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CBC
3 days ago
- Business
- CBC
I've seen first-hand the true price of fast fashion — people suffering, lives lost
Social Sharing This First Person article is the experience of Itrat Anwar, a newcomer from Bangladesh who now calls Steinbach, Man., his home. For more info rmation about CBC's First Person stories, please see this FAQ. You can read more First Person articles here. The true cost of your $100 piece of clothing isn't one you can see. Sometimes, it's measured in blood. Sometimes, the cost is human lives. And I saw it first-hand. I walked through roaring sewing lines, sat in crowded factory canteens and watched workers endure unbearable conditions for wages so low they could barely survive. In their suffering, I realized something crucial — most of us have no idea where our clothes come from or the price others pay for them. Bangladesh's garment industry is one of the largest in the world. It contributes more than 80 per cent of the country's exports (according to Economics Observatory), employs more than three million people, mostly women, in more than 4,000 factories in the Dhaka and Chittagong divisions, and brings in, on average, $46 billion US annually. For Bangladesh, this industry is the backbone of the economy. But it comes at a staggering human cost. After completing my MBA, I joined a company that sold machinery to garment factories. From 2012 onward, I spent three to five days a week visiting factories across Dhaka, Narayanganj, Ashulia, Savar and Gazipur. I worked closely with production managers and machine layout engineers. I had access to both the boardrooms and the boiler rooms — and what I saw there shook me. I visited hundreds of factories, and each day revealed more about the brutal realities behind the clothes we wear. I could no longer be part of a system I no longer believed in. - Itrat Anwar I watched thousands of workers pour into factory gates every morning – some walking miles just to earn a wage barely enough to feed their families. Inside, the air was thick with dust, the noise from the machines deafening, and the pressure to meet impossible production quotas relentless. These workers often toiled 14 to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. During peak seasons, they would work until 2 or 3 a.m. just to meet the deadlines set by global fashion brands. Refusing overtime wasn't an option. Many were terrified of losing their jobs if they did. In some cases, overtime wasn't even compensated. In the most hazardous corners of the factories, I had to pass through dyeing sections where massive machines churned with toxic chemicals, releasing fumes that stung my eyes and burned my throat. Boiler rooms felt like industrial furnaces — metal chambers radiating unbearable heat, with pipes hissing and valves rattling under pressure. The air was thick with steam and chemical vapours, making every breath a struggle. The noise was deafening, the floors often slippery, and overhead wiring dangerously exposed. What shocked me most was the lack of basic safety: no proper ventilation that I could see, no protective gear, and often, no functional emergency exits. In many buildings, a single blocked stairwell could trap hundreds. For me, enduring this environment for a few hours was unbearable. For the workers, it was their everyday reality, one misstep away from injury or worse. The Western world often talks about "ethical" fashion. Brands promise safer workplaces, fair wages and dignity for workers. These brands are well-known — their advertisements powerful, their reputations impeccable. But the reality I witnessed was different. While these companies publicly called for higher standards, it appeared to me that the priorities were cheap labour, fast delivery and massive profit margins. Worker safety and fair pay were often pushed to the bottom of the priority list. In conversations with workers, I learned that some went months without wages, while the companies ignored their plight. A local media outlet back home in Bangladesh reported that some workers went 14 months without pay. I still remember the horror of the Rana Plaza collapse on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, around 9 a.m. local time. I was on my way to work that morning when I heard the news. (In fact, I could have visited that factory on the very same day. It was part of my regular duty.) More than 1,100 workers died in that collapse. Many of them were young women, mothers of the very children I had also seen in the factories. The collapse shocked the world, but for those of us in the industry, it wasn't a surprise. Cracks in the walls, faulty wiring, safety risks that were ignored — all the signs had been there. But production had to continue. After Rana Plaza, there was global outrage. Brands made high-profile promises to do better. Some factories improved, and some brands stepped up. But to me, it seemed like most simply moved on, shifting production to countries with even cheaper labour, constantly chasing lower costs. And the workers? They stayed, still earning barely enough to survive, still afraid to speak up, still hoping for change that rarely came. They deserve more than mere survival. They deserve dignity, safety and a voice. One day during that period still haunts me. I had my DSLR camera with me (something I often carried to capture interesting scenes). When I arrived at one factory, the gates were shut, and workers were rioting outside over months of unpaid wages. I waited near a tea stall, hoping to meet the manager. Soon, a few men approached, questioning my presence. When they noticed my camera, their tone shifted and the questions came fast. "Which media are you from?" one asked. I replied that I wasn't from the media and was there for a scheduled meeting. But the tension in the air was palpable and the man asked again, "Are you from a newspaper or TV?" I realized this wasn't just casual curiosity. They were watching me. They wanted to know what I had photographed. If I had captured images of the strike, I could have been in danger. I quickly hailed a taxi and left, my heart racing. These weren't concerned workers. They were local labour leaders, meant to protect workers, but now part of a system that silences the truth, instead of defending it. WATCH | Itrat Anwar talks about what he saw in garment factories in Bangladesh: Manitoban recalls horrors of Bangladesh garment factories 1 hour ago Eventually, I left the garment industry. I could no longer be part of a system I no longer believed in. I had seen too much: people suffering in silence, lives lost needlessly and promises repeatedly broken. Yet even now, I can't forget the faces in those factories — the strength of the women at the sewing machines, the young men dragging heavy bundles of fabric, the children waiting patiently outside for their mothers. They deserve more than mere survival. They deserve dignity, safety and a voice. The next time you buy a T-shirt, a pair of jeans or a dress, check the label. It might say "Made in Bangladesh," "Made in Cambodia" or "Made in Vietnam." Behind each of those labels is a story, maybe one of silent suffering. Some reflect resilience; others, exploitation. And too often, they speak of lives lost in the shadows of the global fashion industry. As a consumer, I now ask myself, "Who made this and at what cost?" Because I've seen first-hand that the true price of fast fashion isn't just counted in dollars, but in human lives, in blood and in the silence of those who were never heard.
BBC News
7 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Trump tariffs: They made America's clothing. Now they are getting punished for it.
Already living from hand to mouth, millions of garment workers across Asia fear for their jobs as a deadline to strike a trade deal with the US - or face punishing tariffs - looms 9 July, following a 90-day pause on tariffs for countries to negotiate deals, the US president notified several countries in the region of new levies set to begin on 1 August. The new rates, while lower than those proposed in April, have done little to allay nations that received letters from Donald Trump were apparel hubs like Cambodia and Sri Lanka, which are heavily dependent on the US as an export market. The letters said that the two nations would face tariffs of 36% and 30% Levi's and Lululemon are among big-name US brands that have the bulk of their clothing made in these countries. "Can you imagine what will happen if [we] lose our jobs? I'm so worried, especially for my kids. They need food," says Nao Soklin, who works in a garment factory in southeastern Soklin and her husband Kok Taok make a living sewing bags for 10 hours a day. Together, they earn about $570 a month – barely enough to cover rent and provide for their two young sons and aged parents."[I want to] send a message to President Trump, to tell him to please lift the tariff on Cambodia... We need our jobs to support our families," she told the which has become a popular alternative to Chinese retailers because of its ready supply of low-wage labour, exported more than $3bn worth of apparel to the US last year, according to the Asean Statistics Division. The sector, which employs more than 900,000 people, makes up more than a tenth of the country's overall Sri Lanka, exports to the US helped the garment industry – which directly employs some 350,000 people – earn $1.9bn last year, making it the country's third-largest foreign exchange earner."If [30%] is the end number, Sri Lanka is in trouble because our competitors, such as Vietnam, have received lower tariffs," Yohan Lawrence, secretary general of Sri Lanka's Joint Apparel Association Forum, told the Reuters news agency. Last-ditch negotiations Sri Lankan authorities are hopeful of negotiating a further reduction to the tariffs but have not disclosed what they would consider an acceptable of its leaders have noted that the country has received the highest concession – of 14 percentage points – so far as a result of earlier negotiations. "We see this as the beginning of a very good situation," secretary to the Finance Minister Harshana Suriyapperuma said last which got a 13 percentage point concession, is also seeking further talks. "We are doing everything we can to protect the interests of investors and workers," said Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol, who leads the negotiating team."We want the tariff to be zero... But we respect their decision and will continue trying to negotiate a lower rate," he said. Trump says the tariffs are needed to reduce the gap between the value of goods the US buys from other countries and those it sells to them."Our relationship has been, unfortunately, far from Reciprocal," the US leader wrote in letters to various countries last week, which he also posted on his Truth Social analysts tariffs overlook the benefits that the US enjoys from existing trade agreements, including lower-priced clothing and higher profits for US companies sourcing from countries like Sri Lanka or Cambodia, says Mark Anner, dean at Rutgers' School of Management and Labor decades, the US, European Union and Canada had in place a quota system that reserved a certain share of their markets for developing countries like Sri Lanka. The system, which was phased out in 2005, helped Sri Lanka's garment sector flourish despite stiff competition."For the US to now impose prohibitive tariffs that effectively shut these countries out of the market goes against the very development path it once prescribed," Prof Anner said. It is unrealistic to expect small, developing economies to not run a trade deficit with the US, says Sheng Lu, a professor at the University of Delaware's Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies."How many Boeing airplanes does Cambodia or Sri Lanka need and can afford to purchase each year?" he Prof Lu believes the strategic rivalry between the US and China is also a factor in trade talks, given how these garment-exporting countries are integrated into supply chains that rely heavily on Chinese now have to "strike a delicate balance" between maintaining economic ties with China while also meeting new US demands, which may include cutting the use of Chinese inputs in production, he says. Women bear the brunt Washington's tariffs add new pressures to familiar challenges in the industry: poverty and weak labour rights in Cambodia, and an ongoing economic crisis in Sri who make up seven in 10 of garment workers in the region, are set to bear the brunt of the tariffs. More downward pressure on their already chronically low wages mean their children could go hungry, while potential layoffs would be even more devastating. Surangi Sandya, who works in a factory in the Sri Lankan town of Nawalapitiya, says she feels an axe hanging over her."Companies don't work at a loss... If orders decrease, if there is a loss, there may be a possibility that the company will shut down," she says. Ms Sandya started out as a rank-and-file seamstress in 2011, then worked her way up to become the supervisor of a 70-women push comes to shove, some Cambodian workers say they will consider moving to Thailand to find jobs – even if they must do it illegally."Our livelihoods depend on the garment factory. We won't survive if our boss shuts it down," An Sopheak tells the BBC from her tiny 16 sq m room in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh."We have little education. We can't find other jobs. We pray every day that President Trump will lift the tariff. Please think about us and our poor country."
Forbes
22-07-2025
- Health
- Forbes
Heat Stress Is Fashion's Hidden Human Rights Crisis
A garment factory in SE Asia As global temperatures climb, the fashion industry finds itself at the epicenter of an unacknowledged humanitarian crisis. Heat stress which is the condition where the body cannot maintain a safe temperature due to prolonged exposure to high heat and humidity, is now one of the most dangerous and underreported threats facing garment workers. It can lead to dehydration, heatstroke, organ damage, and even death. While climate reports focus on emissions and decarbonization targets, workers across India, Turkey, and China are quietly enduring another brutal summer. When The Fashion Factory Floor Becomes the Frontline of Climate Impact In 2023 India experienced a searing heat wave, during which parts of the country reached more than 49°C (120°F). Turkey recorded its hottest summer ever in 2024, with temperatures exceeding 40 °C (104°F). Yet the industry's demands did not pause and factory lines moved on, orders were fulfilled, and deadlines met. The dominant logic of global supply chains is often referred to as the 'race to the bottom' and it pushes brands to seek the lowest costs, cascading pressure down to suppliers and ultimately to the workers. That pressure manifests not just in low wages or excessive hours, but in an unrelenting demand for productivity, even as factories become furnaces. When workers are expected to perform under conditions that cause dehydration, fainting, and long-term illness, it is not just discomfort, but a form of abuse. 'Heat isn't just a climate issue,' notes activist Nandita. 'It's a growing public health crisis, driven by fashion brands' relentless pursuit of profit at any cost.' The fashion industry's sustainability rhetoric has climate pledges and carbon neutrality claims and often fails to account for human cost. Research from Politecnico di Milano in collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union reveals that operational efficiency and cost-cutting practices have made conditions worse, not better, for the people at the bottom of the chain. These are not unfortunate side effects; they are unfortunately baked into the model. 'Most of my members can't even afford to buy a small fan during a heatwave,' says Thivya of TTCU. 'We've had workers faint on the shop floor during 43–45°C heat. Still, brands refuse to involve unions or listen to workers when designing solutions.' Sustainability Must Extend Beyond Emissions to Include People On Fashion Frontlines Workers, especially women in the Global South, are bearing the brunt of both climate breakdown and economic exploitation, yet their voices remain excluded from strategy meetings and ESG panels. Unions are dismissed as 'non-experts,' and the systems of accountability which include third-party audits, rarely engage them directly. 'Dear fashion executives and policy makers,' urges Dr. Hakan Karaosman, 'let's leave your air-conditioned offices and go to the factories... We cannot tackle heat stress with top-down interventions.' If climate action continues to ignore labor conditions, it is not just incomplete as garment workers are not just casualties of warming, they are a part of the warning system. Heat stress is an urgent reminder that climate resilience in the fashion industry must include the people who make its products. As global temperatures rise, protecting worker wellbeing can no longer be viewed as separate from environmental goals. Addressing heat stress through inclusive strategies and worker-informed solutions is not just a matter of ethics, but of long-term sustainability. A truly responsible industry is one that values both the planet and the people behind the clothes.
Arab News
13-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Asian garment industry braces for higher US tariffs
Dhaka/Phnom Penh: Across Asia, unions and industry groups are raising alarms over the impact of higher tariffs by the United States on garment workers. High tariffs might force companies to shut down or move to neighboring countries that offer lower tariff rates, resulting in a loss of jobs, they say. 'The potential loss of jobs will cut the income and ability for workers to sustain their daily lives,' said Ath Thorn, vice president of the Coalition of Cambodian Apparel Workers' Democratic Union, which represents 80,000 workers across 40 factories. Several countries in Asia have gotten notice of new tariff rates imposed by the United States to take effect August 1, after a 90-day pause on tariffs came to an end. Manufacturing hubs such as Bangladesh and Cambodia will face high tariffs of 35 percent and 36 percent respectively, while neighboring countries are still negotiating with the US government. US President Donald Trump announced new tariffs through official letters posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, on July 8. The US is the largest garment export destination for Bangladesh. The country's exports to the US totaled $8.4 billion last year and of that, garments comprised $7.34 billion. Also in 2024, Cambodia exported nearly $10 billion worth of goods to the US, which accounted for nearly 40 percent of the nation's total exports, according to government customs statistics. More than half of US imports from Cambodia were garments, footwear and travel goods such as luggage and handbags, a sector that makes up nearly half of the country's export revenue and employs more than 900,000 workers. Unions and industry groups warn that these workers could be hit hard with job losses if the high tariffs force companies to move to countries under lower tariff rates or shut down altogether. While Cambodia is looking at a tariff rate reduction from 49 percent in April, anxiety permeates its garment industry, which employs hundreds of thousands of people and is one of the developing nation's key economic pillars. Meanwhile, the US and Vietnam have struck a trade agreement that set 20 percent tariffs on Vietnamese goods. With a neighbor next door with a significantly lower tariff, many companies may choose to leave Cambodia, said Yang Sophorn, president of the Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, which represents thousands of women who support their families as garment workers. The fear is echoed by experts in Bangladesh, which faces a 35 percent tariff. Selim Raihan, a professor of economics at the Dhaka University, said if tariff rates on Bangladesh's competitors like India, Indonesia and Vietnam prove to be lower, Bangladesh would face a serious competitive disadvantage. Such a disadvantage could make supply chain decision-making more difficult and erode the confidence of buyers and investors, Raihan said. 'As production costs rise and profit margins shrink due to the tariff, many garment factories may be forced to scale back operations or shut down entirely,' Raihan said. In Bangladesh, the 35 percent tariff announced by the US is more than twice the current 15 percent rate on Bangladeshi goods. 'With more than doubling tariff rates, can you imagine how the cost of the products will rise?' asked Mohiuddun Rubel, a former director of Bangladesh's garment manufacturers' association BGMEA and now additional managing director at textile maker Denim Expert Ltd. The question is what happens to the tariffs for main competitor countries like India and Pakistan, said Rubel. The US is negotiating a trade deal with India, while reciprocal tariff rates for Pakistan have not been announced yet. OUTSIZED EFFECT ON WOMEN Potential layoffs within the garment industry will have an outsized effect on women workers, which Sophorn said would cripple entire families. 'If these women lose their jobs because high tariffs force factories to shut, it will not only impact Cambodia's economy, but now children may not be able to go to school and aging parents may not be able to afford medicine,' Sophorn said. 'The situation for women garment workers is already bad, but it will get worse if these tariffs were to come into effect.' Many of the women she represents have taken bank loans to support their families and work in the garment industry to pay off their debts. 'If they lose their job, it means they will lose everything,' Sophorn said. Tariffs would directly affect a sizable chunk of the four million workers in Bangladesh's garment industry, most of whom are women from low income and rural backgrounds, Raihan said. Thorn suggested Cambodia continue negotiations to get the tariffs down or find other ways to export more products, generate more income and create more work. 'If not, we will face problems,' he said.
Arab News
08-07-2025
- Business
- Arab News
Cambodian garment workers fret Trump's new tariff threat
PHNOM PENH: As Cambodian garment workers took breaks from toiling in sweltering factories on Tuesday, they feared for their jobs after US President Donald Trump's threat to impose a 36 percent tariff.'I beg the US to reduce the tariff for the sake of workers in Cambodia,' 38-year-old Im Sothearin told AFP as she rested from her work in an underwear factory in the capital Phnom Penh.'If they charge a high tariff, it is only workers who are going to suffer,' said the mother-of-three who earns only $300 a month.'Factories might be closed or workers will have their wages lowered, or be forced to work faster.'Cambodia — a major manufacturer of low-cost clothing for Western brands — was among the nations hardest hit by Trump's 'Liberation Day' blitz of tariff threats in US president originally outlined a 49-percent rate if Cambodia failed to broker a deal with Washington. On Monday, he lowered it to 36 percent and extended the negotiation deadline to August the levy is lower than the original eye-watering figure, it has done little to allay anxieties.'If the tariff is that high, companies won't have money to pay,' 28-year-old pregnant worker Sreymom, who goes by only one name, told AFP as she bought fruit on her lunch break.'I am worried that we won't have jobs to do,' the 11-year veteran of the factory floor said. 'I want the tariff to be reduced more.'Cambodia's chief negotiator in talks with Washington called the reduction in the proposed rate — announced in a letter among more than a dozen Trump despatched to trade partners — a 'huge victory.''We are so successful in negotiations,' Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol told reporters in Phnom Penh. 'We still have a chance to negotiate further to reduce the tariff rate more.'But back in April commerce ministry spokesman Penn Sovicheat told AFP that harsh US tariffs on his country were 'not reasonable.'Cambodia said it had about $10 billion in exports to the United States last year, mainly garment nation has been paying a 10-percent standby rate as negotiators rush to make a factories in Cambodia are Chinese-owned. The White House previously accused the kingdom of allowing Chinese goods to stop over on the way to US markets, thereby skirting steeper rates imposed on Mom has had a two-decade career in the garment industry. But she frets it may be ended if Cambodia fails to soften the blow threatened by the United States.'I fear that the high tariff will affect factories and will result in fewer jobs for workers,' said the 47-year-old.'Then we will have low wages and will not be able to support our families.'
