Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
Around 93% of brands surveyed by Fashion Checker aren’t paying garment workers a living wage
Garment workers in Bangladesh earn as little as $0.32 per hour
Over 160 million children globally are involved in child labor, many in the textile and garment industry
In 2020, the global fashion industry generated $1.5 trillion, yet most garment workers live in poverty
In Cambodia, garment workers earn around $192 per month, far below a living wage
In Ethiopia's garment sector, wages can be as low as $26 a month
85% of garment workers are women, often facing discrimination and harassment
Only 5% of the price of a garment typically goes to the worker who made it
The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide
About 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and treatment
75% of garment workers in Bangladesh have experienced verbal abuse at work
Less than 2% of fashion workers earn a living wage
1 in 3 female garment workers in Bangladesh has experienced sexual harassment
Business Practices and Supply Chain
- 93% of brands surveyed by Fashion Revolution do not publish the number of workers in their supply chain
- Only 3% of global brands disclose the exact wages paid to workers
- 95% of UK brands surveyed failed to prove effective policies for wage assurance in their supply chains
- Fast fashion companies launch 52 micro-seasons a year, increasing pressure on production
- 96% of major brands do not disclose the number of workers in their full supply chain
- 52% of fashion executives plan to increase nearshoring due to labor concerns abroad
Interpretation
In an industry where trends change weekly and workers remain invisible, fast fashion's silence on labor conditions is less a fashion faux pas and more a stitch in a pattern of systemic exploitation.
Child and Forced Labor
- Over 160 million children globally are involved in child labor, many in the textile and garment industry
- In Pakistan, child labor in textile industries remains widespread, affecting over 1 million children
- Forced labor has been documented in textile production in Xinjiang, China, involving ethnic minorities
Interpretation
Behind every cheap t-shirt is a hidden cost paid in tiny stitches by overworked children and silenced minorities—a sinister seam that fast fashion hopes you’ll never notice.
Economic Impact and Industry Growth
- Garment production in Asia accounts for 60% of global clothing exports
- Bangladesh is the world's second-largest garment producer, behind China
- 80% of Bangladesh’s exports are garments, with $31.5 billion in exports in 2022
- Approximately 75 million people are employed in the world's garment supply chain
- Clothing prices have dropped by 30% relative to inflation since 1995, forcing wage compression
- African nations such as Lesotho and Ethiopia are fast becoming cheap labor hubs for fashion brands
Interpretation
While the West enjoys ever-cheaper wardrobes, the global fashion supply chain—powered by 75 million underpaid workers from Bangladesh to Ethiopia—stitches together profits with threadbare ethics.
Environmental Impact and Waste
- The fashion industry is the second-largest consumer of water worldwide
- About 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and treatment
- The garment industry emits about 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent per year
- Synthetic fibers like polyester account for 60% of clothing materials, contributing to microplastic pollution
- 80 billion garments are consumed annually worldwide, showing rapid consumption cycles
- 10% of global carbon emissions are from the fashion industry, more than international flights and maritime shipping combined
- Roughly 8,000 synthetic chemicals are used in textile production, many of which are toxic and unregulated
- The average U.S. consumer throws away 81 pounds of clothing per year
- 92 million tons of textile waste are produced annually, much of it from fast fashion
- Up to 35% of ocean microplastics originate from synthetic clothing fibers
- Only 1% of used garments are recycled into new clothing
- Over 80% of fast fashion garments end up in landfills, burned, or dumped
- Dyes used in textile factories are responsible for 17-20% of industrial water pollution
- Fast fashion has doubled production since 2000, yet clothing utilization has dropped by 36%
- Up to 30% of new clothes made are never sold and end up destroyed
- Each year, the fashion industry uses 79 billion cubic meters of water
- Air emissions from textile manufacturing contribute to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions
- One T-shirt takes 2,700 liters of water to produce, often from regions facing scarcity
- Garment waste from fast fashion contributes substantially to the Atacama Desert landfill crisis
Interpretation
Fast fashion is dressing the world in disposable trends while undressing the planet of its water, air, and dignity—stitched together with exploitation, pollution, and a staggering disregard for sustainability.
Labor Rights and Working Conditions
- Around 93% of brands surveyed by Fashion Checker aren’t paying garment workers a living wage
- Garment workers in Bangladesh earn as little as $0.32 per hour
- In 2020, the global fashion industry generated $1.5 trillion, yet most garment workers live in poverty
- In Cambodia, garment workers earn around $192 per month, far below a living wage
- In Ethiopia's garment sector, wages can be as low as $26 a month
- 85% of garment workers are women, often facing discrimination and harassment
- Only 5% of the price of a garment typically goes to the worker who made it
- 75% of garment workers in Bangladesh have experienced verbal abuse at work
- Less than 2% of fashion workers earn a living wage
- 1 in 3 female garment workers in Bangladesh has experienced sexual harassment
- Workers in the UK’s Leicester garment factories were paid as little as £3.50 an hour
- Garment workers in India earn approximately $3–$5 per day, below living wage standards
- Fast fashion brands like SHEIN have been linked to 75-hour work weeks in Chinese factories
- In Myanmar, garment factory workers reported violent crackdowns and labor rights abuses following the 2021 coup
- The Rana Plaza collapse killed 1,134 garment workers in 2013 in Bangladesh
- One in six people globally works in some aspect of the fashion industry, many in low-wage conditions
- Garment workers in Sri Lanka earn around $128 per month on average
- Factory monitoring is conducted in only 27% of fast fashion production sites
- Up to 70% of India’s garment industry workforce is informal, lacking social protections
- Workers in Chinese garment factories earn less than $500 per month with 60+ hour work weeks
- 1 in every 6 female garment factory workers in India has reported physical workplace abuse
- Garment workers in El Salvador earn about $200 per month, well below the cost of living
- 90% of workers making clothes globally have no possibility to negotiate wages or conditions
- Fast fashion workers in Jordan reported earning just $0.75 per hour in some cases
- 94% of fashion brands do not pay living wages to their garment workers
- Garment workers in Honduras often work 11-hour shifts for under $2 per hour
- 73% of global brands use production in countries ranked "extreme risk" for labor abuse
- In Tunisia, garment workers reported being locked in factories during long shifts
- Asia produces over 70% of the world’s clothing, often in exploitative conditions
- Textile workers in Turkey have reported 72-hour work weeks with no overtime pay
- Women in the fashion supply chain are 2.5 times more likely to be exploited than men
- In Vietnam, the average monthly wage for garment workers is under $150
- Garment workers in Haiti earn between $5 and $7 per day
- Factory fires in Bangladesh killed over 1,800 garment workers from 2006 to 2013
- In North Macedonia, garment workers earn less than $250 a month on average
- Only 10% of brands report paying some living wages in at least one facility
- Garment workers globally lost $11.85 billion in wages during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Garment workers in Indonesia earn as little as $100 a month
- The cost of living for a family in Bangladesh is over twice the minimum wage for garment workers
- 71% of fashion workers interviewed by Fashion Revolution said they skip meals due to low wages
- Only 19% of brands disclose their wage methodology or benchmarks
- Between 2019 and 2021, over 300 labor violations were reported across 47 fast fashion supply chains
- The shift to ultra-fast fashion has led to worker exploitation in Eastern Europe’s informal factories
Interpretation
While fast fashion racks up trillions in profits, the people stitching its seams—mostly underpaid, overworked women—are left wearing the threadbare remains of economic justice.