Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
1 in 6 people in the world work in a fashion-related job, with many in developing countries working in sweatshops
Over 75 million people are employed in the garment industry worldwide, and 80% are women aged 18-35
The global fashion industry is worth $2.5 trillion, much of it built on the back of low-wage labor
Garment workers in Bangladesh earn as little as $95 per month, far below living wage standards
The minimum wage for garment workers in Ethiopia is as low as $26 a month
93% of brands surveyed by Fashion Checker aren’t paying garment workers a living wage
In 2012, the average Bangladeshi garment worker made only 11 cents per hour
Child labor makes up about 20% of the global clothing industry's labor force
Approximately 170 million children are engaged in child labor, many in textile and garment production
Fast fashion brands produce around 52 micro-seasons per year, encouraging constant production and labor demand
The 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse killed over 1,100 workers, exposing sweatshop conditions globally
Only 2% of garment workers globally earn a living wage
Workers in Cambodia report fainting on the job due to heat, exhaustion, and poor nutrition, due to low wages
Child Labor and Human Rights Violations
- Child labor makes up about 20% of the global clothing industry's labor force
- Approximately 170 million children are engaged in child labor, many in textile and garment production
- An investigation in Bangladesh revealed some children working 11-hour shifts, six days a week, for $1/day
Interpretation
When one in five garment workers is a child toiling long hours for a dollar a day, fast fashion starts to look less like a bargain and more like a bill society has yet to pay.
Environmental Impact and Waste
- Fast fashion contributes to more than 92 million tons of waste annually, tied directly to overproduction and disposable labor
- The average American throws away 81 pounds of clothes per year, indirectly fueling sweatshop demand
Interpretation
Fast fashion's bargain-bin prices come at the steep cost of 92 million tons of waste and 81 pounds of discarded clothes per American each year—proof that cheap style often wears the seams of exploited labor and a threadbare planet.
Labor Conditions and Worker Exploitation
- 1 in 6 people in the world work in a fashion-related job, with many in developing countries working in sweatshops
- Over 75 million people are employed in the garment industry worldwide, and 80% are women aged 18-35
- Fast fashion brands produce around 52 micro-seasons per year, encouraging constant production and labor demand
- The 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse killed over 1,100 workers, exposing sweatshop conditions globally
- Workers in Cambodia report fainting on the job due to heat, exhaustion, and poor nutrition, due to low wages
- Some factories force workers to work 14-16 hours a day, 7 days a week, under threat of termination
- In Myanmar, 1 in 5 female garment workers report being sexually harassed in the workplace
- Roughly 85% of garment workers in Bangladesh reported verbal abuse from managers
- Sweatshop workers often live in slums or factory dormitories with unsafe and unsanitary conditions
- In India, 60-70% of garment workers experience forced overtime
- Over 80% of garment workers have no employment contract or social protections
- In some factories, workers aren't allowed toilet breaks and are penalized for sick days
- Factory fires in garment plants kill hundreds every year due to lack of fire safety systems
- 58% of fast fashion brands source from countries with risks of modern slavery
- The fashion industry employs 40 million garment workers, many from vulnerable migrant backgrounds
- Less than 1% of clothing workers are represented by a trade union or collective bargaining unit
- Some workers report being locked inside factories during long shifts
- In Bangladesh, up to 75% of female garment workers have experienced workplace violence
- Reports show workers handling toxic chemicals without protective gear, contributing to respiratory issues
- According to Human Rights Watch, in some factories pregnant workers are fired or forced to resign
- 70% of fashion production employs women, many in exploitative conditions
Interpretation
Behind every bargain-bin blouse and trendy tee is an invisible army of overworked, underpaid, and mostly female garment workers stitching dreams into clothes they could never afford—with their rights hanging by a thread.
Supply Chain Transparency and Regulation
- 87% of brands do not know where their materials are sourced from, making it difficult to trace human rights abuses
- Sweatshop labor is usually subcontracted, making accountability difficult for global brands
Interpretation
When 87% of fashion brands can’t even trace their materials, holding them accountable for sweatshop labor is like trying to pin a tail on a ghost in a supply chain fog.
Wages and Economic Injustice
- The global fashion industry is worth $2.5 trillion, much of it built on the back of low-wage labor
- Garment workers in Bangladesh earn as little as $95 per month, far below living wage standards
- The minimum wage for garment workers in Ethiopia is as low as $26 a month
- 93% of brands surveyed by Fashion Checker aren’t paying garment workers a living wage
- In 2012, the average Bangladeshi garment worker made only 11 cents per hour
- Only 2% of garment workers globally earn a living wage
- In 2020, fashion brands canceled $16 billion worth of orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving workers unpaid
- Only 5% of fashion brands can demonstrate efforts to pay a living wage to workers
- Garment workers in Pakistan earn 60% less than required for a basic nutritious diet
- Workers in Indonesian factories reported being paid 74 cents an hour for 60-hour weeks
- In Vietnam, over 80% of garment workers say their income is insufficient to meet basic needs
- Garment workers are among the lowest paid manufacturing laborers globally, despite high profits in fashion retail
- Garment workers in Sri Lanka earn between $0.35 and $0.50 per hour
- Workers in Dominican factories making luxury U.S. college apparel earned just $0.84/hour
Interpretation
The $2.5 trillion fashion industry struts the global runway draped in profit, but its glittering gown is stitched together by millions of underpaid workers earning pennies per hour and denied the dignity of a living wage.