increase up to US$51.2bn.
BLOG - Nine years since deadly fire at major Walmart supplier, campaigners urge Walmart to stop hiding from real commitments to safety
Exactly nine years ago, a devastating factory fire in Bangladesh killed at least 113 workers and injured many more. Almost a decade later, major brands and retailers whose clothes were made in this factory, such as Walmart, Disney, and Dickies, continue to put their workers at risk. We spend this day commemorating the workers who died in this preventable fire. In addition, we are continuing to remind garment brands and retailers that they must finally draw lessons from this horrific catastrophe and urgently take critical steps to prevent future fires and deadly safety incidents so that no more families have to suffer such an awful loss.
BLOG - Open letter to brands producing in Bangladesh
To H&M, Bestseller, Next, Primark, C&A, Uniqlo, M&S, Puma, VF Corp., PVH, Walmart and Zara, and all international brands producing clothes in Bangladesh:
BLOG - Boohoo, Leicester’s factories exemplify the shady garment sector
Leicester is the UK’s garment hub, and 75% of city-wide production is for Boohoo, a brand valued at $4.3 billion. The brand has faced several allegations of workers’ rights violations over the years, with campaigners raising concerns that many of their cut-price clothes are produced under the conditions of modern slavery.
BLOG - Six years after the Rana Plaza collapse – what happened to the goodwill of the garment industry giants?
Six years ago today, a building came crashing down, shattering the worlds of thousands of garment workers. In the wake of this tragedy, there was one world that remained unchanged in Bangladesh, that of the global garment industry.