Still fashion brands that don’t pay for orders in clothing factories – Fashion
At the beginning of the Corona crisis, it became clear that several fast-fashion players did not pay or cancel orders. Factory bosses have had to stop work and countless garment workers are on the streets. The problem is not out of the job yet, as many large customers have still not paid.
Meanwhile, some of the fashion brands have crossed the bridge with payments or a promise to pay as soon as possible. But there are also brands that keep their fingers stiff on the cut and lips or have made only half-hearted promises.
The trackers of Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) and Remake the brands that leave garment workers in Bangladesh in the cold. C&A, Bestseller, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters are mentioned. The focus is on clothing production in Bangladesh, as 80% of Bangladesh’s exports come from the textile sector. So the Corona crisis is a financial drain on the part of the country.
Billion-dollar losses
According to a recent study, 47 percent of garment workers in Bangladesh currently have no income, says Muhymin Chowdhury of the non-profit organization Sajida Dhaka Tribune. More than 1,000 factories have been hit by the cancellations, and it is feared that hunger poses a greater threat to garment workers than covid-19, although infections have already been reported in some factories.
The cancelled orders consist of around 982 million items of clothing that have already been produced but are most likely to end up in landfill.
The cancelled orders consist of around 982 million garments that have already been produced but will most likely end up in the dump. At the beginning of April, this resulted in a loss of USD 3 billion for the clothing sector in Bangladesh. A month and a half later, this has already risen to a loss of four billion in factories affiliated with the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and 3.8 billion in members of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Thirty percent of workers have not been paid for their work in recent weeks, and some have taken to the streets in Bangladesh and Pakistan to protest.
No sugar festival
In addition, the end of Ramadan, the sugar festival, is also disturbed by the current crisis. Islamic garment workers were asked not to take time out this year during the Eid al-Fitr to return to their villages. If workers ignore this ban, they will lose their jobs, says Mohammad Hatem, the vice president of BKMEA. According to Hatem, those who want to celebrate the Sugar Festival will never work in the textile industry again.
Meanwhile, some of the fashion brands have crossed the bridge with payments or a promise to pay as soon as possible. But there are also brands that keep their fingers stiff on the cut and lips or have made only half-hearted promises. The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) trackers and remake track which brands are letting Bangladeshi garment workers down. C&A, Bestseller, Forever 21 and Urban Outfitters are mentioned. The focus is on clothing production in Bangladesh, as 80% of Bangladesh’s exports come from the textile sector. So the Corona crisis is a financial drain on the part of the country. According to a recent study, 47 percent of garment workers in Bangladesh currently have no income, Muhymin Chowdhury of the nonprofit Sajida tells the Dhaka Tribune. More than 1,000 factories have been hit by the cancellations, and it is feared that hunger poses a greater threat to garment workers than covid-19, although infections have already been reported in some factories. The cancelled orders consist of around 982 million garments that have already been produced but will most likely end up in the dump. At the beginning of April, this resulted in a loss of USD 3 billion for the clothing sector in Bangladesh. A month and a half later, this has already risen to a loss of four billion in factories affiliated with the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and 3.8 billion in members of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Thirty percent of workers have not been paid for their work in recent weeks, and some have taken to the streets in Bangladesh and Pakistan to protest. In addition, the end of Ramadan, the sugar festival, is also disturbed by the current crisis. Islamic garment workers were asked not to take time out this year during the Eid al-Fitr to return to their villages. If workers ignore this ban, they will lose their jobs, says Mohammad Hatem, the vice president of BKMEA. According to Hatem, those who want to celebrate the Sugar Festival will never work in the textile industry again.
