4 - Safe work, a living wage and no overproduction

Workers and the planet are being exploited by fashion’s obsession with new clothes. We need less production, less overtime, more pay, more freedom. The system that is causing climate change is the same system that is churning out garments at an unprecedented rate in history by paying poverty wages. Following decades of exploitation and the concentration of wealth in the hands of a few, fashion companies and governments have left workers and their communities vulnerable to the consequences of the changing climate - even though workers contribute little to the crisis.

Health, safety and wages are directly impacted by overheated and dangerous workplaces as well as flooding, exposure to hazardous chemicals, pests and polluted air and water in workers’ homes and communities. The number of workers facing these consequences of the climate and ecological crisis will only increase as the climate crisis unfolds. Impacts go further and affect food security, access to water, migration and remittances. Vulnerability to this crisis is worsened through workers’ financial insecurity and material conditions like poor housing. Gender, race, sexuality, employment status, age, migrant status or caste further exacerbate this vulnerability.

At the same time, over-production has turned the fashion industry into a producer of trash, which is in turn destroying ecosystems and communities. The Global South has become a dumping ground for the industry’s waste, the same industry paying workers poverty wages and forcing overtime work for unnecessary overproduction. Ultra-fast fashion is only the latest iteration of a model that is unsustainable at its core.

With workers and trade unions at the table, a just transition could mean higher pay, a fairer distribution of the surplus value and a better quality of life and environment - triggering a fall in the volume of mass-produced, ready-made garments. Producing less, more repair, more recycling and repurposing in a way that respects workers’ rights can mean different and better jobs, not necessarily fewer jobs if living wages are paid for a standard working week and labour rights are respected.

Significant improvements in the quality of work and likely higher prices for wearers would mean the global industry would contract and reduce the devastating environmental harm it generates. Therefore, living wages, decent and safe working conditions and social protection are the foundation for a more sustainable economy.If accompanied by culturally meaningful and sustainable approaches to fashion, everyone would also get to wear clothes they enjoy, without unnecessary consumption.