Month: March 2020

In the world, 168 million children are forced to study.Since low-skilled labour is required by the fashion industry, child labour is especially common in this industry.For example, in South India, 250,000 girls work under the Sumangali system, a tradition that involves sending young girls from poor families to work for three or five years in… Continue reading Child labour in the fashion industry

Working conditions in the fashion industry For decades we have known this: most of our clothes are manufactured in countries where the rights of workers are restricted or inexistent. In reality, manufacturing sites are changing locations on a regular basis, searching for ever cheaper costs of labour. We frequently hear business owners say that “for these workers, it’s better than nothing,” “at least we’re giving them a job,” and they’re right to some degree. But it’s also fair to suggest that they’re manipulating suffering and taking advantage of poor people who have no choice but to work for any pay, under any working conditions. The word “slave labour” is used also by the European Parliament to describe the actual working conditions of garment workers in Asia. We know that if the working conditions in one country change, the businesses can simply switch to another. We assume that if customers do not press for a reform, we can not expect anything from the business world or the governments. Wages in the fashion industry Many fashion companies promise their consumers that “at least the minimum legal wage” is paid to the employees who made their clothing But what does that exactly mean?First of all, that means that other brands don’t even pay the legal… Continue reading Inhumane working conditions

Each time we wash a synthetic garment (polyester, nylon, etc.) approximately 700,000 individual microfibers are released into the water, making their way into our oceans. Scientists have found that such microfibers are eaten by tiny aquatic species. They are then consumed by small fish, then consumed by larger fish, which brings plastic into our food… Continue reading Microfibers pollution of the fashion industry

The fall in the prices of garments over the last 20 years has allowed us to buy more and more clothing. Now we have 5 times as many clothes as our grandparents did. It felt amazing until we discovered what hidden behind this pattern. In fact, this continuous accumulation of cheap garments is only possible due to a relentless reduction in the cost of production. This, in fact, has significant implications for the lives of our families, our world, and the lives of garment workers. Fast Fashion: the monster in our closets Fast fashion: the monster in our… Continue reading What’s wrong with the fashion industry?