Fast fashion has become such a big part of our everyday lives, with high-street stores changing their styles almost daily. Whilst we all rush to grab the most up to date pieces for the most inexpensive price, hundreds of women have no choice but to work in inhumane conditions to produce these highly demanded garments.
You might think fast fashion is beneficial to workers in places such as Bangladesh and Cambodia because of the amount of job opportunities it creates. Despite how amazing it is that the fashion industry can provide so many jobs for women who are facing poverty, the lack of health and safety and the extremely poor wages they receive means these roles are extremely strenuous and dangerous. Workers are treated poorly in many areas and people are unaware of just how bad the problem is.
Dangerous working conditions
If you've been following fashion for a while now then you will be familiar with the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka Bangladesh, which killed over one thousand garment workers and injured over two thousand. The building, which was known to have been built with substandard materials and under faulty conditions, housed five garment factories which were put at substantial risk. Despite cracks appearing in the wall and it being discovered that the building was unsafe, workers were ordered to return the following day — the day on which the building gave way and over one thousand lives were lost. This tragic accident could have been prevented if health and safety was taken more seriously.
These workers, most of whom are women, work in conditions with no ventilation and are exposed to toxic substances which they breathe in, along with inhaling fibre dust. Accidents are extremely common on textile production sites as well as fires and the spread of disease.The Pulse of the Fashion Industry Report 2017 estimated that there are 1.4 million recorded injuries in the industry per annum. Garment workers risk these accidents happening and continue to be paid some of the lowest wages in the world.
To add to the problem, workers regularly face verbal and physical abuse. For example, if they fail to meet their extremely unattainable daily target they can be insulted, denied breaks and even be banned from drinking water. If workers refuse overtime, they can be fined or even fired so are forced to keep quiet and continue working in harmful conditions just to keep their jobs.
Poor wages
Despite struggling everyday in these extremely tough working conditions, workers do not earn enough money to put food on the table. According to a study by Oxfam, nine out of ten garment workers interviewed in Bangladesh, said they could not afford enough food for themselves and their families and were forced to skip meals. Workers in these countries are earning as little as 51 cents an hour and as seen in the diagram above, the minimum wage they are receiving is not enough for them to have a good quality of life.
In the same survey, it was found that 72% of workers could not afford medical treatment which would put them in a very serious situation if they or their children were to become seriously ill. These are considered basic human rights yet workers are unable to send their children to school, put enough food on the table and are forced to sleep on the floor in overcrowded houses. Some mothers have even been separated from their children because of their inability to care for them properly.
Child labour
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that 170 million young people around the world are engaged in child labour, in order to meet the demands of the fashion industry. Fast fashion is pushing clothing companies to find ever-cheaper sources of labour which is freely available in poorer countries like Bangladesh, where garment and textile production takes place.
Sofie Ovaa, global campaign co-ordinator of Stop Child Labour says "There are many girls in countries like India and Bangladesh, who are willing to work for very low prices and are easily brought into these industries under false promises of earning decent wages.” Child labour is a major issue for the fast fashion industry because the work is referred to as 'low skilled labour' which is well suited to children. For example, in cotton picking, employers hire children because of their small fingers which do not damage the crop.
Children are seen as easy targets. They are low skilled workers without a voice and cannot bargain for better working conditions. They are obedient and because of how complex the fashion supply chain is employers can get away with it without big brands and consumers ever finding out. Children are being paid less than adults to do the same job, which is why it's an easy way to reduce costs and increase profits.
Gender-based violence
In garment factories, female workers are extremely vulnerable and are often supervised by men who have more power than them. In a report published by Global Labour Justice more than 540 workers at factories that supply H&M and Gap clothing, described incidents of threats and abuse. These allegations, which were recorded between January and May last year in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka were a result of pressure for quick turnarounds. Female workers are pushed to meet unrealistic targets and face abuse if they fall behind.
Workers refrain from fighting back due to fear of being punished further or having their contract suspended. As well as physical and sexual abuse, workers are also verbally insulted. In a report by Human Rights Watch it was found that women are often embarrassed over personal things such as needing to go to the toilet or being on their periods. Workers reported being asked personal and inappropriate questions about their sex lives when they asked to use the toilet or needed a break because of menstrual cramps. Workers also reported that this abuse was more frequent during peak production seasons to force the women to work faster.
What can be done to end this?
If more and more people become informed of these unacceptable working conditions in the fast fashion industry we can begin to use our voices to make change. As consumers, if we stand up to clothing companies that let workers produce their clothes in these conditions and refuse to purchase their garments, they will be forced to make changes.
The Clean Clothes Campaign is one organisation which aims to end poor working conditions in garment factories through encouraging clothing brands to be more transparent about which factories make their clothes. By doing this brands are enabling workers to contact them and can get help if they face poor treatment. To get involved you can donate any amount to the organisation which will go towards enforcing and supporting the rights of garment workers around the world. You can also personally email brands such as American Eagle and Urban Outfitters, encouraging them to support workers, by publishing a list of all factories that produce their products.
When shopping for clothes you should do more research and find brands that promote good working conditions in garment factories and don't cover up where their clothing is produced. There is also a variety of online petitions which organisations such as Labour Behind the Label have begun to help make a difference. You can either sign these or begin your own petition to help initiate change. No one should be forced to work in such harmful conditions and these individuals should be earning enough to live a comfortable life. Let's raise awareness of what goes on behind closed doors and stop garment workers from being exploited for cheap labour.
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