Celebrating The International Labour Month Through Sustainability

Because each piece of clothing must be created over a long supply chain, fashion is one of the most labour-intensive industries. The fashion sector employs one out of every six people on the planet, with women accounting for the bulk of those employed. When addressing the ramifications of hiring so many women in an unregulated labor market, fashion becomes a hot button feminist problem. Additionally, pesticides, insecticides, formaldehyde, and other known carcinogens have been used in fast fashion pieces. This makes the working environment toxic and could cause build-up health problems.

Many countries lack effective labour laws, and those that do exist aren't consistently implemented, and governments' attempts to enforce existing laws are sometimes hampered by government collusion and corruption. According to an Oxfam research from 2019, only 1% of Bangladeshi textile workers and 1% of Vietnamese garment workers received a decent wage. Workers are unable to save money in order to have a safety net while looking for a new job as a result of this.

Discussions on labour exploitation and forced labour might make us feel. But, this isn't because we don't care; it's because we don't always know where to start. But, a lot of protests upon accidents like those in Bangladesh have been surfacing, which proves that a medium will always be available in places we expect it to be. By raising our voices, we can make a difference for individuals in other countries who manufacture the clothing we all wear on a daily basis.

 

PRLA, as a sustainable fashion brand, has utilised the platform given to raise awareness about fair wages as well as a healthy working environment. Additional power-moves you could utilise to honour the workers for labour day are as follows:

Buy less

Consumers who purchase at stores that sell ethically sourced clothes are sending a message to fast fashion firms that they want ethical sourcing and garment transparency, and that anything less will not suffice.

Buy better

Mass-production of cheap, disposable clothing has always been a problem. Countless new collections per year make us feel constantly out of date and encourage us to keep buying more. We should do our best to buy what’s necessary, in better qualities.

Think twice

Make do with what you already have, through proper care and simple repair techniques. If this is done in big numbers, fast fashion firms will be forced to slow down, reframe, and give consumers what they want.