The Manifesto

Fashioning a Just Transition

A manifesto for centring workers’ rights in just climate action 

Imagine a just fashion system that puts people before profits. Where no one is exploited and the planet isn’t wrecked for cheap clothes. We can make it happen – but only if we collectively stand up for our rights to a decent living and a liveable future. Our manifesto outlines our shared vision for a just fashion system that protects and creates dignified, climate-resilient jobs on a healthy planet.

Poor living standards. Rising global temperatures. Gendered and racialised violence. Ecological collapse. Extractive. Escalating Wars. The biggest challenges of our time are rooted in the exploitation of people and the planet for the profit of a few. These challenges aren’t accidental. They’re the result of decisions made by billionaire-run corporations and governments working within a rigged capitalist system. Today’s fashion industry thrives on an imbalance of global power and money, fine-tuned by centuries of colonialism and imperialism. The richest fashion companies get richer, while millions of garment workers - many of them women - are underpaid, overworked and unprotected. 

Big Fashion’s business models are built on the violent extraction of labour and planetary resources. Billions of items of clothing, footwear and accessories are made every year. Overproduction depletes soils, poisons our water, pollutes our air, fuels deforestation and biodiversity loss and pumps out planet-warming emissions. Meanwhile, global landfills and rivers are overflowing with barely worn items, burdening communities with polluting textile waste.

The climate and ecological crisis isn’t some distant threat. It’s already here and it’s deepening inequalities. The same workers struggling to get by are paying the highest price of climate breakdown. Floods, storms and heatwaves are closing workplaces and endangering workers’ lives. Excessive production targets are becoming harder to meet in extreme weather. Poverty wages and a lack of social protection are leaving workers without a safety net when disaster strikes. Union-busting is silencing workers’ demands. Meanwhile, some corporate “climate solutions” treat workers’ rights as a separate issue – or even risk leaving workers worse off. Jobs are being lost, wages are being unpaid and workers are being excluded from future-facing decisions that shape their lives today. 

We know we can’t repair an industry broken by design. Instead, we’re building a new, just fashion system that centres the dignity of workers and the restoration of our planet. This shift won’t happen overnight. It will take a combination of short-term reforms and long-term systems transformation. These two tracks of change build on each other in the ongoing struggle for just fashion. 

Our manifesto outlines a set of principles for a just fashion system that must underpin all action regarding the future of fashion. A just fashion system is one that:

• provides decent work, a high quality of life and equal rights to all workers along the value chain.

• delivers justice in all its forms - social, economic, gender and climate - now and in the future.

• redistributes wealth into the hands of workers, providing everyone with living wages and universal social protection.

• ensures that the costs of climate adaptation and mitigation are fairly shared.

• invites workers to have a voice in decisions and speak up without fear.

• restores nature and operates within planetary boundaries.

• both reduces excessive product volumes and increases job security. 

• holds companies and their executives accountable for any damage they cause.

• embraces new, just ways of growing and processing raw materials, and making, transporting, retailing, recycling and valuing clothing, footwear and accessories.

• is built through a movement of collective power and global solidarity. 

Who we are

We are people who make and wear clothes. We are activists, social and environmental movements, civil society, fashion industry workers, trade unions, labour rights organisations, and allies fighting for a world free from exploitation. Together, we are raising our voices for a just fashion system that respects workers’ rights and restores nature.

Our vision is a transition to a just fashion system where…

#1 Decent work is guaranteed, no matter the worker, location or job. 

A just fashion system is rooted in dignity, justice and equity for all workers. All current and future workers have a right to decent, safe and healthy working conditions, free from harassment, abuse and gender-based violence. Workers’ rights are upheld across the value chain, empowering the people who grow and process raw materials, and make, transport, retail, repair, recycle and dispose of clothing, footwear and accessories. They apply to everyone, regardless of anyone's race, gender, class, caste, age, sexuality, physical ability, migrant status, employment status, contract type or workplace. Decent work is guaranteed today, throughout the transition to a just fashion system, and in the future.

#2 Universal social protection enables everyone to live a dignified and climate-resilient life.

Universal social protection increases not only workers’, but our collective resilience to social and climate disruption. Everyone has sick leave, maternity and parental leave and pay, severance pay, pension funds and unemployment benefits to fall back on. Public spending serves the people, instead of funding social and environmental harm. Governments and companies adapt workplaces to shield workers from the direct impacts of a changing environment. Laws and binding agreements (like the International Accord) make brands accountable for worker welfare and safety. Social protection is fairly co-financed by brands and their suppliers.

#3 Workers’ livelihoods come before company profits. 

A just fashion system enriches the lives of workers, their families and their local communities. Billionaire fashion tycoons no longer hoard wealth generated by garment workers’ labour. Profits are distributed fairly, prioritising the needs of people and the environment over executives and shareholders. Universal living wages enable us all to afford life's necessities and build savings. Companies and their owners pay a fair share of taxes along the supply chain. Investment flows away from companies that profit from harm, and funds organisations embracing new models of care, equity and justice. Companies cost living wages, social protection and climate adaptation into their purchasing practices. The transition to a just fashion system is equitably financed. The companies and governments historically responsible for the climate crisis front the cost of mitigation and adaptation. The costs of climate disruption and adaptation never fall on those already bearing the heaviest load. 

#4 Everyone has a say in the decisions that impact their lives.

The pathway to a just, green future is paved by workers’ needs and expertise. Everyone has a seat at the table. We freely organise in independent trade unions, other worker-led organisations and social movements to negotiate better working conditions and climate protections. Workers have greater ownership of their workplace and how they are run. Education about their rights equips workers to defend and advance them. Training on climate and ecological challenges supports workers to decide on the future of the industry at every stage. Redistribution of profits and respect of planetary boundaries are facilitated by robust labour laws, collective bargaining agreements and social dialogue. Anyone can speak up without fear or repression. 

#5 Clothing production meets everyone’s needs while respecting planetary boundaries.

A just fashion system rejects the capitalist take-make-waste logic that promotes worker exploitation and environmental over-extraction. Production models are transformed to respect workers’ rights, decent work and planetary boundaries. Planned obsolescence and overstock are designed out of brands’ business models. High-quality, valued products are made to be kept in circulation and rarely discarded. Fashion brands are responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, from raw materials to end of life. They fund waste management systems and protect workers and their communities against the environmental and health impacts of textile waste.

Fashion production no longer threatens our right to food, land and water; natural resources are decommodified. Resource use is determined by genuine global and local needs and allocated for the common good. Just clothing production goes beyond minimising impact and production volumes – it actively fosters a restorative relationship with the Earth and all its living species.

#6 Job security and wages increase as production volumes fall.

Production is no longer driven by profit or growth. Instead, success is measured by the wellbeing of workers and the environment. Universal living wages spark a decrease in production targets and overtime, triggering a decline in brands’ overall production volumes. Garment pricing finally reflects the true cost of labour. Workers now make less, work less hours but earn more, and organise freely in trade unions. Planned production limits are democratically set to minimise emissions, halt global warming and restore biodiversity. Alternative business models - from pre-order and repair to rental and resale - are introduced to reduce or displace production. A just fashion system gives everyone more, not less: more free time, higher living standards and a healthier planet.

All reductions are carefully negotiated with workers and their unions to prevent sudden job losses and income insecurity. Responsible exit plans and severance pay safeguard workers in instances of workplace closure. Reskilling and upskilling opportunities offer workers safer, more climate-resilient jobs or alternative employment as the industry responds to a changing climate. Trade relations and international support equip production countries to build up their own economic power in other sectors to ensure global equity in the creation of new green jobs. Global brands, suppliers, investors and governments take shared responsibility for protecting jobs by providing long-term sourcing and re-training opportunities. No one is left behind.

#7 Companies are accountable for any damage they cause.

Voluntary commitments won’t curb unchecked corporate power or deliver workers justice; legally binding global rules will. A just fashion system holds companies legally and financially accountable for any social or environmental harm they directly or indirectly cause. Accountability is far-reaching, making fashion brands jointly accountable for the operations of their suppliers, no matter where their headquarters are located. Their duty to workers extends across their entire value chain and the complete lifespan of their products. All brands regularly assess their supply chain to identify and prevent any human rights and environmental risks, and remediate all rights violations. Mandatory transparency laws make it easy to scrutinise companies’ claims, policies and business practices. 

A just fashion system doesn’t only prevent future harm; it repairs past damage and redresses global power imbalances. Fashion brands pay reparations for historic injustices against workers and remedy any current or future rights violations. Every worker can easily seek justice without fear of retaliation. National labour authorities are well financed to effectively monitor the fashion industry and ensure all companies follow the law.

#8 Clothes hold meaning and value, connecting the wearer and maker.

We demand clothing free from exploitation and oppression! Fashion meets all of our needs - creative, functional and social - not companies’ profit margins. Changes in production, universal living wages and a flourishing sharing economy increase the accessibility of sustainable fashion options. Wardrobes are slowly curated with ethically-made clothing, shoes and accessories. Tailoring services, community swaps, second-hand shops and libraries, repair workshops and clothing care education keep clothes in circulation. Rewearing, repairing, reselling, swapping, upcycling and recycling are the norm. Advertising, social media and fashion publications promote new aspirations: longevity and high-quality craftsmanship over cheap, fleeting trends. Greenwashing and social washing are banned, alongside any marketing that incentivises worker exploitation and environmental destruction. Slower, more intentional consumption frees up energy to take collective action and live in community. We see ourselves as so much more than consumers. We value garments as a form of cultural and individual expression and respect the labour that produced them.

#9 Just fashion thrives on global solidarity and collective action.

Solidarity is the thread that binds the people who make and wear clothes. Everyone is invited to build a just fashion system. Our collective power manifests in different ways, including organising in trade unions, supporting workers’ struggles, pressuring brands and governments to support just fashion and rejecting throwaway consumption culture. Community building, mutual aid and skillsharing builds resilience in our connected struggle for social and climate justice. Every individual action makes a difference, but we are stronger when we act together. Change doesn’t start in boardrooms. It starts with us: makers and wearers. Our collective future is ours to shape. Make your voice heard for just fashion. Sign the manifesto and commit to building a world that puts people and the planet before profits!

Glossary

Adaptation: Actions that help prepare for, reduce vulnerability to and build resilience against climate change impacts.

Binding agreement: A legally enforceable contract between two or more parties. In the fashion industry, there are multiple examples of binding agreements, including The International Accord, collective bargaining agreements (see the below definitions) and enforceable brand agreements negotiated, implemented and signed by at least one brand and trade union. Clean Clothes Campaign is currently advocating for a Severance Guarantee Fund - a legally binding agreement that would ensure that workers are never again left penniless if their factory goes bankrupt.

Collective bargaining agreements: Transparent, binding and enforceable agreements between employer(s) and workers on working conditions negotiated by trade unions.

Decent work: A concept developed by the International Labour Organization, meaning productive work for everyone in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human dignity. The ILO’s agenda for the world of work focuses on job creation, rights at work, social protection and social dialogue — the four pillars of decent work.

Just transition: A shift to a low carbon world that is just, inclusive and leaves no worker behind. This demand originated in the trade union movement and is upheld in the 2015 Paris Agreement.

Mitigation: Actions that reduce or prevent emissions to limit the severity of global heating.

Planetary boundaries: Nine interconnected life supporting systems that regulate the stability of the planet. Remaining within these limits will prevent irreversible environmental changes.

Purchasing practices: How companies engage with and buy from their suppliers, including the order volumes, payment terms and deadlines. Poor purchasing practices negatively impact workers. Exploitative pricing drives down wages and increases production pressure and unpaid overtime. Last minute cancellations, order changes, retrospective discounts and overdue invoices can lead to wage theft and mass layoffs.

Severance pay: A financial package workers are entitled to when their employment is involuntarily ended.

Social dialogue: A way for workers to advance their interests and improve their working conditions through negotiations, consultations and information exchanges between representatives of workers, employers and governments.

Social protection: A combination of labour protections, social security and public services designed to reduce and prevent poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion. This includes wages, working conditions, health and safety, sick pay, maternity and parental leave and pay, severance pay, a pension fund, unemployment benefits, education, health care and skills training.

The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry: A legally binding agreement between brands and trade unions that was established following the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh in 2013. The Accord ensures that factories supplying brands that have signed it are inspected and that identified safety risks are resolved. 

Acknowledgements

This manifesto was developed in consultation with young people, garment workers and their organisations, the public, the Clean Clothes Campaign Network and its allies. The final version incorporates hundreds of inputs, comments and viewpoints which were crowdsourced online and offline. Thank you to everyone who participated in this process, and to the organisations that have endorsed our vision for a just fashion system. For a full list of endorsers, click here.

This manifesto does not stand alone, but builds on and contributes to the efforts of others advancing workers’ and environmental rights, in particular: 

• The Just Transition Manifesto for the Textile and Garment Supply Chain, International Trade Union Confederation and IndustriAll Global Union

• The ILO decent work agenda, International Labour Organization

• The Paris Agreement, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

For further reading on just fashion, click here.

Fashioning a Just Transition (FJT) is implemented with the financial support of the European Union. The project contents are the sole responsibility of Clean Clothes Campaign and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.