Worker Rights

The Central Java Gender Justice Agreement, signed in July 2024, is drawing global attention as a rare example of enforceable labour protections in garment supply chains. Covering more than 6,000 workers in two Indonesian factories, the union-led framework establishes binding safeguards against gender-based violence while placing greater accountability obligations on international apparel brands

In most global supply chains, accountability has a floor — and it sits at Tier 1. The factories below, producing fabrics and raw materials, operate largely beyond the reach of formal due diligence. A coalition of brands, a software provider, and two NGOs tested whether that could change across nine Tier 2 factories in southern Viet Nam. A report from a side session at February's OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector.

As global supply chains undergo legal and environmental scrutiny, Cambodia’s garment sector stands at a crossroads. Persistent labour challenges, climate shocks, and governance weaknesses threaten its export competitiveness. In this candid interview, Andrew Crawford, Research Fellow at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies, explains why swift structural reform is essential for survival.

Inditex and Next have come under fire for rejecting a global agreement to improve wages and conditions for Cambodian garment workers. Developed over years with unions and brands, the Cambodia Agreements offer the first collective bargaining template in the industry. Critics say the refusal exposes a gap between public commitments and real action on workers’ rights.

A new investigation has uncovered the hidden realities of Pakistan’s garment industry, exposing wage theft, forced overtime, and widespread informality across eight factories supplying European brands. Based on 126 worker interviews, the report challenges the effectiveness of social audits and highlights systemic exploitation in one of South Asia’s largest textile and apparel export hubs.

The fashion industry now has a powerful tool to map its complex sustainability challenges. The Fashion Impact Toolkit, developed by Global Fashion Agenda and Deloitte, catalogues around 3,000 impacts across the textile value chain. Designed for strategic planning and accountability, it equips companies to track, assess, and address environmental and social harms from fibre to end-of-life.

Indonesia's largest textile manufacturer Sritex has collapsed into bankruptcy, leaving over 10,000 workers jobless whilst Central Java communities celebrate a landmark pollution victory against the fast fashion giant's environmental crimes.

A new report from the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre reveals that fashion industry climate plans are dangerously out of touch with worker realities. Despite bold decarbonisation targets, brands exclude workers from planning, risking livelihoods and safety. The study calls for a just transition that integrates environmental and social justice.

Italy's fashion industry has signed a groundbreaking accord with authorities and trade unions to combat worker exploitation through a centralised transparency platform, marking a significant step towards ethical production practices in the luxury sector.

Socially disadvantaged people are disproportionately affected by temperature extremes. A recent study explored this point in Cambodia: one of the world's hottest and most humid countries. It evidenced the extent of the heat exposure faced by workers in Cambodia and the way occupational, environmental and geographical dynamics combine to shape it. The study’s lead author, Dr Laurie Parsons of Royal Holloway, University of London, contextualises this for the country’s garment workers.