On April 24, 2013, a commercial building collapsed in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, killing 1,134 workers inside.incidentThe building was located in the same building. The building also housed a subcontract factory for a world-famous clothing company. The incident was widely reported around the world, and during the course of interviews and investigations, it became clear that cracks had been found in the building the day before the accident and that the local police had warned the building owner to stop using the building, but the owner had ignored the warning and continued to operate the factory and other businesses. It was also revealed that the building was originally constructed for commercial use and was not designed for a factory, and that the fifth through eighth floors of the building were illegally built over.Revealed.The Rana Plaza incident brought to light labor problems in the fashion industry. The Rana Plaza incident brought to light the labor problems of some of the world's most famous companies that rely on poor working conditions and cheap labor to generate profits, and was widely reported, drawing attention to labor issues in the fashion industry.
Lana Plaza collapse.By rijans [CC-BY-SA-2.0]
Table of Contents
What are labor issues in the fashion industry?
So what labor problems exist in the clothing industry? In largetwoThe first is the working environment. The first is the working environment, particularly child labor, health and safety issues, and forced labor. The International Labor Organization (ILO) is the world's168 million peopleThe report estimates that there are child laborers in the Among these, the garment industry has many jobs that can be done without skills, and many of these jobs are better suited to children than adults, so child labor isnumerous... Although each country's laws regulate the work and working hours of children under the age of 18, in many cases they are ignored. Many child laborers work for low wages and in poor conditions to help their families make ends meet. In the garment industry in particular, wages are higher than in other jobs, but not only are they forced to do substandard and dangerous work, but their basic right to education is also violated. There are also health and safety issues. The garment factories at IIS University have been found to be the most dangerous and dangerous places to work in the garment industry.surveyAccording to the "Mere Old Man," for example, in the cloth cutting process, 35% of workers complain of skeletal muscle disorders, and 20% of workers are found to have cramps or respiratory problems. In the sewing process, 55% of workers have skeletal muscle disorders and 40% have neurological problems such as headaches.
In addition, there is the issue of forced labor. What is forced labor?International EncyclopediaAccording to the "Mere Old Man", it is the use of coercive force or showing of intimidating means to force a person to provide labor against his/her free will after depriving him/her of mental or physical freedom, such as not being able to rest or being forced to work long hours without rest except for lunch breaks. In some cases, workers are forced to work from morning until 10:00 or 11:00 at night. Shortly before the Rana Plaza accident, a fire broke out at a sewing factory of Tazreen Fashions in the Ashulia district on the outskirts of Dhaka, killing 112 people and injuring over 200. At that time, the workers were actually unable to escape the fire because the factory was locked from the outside to prevent the workers from leaving. Thus forcibly depriving them of their physical freedom and forcing them to work long hours.ExampleThere are also
Garment factory in Dhaka.By Flickr [CC BY-NC 2.0]
Another major issue concerns working conditions. Among these, we will address low wages. In Bangladesh, theMinimum wage for manufacturing workersThe monthly cost of a polo shirt is equivalent to 12,718 yen (calculated at 103.396 yen to the dollar), one-fifth that of China, one-third that of India, and the lowest in Asia, making it an ideal country for brands that want to keep costs down. The 2011 survey by a consulting firm asked how much money was being paid to whom for a polo shirt priced at 1,130 yen, and how much was being paid to keep labor and other costs down.surveyThere is a
According to this study, a polo shirt costing 1,130 yen costs 458 yen, of which the workers are paid 10 yen, just over one-fifth of the factory's 47 yen profit. In addition, the wages earned by the factory workers are only 0.9% of the consumer's purchase price. This shows how workers are exploited and brands make a profit.
Why are labor problems not improving?
The above problems are caused by the brand's supremacy of profit and the fast fashion boom. Fast fashion refers to fashion brands and their business models that mass-produce and sell clothing that incorporates the latest fads at low prices in a short cycle worldwide. Speed is important because products must be constantly changed to keep up with the latest fashions. In such a market, a large number of people are required to work long hours for cheap money.
Garment factory workers' demonstration .By Sifat Sharmin AmitaCC BY-ND 2.0.
Before the 1980s, many clothing factories were located in China, and the words "Made in China" could often be seen on the street. From the 1990s, manufacturing bases gradually shifted to Cambodia and Myanmar in Southeast Asia, and since around 2000, Bangladesh has been the world's largest exporter of clothing.World No. 2The cost of the garment has become the most important factor. This shift is driven by the cost of clothing. In other words, in order to reduce the cost of production, companies are moving their manufacturing operations to countries with cheap and abundant labor.
Thus, supply exceeds demand as companies go to countries with an abundance of low-wage workers, and workers are forced to accept these conditions even if they are poor, such as cheap wages and long working hours. In some cases, children are also used as cheap labor.
We believe that this corporate mindset will prevent labor issues from being resolved for two specific reasons: first, the lack of transparency and traceability that results from subcontracting the entire process to subcontractors. There are many steps in the creation of a garment. Companies have relationships with many subcontractors and subcontractors again, such as companies that make the fabrics used to make the clothes, companies that make the threads used to make the fabrics, and companies that make the raw materials used to make the threads. The relationships are complex, and it is necessary to trace many companies in between to reach the end of the chain. Therefore, it may be costly and difficult for brands to keep track of all their subcontractors, or they may keep their subcontractors secret in order to hide child labor or poor working conditions. The transparency of the manufacturing process of 100 of the world's most famous apparel brands.rankingAccording to the "Japan Fashion Guide", the transparency rate of brands such as Adidas, Reebok, H&M, and Puma is in the 40% range, which is a good figure, with only 8 out of 100 companies having a transparency rate of 40% or higher, and none having a transparency rate of 50% or higher. On the other hand, UNIQLO is in the 20% range, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Forever21, and Lacoste are in the 10% range, and Dior is at 0%. The lack of transparency of many companies makes it possible for them to evade responsibility by claiming that their subcontractors did what they did, and the lack of information about factories makes it difficult for governments to create effective punishments for abysmal working conditions, human rights abuses, and child labor.
Second, not only in Bangladesh, but in many developing countries, the formation of labor unions is also prevented by employers. Because labor unions are underdeveloped and weak, they are unable to unite and stand up to employers, no matter how low wages and poor working conditions are, and they are at the mercy of the brands.
What initiatives are being undertaken?
One example is a movement overseas. An alliance of unions and NGOs in the garment industry in 12 European countries has launched the Clean Clothes Campaign to improve working conditions in developing countries by informing companies and citizens about the realities of the garment industry. That campaign includes an online petition drive, and an annual campaign the week of April 24, the week of the April 24 incident at Rana Plaza.Fashion Revolution Weekto the hashtag #whomademyclothes (who made my clothes) and spreading it on social networking sites such as Twitter and Instagram. This hashtag has been posted about 70,000 times so far, reaching 129 million people. In this way, an activity was conducted from the consumer side to focus attention not only on price and quality, but also on the process by which the garment is made.
The other is domestic developments. Bangladesh.BRT University research teamThe initiative was undertaken by the "Bangladesh Factories" to list and map all of the factories in Bangladesh, including detailed information. This made it possible to see at a glance what is being done and where.
Finally, the brands themselves have taken action: Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, and others have published lists of their subcontractors, including detailed information. This initiative has raised the transparency of these brands to about 44%. However, it is important not only to make the information public, but also to make it user-friendly for consumers, NGOs, labor unions, and workers to actually change the status quo of labor issues. Only a very limited number of companies are engaged in such activities to increase transparency, and it will be important to expand this effort to all brands. There are also brands that make clothes through fair trade, in which raw materials such as cotton are purchased at an appropriate price with the workers' livelihoods in mind from the beginning, and fair labor, in which the employer and workers are on the same footing in the clothing manufacturing process and working conditions are set and no exploitation takes place. Examples are.People Treeand ... andFair Wear FoundationThere is a
As described above, through domestic and international efforts, brands are gradually beginning to take a heavier role in the industry. However, as the statistics show, brands are still far from eliminating child labor, forced labor, and unfair labor conditions by taking responsibility for their products. In order to put pressure on brands and encourage them to improve, it would be an important step for us, the consumers, to be more aware of global labor issues when we buy clothes.
Campaign by Fashion Revolution.By greensefa [CC-BY-2.0]
Writer: Sayaka Ninomiya
Graphics: Sayaka Ninomiya/Yusuke Tomino
I had thought that the problems in the clothing industry were concentrated only on the inexpensive brands that we frequently buy from, but it turns out that this is not necessarily the case, and it is not a matter of price.
I took a look at the People Tree website, which was mentioned as an example in the article, and found that the prices were still higher than the brands I usually buy, and I felt it was difficult to afford. However, that should be the correct price. I will gradually face my own desires about how to buy clothes.
The illustration of who benefits from the polo shirts was very clear.
We realize that behind too much inexpensive clothing is still the sacrifice of people.
In other countries, there is a movement to protect human rights in the supply chain, but I have the impression that this movement has not yet progressed in Japan. What are the differences?
I did research as part of my class and learned that labor issues as well as environmental issues are involved in the mass consumption of clothing.