While sustainable clothing is often focused on using materials that are good for the earth, there are also human right issues to point out when it comes to clothing production. Many people are working to improve clothing production today, but not all companies choose to improve the industry. Throughout history we have seen have seen the moral implications that are attached to mass production of clothing
US labor laws
March 25th, 1911 - Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Located in Manhattan, the factory created popular high collared blouses that were in style during the 1900s. On March 25th 1911 a fire broke out in the building and caused the death of 146 people. All but 23 were young women, many whom threw themselves out of the windows of the building.
This tragedy led to the creation of labor laws in the United States.
Labor laws today include:what is a sweatshop?
However, to escape having to live up to these new laws, many companies have outsourced to other countries and areas that will provide more work for less pay or standards. These companies are known as using sweatshops.
- Minimum wages
- Safety standards
- Medical plans
- Employee benefit plans
- Child labor protections
A sweatshop is a place of employment that does not respect a worker’s basic rights. In these environments, employees work for long hours and earn very small wages which cause them to live in poverty. In some instances, the working conditions are extremely dangerous.
people who don't care
In 2009 the International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) sites companies such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Hanes, Kohl’s, L.L. Bean, and Walmart as evading labor laws and refusing to release information on production. Other companies such as Gap, Inc. (which includes Banana Republic and Old Navy) and Nike have long been associated with sweatshops. Why? Because if they pay their workers lesser wages and force them to produce more, they are able to increase their annual profits.
What do we know about sweatshops today? The organization DoSomething.org provides the following quotation about sweatshop production:
- 85% of sweatshop workers are young women between the ages of 15-25.
- Sweatshop workers earn as little as ½ to ¼ of what they need to provide for basic nutrition, shelter, energy, clothing, education and transportation.
- Almost 75% of the retail price of a garment is pure profit for the manufacturer and retailer.
- While the garment industry is notorious for their involvement in the sweatshop industry, they aren’t the only culprits. Common sweatshop goods include tires, auto parts, shoes, toys, computer parts, electronics, and nearly every other kind of manufactured good.
- According to the Department of Labor, over 50% of U.S. garment factories are sweatshops. Many sweatshops are run in this country's apparel centers: California, New York, Dallas, Miami and Atlanta.
- Many Americans believe the clothing they purchase is manufactured in America. In fact, the majority of private label clothing is manufactured in at least 48 countries around the world, not in the U.S.
what feeds the lack of responsibility in garment production?
“The garment industry is based on a subcontracting system where retailers - companies that sell clothing like Wal-Mart and Target - sit at the top of the subcontracting chain. They place orders with manufacturers - brand-name labels like Tommy Hilfiger and Levi-Strauss - who design clothing. The manufacturers then hire contractors, who sometimes hire subcontractors, to assemble the clothing. Contractors and subcontractors recruit, hire, and pay the garment workers who cut, sew, and package clothing. Garment workers lie at the bottom of the chain, yet are the base and strength of the industry. Fierce competition puts most contractors, or factories, in a "take it or leave it" position, where they must accept whatever low price is given to them by manufacturers or see the work placed in another factory. Contract prices are driven down so low that factories are unable to pay legal wages or comply with safety laws. The industry structure forces most contractors to "sweat" profits out of the workers, cut corners and operate unsafe workplaces...retailers and manufacturers exercise tremendous control over the garment production chain and have the power to ensure fair working conditions”.
-- Women and Sweatshop Labor
The industry structure needs to change. Change does not come easy in corporate America-- especially when it affects the cost to the product-- but innovative people, the movers and shakers of the fashion industry, are questioning these practices and looking for alternatives. How can the fashion industry make comparable products without using sweatshops? Be sure to check out our Sustainable Materials and Conscientious Consumption pages for more information on the new innovations that are changing the industry.
By making responsible purchasing decisions, even you can help lessen the demand for mass-produced, sweatshop-made clothes.
Visit Conscientious Consumption for how to start!
