How fashion industry practices affect factories
Consumers are becoming more aware of where their fashion comes from and the conditions that the goods they buy are manufactured under. We are striving for a more positive future in the fashion industry and to leave the past behind us. We believe it’s time for this to change, and time to support our factories and the people who work there.
How working conditions in the fashion industry affect factory workers
Factory workers’ rights are often extremely limited or even non-existent, which can be deemed acceptable by some fashion company leaders. We want change. We want transparency. We commit to supporting these factories, but we need customers to push for change too.
Factories often don’t receive their fair share of the profits made from the sale of the garments they produce, which impacts overall working conditions. Without their fair share of the profits, factories and the communities they are part of find it difficult to improve their living standards and working conditions.
Health and safety conditions
In textile production sites, some employees are subjected to dangerous working conditions that can have a serious impact on their health. Employees often work in dangerous structures with little ventilation, breathing in harmful compounds and inhaling fibre dust or blasting sand.
Working hours
Garment workers are frequently required to work long hours to satisfy deadlines required by fashion brand's. Their basic pay is often so low that they are unable to refuse overtime, which isn't always guaranteed. With more time spent at work, these people have less time with their families, and these communities as a whole are in need of support.
Child labour
Child labour is particularly frequent in the fashion industry. In India, for example, 250,000 young girls are employed under the Sumangali scheme, which sends young girls from low-income families to work in a textile factory for three or five years in exchange for a minimal wage and an allowance. This has been frequently broadcast in the media, but the trend only seems to grow year on year, which is why THE CØDED is joining the ethical fashion movement to contribute to improving these important issues.
Low wages in the fashion industry
Many brands do not pay enough to factories to cover the minimum legal wage for their workers. The minimum pay in most manufacturing countries (China, Bangladesh, India, etc.) is half to a fifth of the living wage. A liveable wage is the bare minimum required by a family to meet its fundamental necessities (food, rent, healthcare, education.) It is part of our mission to ensure that factories receive an equitable share of the profits made from their clothing collections and pave the way towards a more ethical and transparent future.
THE-CØDED is acting now
We invite you, the modern consumer, to join us on our journey of ethical fashion revolution. Where possible, our collections will be organic, recyclable and made from stock materials. Unique pieces deserve to be celebrated, and we therefore celebrate the designers and factory workers by paying them a fair wage. Our fashion is not throwaway, and it should be worn for decades to come. Ethical fashion doesn’t have to be a chore. Small and simple changes can help to change the industry standards.
If you can’t see yourself wearing an item of clothing more than 30 times, don’t buy it.
Investigate the brands you usually buy from, and consider if they are being transparent. Contact them and let them know what you expect as a conscious consumer. Invest in trans-seasonal clothing, and wear your items all year round. A changed mindset is a changed fashion industry.
Ready to join the revolution? Read our story and find out what we’re doing to support our factories. Don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter for regular updates and exclusive offers.
