# data[].attributes.headline
How to change the garment industry? | Bangladesh Accord

# data[].attributes.subject
How to change the garment industry? | Bangladesh Accord

# data[].attributes.body
For decades garment companies have made empty promises to create working conditions for the workers that make their clothes. But nevertheless in 2013 over 1,100 workers died in the Rana Plaza factory collapse and labour rights violations continue throughout the supply chain. The only way to create real change is through binding agreements and regulations, as shown by the successful work by the Accord on Fire and Building Safety after the collapse.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
How to change the garment industry? | Bangladesh Accord

# data[].attributes.body
Use your voice this Fashion Revolution Week and tell your public representatives that the fashion industry should empower the people in its supply chain and use resources responsibly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Use your voice this Fashion Revolution Week and tell your public representatives that the fashion industry should empower the people in its supply chain and use resources responsibly.

# data[].attributes.body
WARDROBE CRISIS is a fashion podcast about sustainability, ethical fashion and making a difference in the world. Host Clare Press was the first VOGUE sustainability editor, and each week she interviews international guests about the big issues facing the fashion industry. Get to know their personal stories, and be part of the change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Find all episodes of the Wardrobe Crisis sustainable fashion podcast by Clare Press here — Wardrobe Crisis

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Chart-topping sustainable fashion podcast features fashion designers, industry insiders, ethical fashion activists, models, scientists, and environmentalists from around the world. Your leading resource for sustainable fashion. Presented by ex Vogue journalist Clare Press

# data[].attributes.body
Millions of garment workers worldwide are losing their jobs without compensation, or receiving much less than their regular poverty wages. Most of these workers are women. Hunger forces those who still have jobs to put their lives at risk in unsafe workplaces.

With #PayYourWorkers, we demand that Adidas:

Pay the workers who make their clothes their full wages for the duration of the pandemic;

Make sure workers are never again left penniless if their factory goes bankrupt, by signing onto a negotiated severance guarantee fund; and

Protect workers’ right to organise and bargain collectively.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Adidas, Pay Your Workers!

Kasper Rørsted, Adidas CEO

Millions of garment workers worldwide are losing their jobs without compensation, or receiving much less than their regular poverty wages. Most of these workers are women. Hunger forces those who still have jobs to put their lives at risk in unsafe workplaces.

With #PayYourWorkers, we demand that Adidas:

Pay the workers who make their clothes their full wages for the duration of the pandemic;

Make sure workers are never again left penniless if their factory goes bankrupt, by signing onto a negotiated severance guarantee fund; and

Protect workers' right to organise and bargain collectively.

To: Kasper Rørsted, Adidas CEO
From: [Your Name]

Millions of garment workers worldwide are losing their jobs without compensation, or receiving much less than their regular poverty wages. Most of these workers are women. Hunger forces those who still have jobs to put their lives at risk in unsafe workplaces.

With #PayYourWorkers, we demand that Adidas:
Pay the workers who make their clothes their full wages for the duration of the pandemic;
Make sure workers are never again left penniless if their factory goes bankrupt, by signing onto a negotiated severance guarantee fund; and
Protect workers' right to organise and bargain collectively.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Millions of garment workers worldwide are losing their jobs without compensation, or receiving much less than their regular poverty wages. Most of these workers are women. Hunger forces those who still have jobs to put their lives at risk in unsafe workplaces.

# data[].attributes.headline
WELCOME TO TXTILE CITYWelcome to TXTilecity  

# data[].attributes.subject
WELCOME TO TXTILE CITYWelcome to TXTilecity  

# data[].attributes.body
An interactive project that brings the city to life in stories and memories that show the significant role textiles have played in shaping Toronto’s urban landscape.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to TXTilecity - an interactive project that brings the city to life in stories and memories that show the significant role textiles have played in shaping Toronto's urban landscape.

# data[].attributes.body
We’re looking at the term “degrowth” and the important role it plays in helping the fashion and textile industry reach its climate targets.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Textile Exchange (@textileexchange)

# data[].attributes.body
The fashion industry is built on agriculture and oil. Anyone who has been paying attention knows that these two industries will dictate whether or not we succeed in avoiding the worst effects of climate change.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Textile Exchange (@textileexchange)

# data[].attributes.body
Following international river conservationist, Mark Angelo, RIVERBLUE spans the globe to infiltrate one of the world’s most pollutive industries, fashion. Narrated by clean water supporter Jason Priestley, this groundbreaking documentary examines the destruction of our rivers, its effect on humanity, and the solutions that inspire hope for a sustainable future.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
RiverBlue follows river advocate Mark Angelo on a journey through some of the world's most beautiful to most pulloted rivers. A documentary that poses the question, "How dirty are your jeans?" RiverBlue uncovers how the fashion industry plays part in destroying our world's rivers.

# data[].attributes.body
Global Fashion Summit (formerly known as Copenhagen Fashion Summit) will return in physical form this summer. Presented by Global Fashion Agenda, the leading international forum for sustainability in fashion will take place on 7-8 June 2022 in the grand setting of the Royal Opera House in Copenhagen, Denmark.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The fashion industry is one of the largest, most resource intensive industries. It is a powerful engine for global growth and development.

The apparel and footwear industry accounted for some 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2018, about 4% of the global total. For context, this is the same quantity of CO2 per year as the economies of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined. The global apparel market is projected to grow in value from 1.5 trillion USD in 2020 to about 2.25 trillion USD dollars by 2025, and it employs 60+ million people along its value chain; of which 80% are women. Widespread negative social implications within its supply chain such as the challenges in human rights, raising social standards and eliminating forced labour are all too familiar issues.

With global garment production to increase by 63% by 2030 - the equivalent of 500 billion shirts - the current business model of the fashion industry is unsustainable and needs to change to align with the Sustainable Development Goals.

We can form a thriving industry that creates prosperity for people and communities, reverses climate change and protects biodiversity. For this to happen, action is required now.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With the ultimate vision of a net positive fashion industry for people and the planet, Global Fashion Agenda is on a mission to accelerate impact by inspiring, educating, influencing, and mobilising all stakeholders.

# data[].attributes.headline
A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future

# data[].attributes.subject
A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion’s future

# data[].attributes.body
The Ellen MacArthur Foundation works to accelerate the transition to a circular economy. We develop and promote the idea of a circular economy. Achieving a new textiles economy will demand unprecedented levels of alignment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Since the 20th century, clothing has increasingly been considered as disposable, and the industry has become highly globalised, with garments often designed in one country, manufactured in another, and sold worldwide at an ever-increasing pace. This trend has been further accentuated over the past 15 years by rising demand from a growing middle class across the globe with higher disposable income, and the emergence of the 'fast fashion' phenomenon, leading to a doubling in production over the same period.

The time has come to transition to a textile system that delivers better economic, societal, and environmental outcomes. The report A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion's future outlines a vision and sets out ambitions and actions - based on the principles of a circular economy circular economy A systems solution framework that tackles global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution. It is based on three principles, driven by design: eliminate waste and pollution, circulate products and materials (at their highest value), and regenerate nature. - to design out negative impacts and capture a USD 500 billion economic opportunity by truly transforming the way clothes are designed, sold, and used.

Beyond laudable ongoing efforts, a new system for the textiles economy is needed and this report proposes a vision aligned with circular economy principles. In such a model, clothes, fabric, and fibres re-enter the economy after use and never end up as waste. Achieving a new textiles economy will demand unprecedented levels of alignment. A system-level change approach is required and one which will capture the opportunities missed by the current linear textiles system.

To quote this report, please use the following reference: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, A new textiles economy: Redesigning fashion's future (2017).

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A New Textiles Economy: Redesigning fashion's future

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The textiles circular economy report details the negative impacts of disposable fashion and the ways we can transform how clothes are designed, sold, and used.

# data[].attributes.body
Write to a policymaker! Use one of our templates, or create your own.
We also need clear policies and legal frameworks that can be enforced at the government level to protect local communities and the environment.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fashion Revolution Canada (@fash_revcan)

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Worn: A People's History of Clothing - By Sofi Thanhauser

# data[].attributes.body
A sweeping and captivatingly told history of clothing and the stuff it's made of--an unparalleled deep dive into how we've made what we wear, and how our garments have transformed our societies, our planet, and our lives.

# data[].attributes.headline
Ask Everlane to Share Worker Conditions Petition

# data[].attributes.subject
Ask Everlane to Share Worker Conditions Petition

# data[].attributes.body
Ask Everlane to Share Worker Conditions (& Stop Greenwashing!)

Remake.world started this petition to Everlane

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
272,257 people signed and won this petition

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Urban Outfitters, JCPenney, C&A #PayUp for orders, save lives

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Earth Logic - Kate Fletcher & Mathilda Tham

# data[].attributes.headline
Earth Logic - Kate Fletcher & Mathilda Tham

# data[].attributes.subject
Earth Logic - Kate Fletcher & Mathilda Tham

# data[].attributes.body
The Earth Logic Fashion Action Research Plan is a visionary and radical invitation to fashion researchers, practitioners, business leaders and decision makers to: call out as fiction the idea that sustainability can be achieved within economic growth logic; and instead to ‘stay with the trouble’ of envisioning fashion connected with nature, people and long term healthy futures.

# data[].attributes.body
No matter where you are in your sustainability journey - just getting started, or well on your way - the Toolkit offers something for everyone. With helpful, customizable filters designed for simple navigation, our platform will help you easily find what you need for your specific sustainability journey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
No matter where you are in your sustainability journey - just getting started, or well on your way - the Toolkit offers something for everyone. With helpful, customizable filters designed for simple navigation, our platform will help you easily find what you need for your specific sustainability journey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sustainable Fashion Toolkit - View Recent

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
No matter where you are in your sustainability journey - just getting started, or well on your way - the Toolkit offers something for everyone. With helpful, customizable filters designed for simple navigation, our platform will help you easily find what you need for your specific sustainability journey.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Sustainable Fashion Toolkit - Understanding Fair Wear’s approach to Living Wages

# data[].attributes.body
Rise & Resist takes a wild trip through the new activism sweeping the world. The political march is back in a big way, as communities rally to build movements for environmental and social justice. But today's context calls for increasingly creative strategies to make our voices heard. Crossing the globe, Clare Press meets passionate change-makers who believe in the power of the positive. From eco warriors and zero wasters to knitting nannas, introvert craftivists to intersectional feminists, they're all up for a revolution of sorts. Are you? Join Press as she tracks the formation of a new counterculture, united by a grand purpose: to rethink how we live today to build a more sustainable tomorrow.

# data[].attributes.body
A national bestseller, No Logo took Canadians by storm when it was published last year in hardcover. Equal parts cultural analysis, political manifesto, mall-rat memoir, and journalistic exposé, it is the first book to uncover a betrayal of the central promises of the information age: choice, interactivity, and increased freedom. No Logo takes apart our packaged and branded world and puts the pieces into clear pop-historical and economic perspective. Naomi Klein tracks the resistance and self-determination mounting in the face of our new branded world and explains why some of the most revered brands in the world are finding themselves on the wrong end of a bottle of spray paint, a computer hack, or an international anti-corporate campaign.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things - William McDonough and Michael Braungart

# data[].attributes.headline
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things - William McDonough and Michael Braungart

# data[].attributes.subject
Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things - William McDonough and Michael Braungart

# data[].attributes.body
"Reduce, reuse, recycle" urge environmentalists; in other words, do more with less in order to minimize damage. But as this provocative, visionary book argues, this approach perpetuates a one-way, "cradle to grave" manufacturing model that dates to the Industrial Revolution and casts off as much as 90 percent of the materials it uses as waste, much of it toxic. Why not challenge the notion that human industry must inevitably damage the natural world?

# data[].attributes.headline
Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action (XFRA)

# data[].attributes.subject
Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action (XFRA)

# data[].attributes.body
Extinction Rebellion Fashion Action (XFRA) is a decentralised activist group pushing for radical system change within the fashion industry. We are a sister organisation to Extinction Rebellion and use non-violent civil disobedience to bring about a transition to a fashion model that does not rely on the exploitation of people and the planet.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
XRFA seeks to reclaim the power of fashion to address the crisis we are in.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion - Elizabeth L. Cline 

# data[].attributes.headline
Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion - Elizabeth L. Cline 

# data[].attributes.subject
Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion - Elizabeth L. Cline 

# data[].attributes.body
Cheap fashion has fundamentally changed the way most Americans dress. Stores ranging from discounters like Target to traditional chains like JCPenny now offer the newest trends at unprecedentedly low prices. And we have little reason to keep wearing and repairing the clothes we already own when styles change so fast and it’s cheaper to just buy more.

# data[].attributes.body
Who makes your clothes? This used to be an easy question to answer: it was the seamstress next door, or the tailor on the high street – or you made them yourself. Today we rarely know the origins of the clothes hanging in our closets. The local shoemaker, dressmaker and milliner are long gone, replaced by a globalised fashion industry worth $1.5 trillion a year.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion - Tansy E. Hoskins

# data[].attributes.headline
Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion - Tansy E. Hoskins

# data[].attributes.subject
Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion - Tansy E. Hoskins

# data[].attributes.body
Stitched Up delves into the exclusive and alluring world of fashion to expose class division, gender stereotyping and wasteful consumption. Tansy E. Hoskins illuminates the political and sociological dimensions of an industry that promotes and supports the dominant values of our age: image, glamour, money and sex.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a story about clothing. It’s about the clothes we wear, the people who make them, and the impact the industry is having on our world. The price of clothing has been decreasing for decades, while the human and environmental costs have grown dramatically. The True Cost is a groundbreaking documentary film that pulls back the curtain on the untold story and asks us to consider, who really pays the price for our clothing?

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
To Die for: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World? by Lucy Siegle

# data[].attributes.headline
To Die for: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World? - Lucy Siegle 

# data[].attributes.subject
To Die for: Is Fashion Wearing Out the World? - Lucy Siegle 

# data[].attributes.body
An expose on the fashion industry written by the Observer's 'Ethical Living' columnist, examining the inhumane and environmentally devastating story behind the clothes we so casually buy and wear.

# data[].attributes.body
📓Welcome to Fashion Revolution Toronto!

As a subset of the Canadian Chapter of Fashion Revolution @fash_revcan , this account will be dedicated to the Greater Toronto Area.

We acknowledge the land we are operating on is the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. We also acknowledge that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit.

We will make every effort to collaborate with sustainable and ethical partners to minimize the impact we are making to the land while committing to build respectful relationships with indigenous artists, thinkers and makers.

This is only the starting point of our journey of reconciliation snd decolonization.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fashion Revolution Tkaronto (@fash_rev_toronto)

# data[].attributes.body
Here is an informative instagram post on There are on why we need to hold the industry accountable.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Fashion Revolution Tkaronto (@fash_rev_toronto)

# data[].attributes.headline
Fashion Revolution Toronto Brand Action Kit

# data[].attributes.subject
Fashion Revolution Toronto Brand Action Kit

# data[].attributes.body
Our action toolkit is a step by step guide that anyone can do to hold brands accountable.

Many organisations and campaigns know that when a brand is agitated they pay attention and feel the pressure. Why else would they hide the comments when we ask #WhoMadeMyClothes. Dedicate some time out of your day to take action and flood the social media accounts of problematic brands. We need to hold them accountable, as a consumer and a citizen your voice has power.

Action towards brands has to be done as a collective and it needs to be in solidarity with other campaigns and organisations.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Fashion Revolution Toronto Brand Action Kit

# data[].attributes.headline
Toronto’s Textile Past - A Historic Walking Tour of Toronto’s Garment District

# data[].attributes.subject
Toronto’s Textile Past - A Historic Walking Tour of Toronto’s Garment District

# data[].attributes.body
This walkable historic tour of Toronto’s Textile Past is a resource and a guide of the historic buildings and landmarks connected to Toronto's Textile industry. The tour takes you through the Garment District and ties the area's vibrant history to the textile and Garment industry.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A Historic Walking Tour of Toronto's Garment District

# data[].attributes.body
Here are some of our helpful resources, tools and activities that the Toronto Chapter has created.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Loved Clothes Last: How the Joy of Rewearing and Repairing Your Clothes Can Be a Revolutionary Act 

# data[].attributes.body
This book will equip you with a myriad of ways to mend, rewear and breathe new life into your wardrobe to achieve a more sustainable lifestyle. By teaching you to scrutinise your shopping habits and make sustainable purchases, she will inspire you to buy better, care more and reduce your carbon footprint by simply making your loved clothes last longer.

# data[].attributes.body
Remember Who Made Them is a six part podcast series, digital campaign and fundraiser that aims to help energise a new solidarity economy in fashion.

# data[].attributes.body
A textile worker fights for employee rights after a fire at her factory workplace results in a coworker's death.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Made in Bangladesh Trailer #1 (2020) | Movieclips Indie

# data[].attributes.body
Clean Clothes Campaign was founded in the Netherlands in 1989 as Schone Kleren Campagne. We have since expanded to become a global network of over 235 organisations operating in over 45 countries.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Since 1989, CCC has worked to ensure that the fundamental rights of workers are respected. We educate and mobilise consumers, lobby companies and governments, and offer direct solidarity support to workers as they fight for their rights and demand better working conditions. Clean Clothes Campaign brings together trade unions and NGOs covering a broad spectrum of perspectives and interests, such as women's rights, consumer advocacy and poverty reduction.

As a grass-roots network of hundreds of organisations and unions, both in garment-producing and in consumer markets, we can identify local problems and objectives and transform them into global actions. We develop campaign strategies to support workers in achieving their goals. We also cooperate extensively with similar labour rights campaigns.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Since 1989, CCC has worked to ensure that the fundamental rights of workers are respected. We educate and mobilise consumers, lobby companies and governments, and offer direct solidarity support to workers as they fight for their rights and demand better working conditions.

# data[].attributes.headline
Protect Progress - The International Accord

# data[].attributes.subject
Protect Progress - The International Accord

# data[].attributes.body
The Bangladesh garment industry has a long history of factory incidents. The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, created after the Rana Plaza collapse of 2013, has made a real change by making factories safer. Brand and unions concluded a new International Accord in August 2021 after months of negotiations and campaigning. This Accord continues the work in Bangladesh and allows for expansion to other countries. We urge all brands sourcing from Bangladesh to sign this new Accord.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Background

When in 2013 the Rana Plaza building collapsed - killing 1,134 workers - it was clear that something needed to change to address the notoriously unsafe Bangladesh garment industry. Only a few weeks later the Bangladesh Safety Accord was launched. In the past few years, the Accord has carried out inspections, overseen repairs and trained workers in the field of safety covering over 1,600 factories supplying more than 200 brands.

The Accord is a binding instrument initiated by Bangladeshi trade unions and Global Union Federations together with labour rights groups. The first Accord, which had a mandate for five years, has been signed by over 200 global fashion brands and retailers, Bangladeshi trade unions and Global Union Federations. Clean Clothes Campaign is one of the four witness signatories. The ILO (International Labor Organisation) functions as neutral chair.

The Accord requires the signatory brands to disclose who their supplier factories are. The Accord also requires independent building inspections on fire, electrical and structural safety, worker rights trainings, and a long-overdue review of safety standards.

Fashion brands, together with their supplier factory, are responsible to compensate the workers during any closure for remediation and maintenance resulting from the inspections. The inspections are carried out by safety inspectors from international firms, and Bangladesh engineers. The Accord is unique in being supported by all key labour rights stakeholders in Bangladesh and internationally, and being legally binding. The reports of the Accord's inspections along with their Corrective Action Plans are published on the Accord website.

As witness signatories to the Accord we keep a close watch on its work. We are involved in its governance but are also not afraid to speak out when needed. In the second half of 2015 the four Accord witness signatories checked the progress of H&M's most trusted suppliers. The result was shocking: most supplier factories were far behind schedule in repairing the safety defects that Accord inspectors found. Follow up research in January 2016 and May 2016 showed some progress, but still left the majority of these key suppliers without safe fire exits. To increase pressure on H&M we held an international day of action, on which people in over 40 cities worldwide made their voices heard.

When in June 2017 a follow-up programme to the first Accord was announced, the 2018 Transition Accord, this was in recognition that while laudable progress toward safety was achieved since May 2013 much remains to be done to achieve a safe garment industry in Bangladesh. That is why the Agreement mandated a three or possible four year term commencing 1 June 2018. In October 2017 an agreement was reached between the Ministries of Commerce and Labour, the employers' organization BGMEA, and 2018 Transition Accord signatory representatives about a process to regulate a transition to national oversight structures according to rigorous standards. We campaigned hard to convince brands to sign on to this new programme, summing up our arguments in this blog, and this background memo. Almost 200 brands did, including new garment brands and home textile providers.

This first Accord programme ended in May 2018. A new Transition Accord took over, but under difficult circumstances. The government and employers' organization stated that they no longer needed the Accord. We stressed that there is no other credible way to keep workers in Bangladesh safe. Many worker representatives, brands and other stakeholders joined us in our support for the continuation of the Accord.

The frequent fires that continued to happen in Bangladesh showed that contrary to what the government and factory owners say, national inspection agencies in Bangladesh are not yet ready to take over the work of the Accord. They showed cases of broken promises, unsafe buildings, and factories deemed too dangerous to produce in that continued to operate. Furthermore a closer look at the public data of the national inspection bodies themselves showed many inconsistencies and dangerous lapses. As witness signatories to the Accord we closely follow factory safety in Bangladesh and the operations of the Accord.

Eventually, in 2019 a Memorandum of Understanding was reached between the employers' organization BGMEA and the Accord. We have our concerns about this agreement especially as in 2020 it was decided to continue on the original time path for transitioning work on the ground to the newly establish RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), despite the fact that the pandemic made normal preparations impossible. We have kept on closely monitoring the RSC over the past months. There are concerns about what the increased influence of employers, which in the past have spoken out against the work of the Accord, will mean for factory safety.

The binding and enforceable character of the programme carried out by the RSC, is only safeguarded because brands and retailers are also still signatory of the 2018 Transition Accord, together with the unions, who can use this agreement to hold brands to account. To prevent the RSC from becoming yet another industry-led voluntary mechanism, a continuation of this binding agreement was needed, as brands and unions agreed early in 2020 (to create a "new agreement between unions and brands to be negotiated with a view for the Accord safety programme to be expanded to Pakistan"). When negotiations actually began in early 2021, brands turned out to want to backtrack on the promise of signing a new international agreement with the unions. Only after long negotiations and massive campaigning, brands and unions eventually concluded a new International Accord in late August 2021 which then took effect on 1 September. This agreement allows for the continuation of the work in Bangladesh with full brand accountability, while the work will be implemented by the RSC, and for expansion to at least one country beyond Bangladesh in the 26 months of the programme.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
When in 2013 the Rana Plaza building collapsed - killing 1,134 workers - it was clear that something needed to change to address the notoriously unsafe Bangladesh garment industry. Only a few weeks later the Bangladesh Safety Accord was launched.

# data[].attributes.headline
State of The Industry: Lowest Wages to Living Wages

# data[].attributes.subject
State of The Industry: Lowest Wages to Living Wages

# data[].attributes.body
It is estimated that less than 2% of the people who make the clothes on our bodies earn a living wage (Source: The True Cost). This means an estimated 98% of workers in the fashion industry are likely being held in systemic poverty and cannot meet their most basic needs.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
State of The Industry: Lowest Wages to Living Wages

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Did you know that only 2% of fashion’s manufacturing workers earn enough to cover their most basic needs?

# data[].attributes.headline
Rana Plaza Collapse Documentary: The Deadly Cost of Fashion 

# data[].attributes.subject
Rana Plaza Collapse Documentary: The Deadly Cost of Fashion 

# data[].attributes.body
A photojournalist who covered last year's deadly collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh draws connections to New York from clothing labels he found in the rubble.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Rana Plaza Collapse Documentary: The Deadly Cost of Fashion | Op-Docs | The New York Times

# data[].attributes.body
2013 April 1100 garment workers were killed in a factory collapse in Bangladesh. A project by @ismailferdous about those who remain impacted.

www.afterranaplaza.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by After Rana Plaza (@afterranaplaza)

# data[].attributes.body
Remember Who Made Them

Education

We all love clothes. Let’s remember who made them. Support garment workers ↓

www.patreon.com/rememberwhomadethem

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.embed_code
View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Remember Who Made Them (@rememberwhomadethem)

# data[].attributes.headline
RANA PLAZA NEVER AGAIN- Together, We Remember

# data[].attributes.subject
RANA PLAZA NEVER AGAIN- Together, We Remember

# data[].attributes.body
On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed with thousands of people inside. At least 1,138 people died and thousands more were injured. Workers were forced to enter a building they knew was unsafe under threat of losing their wages. We can never forget this terrible disaster and the people whose lives were ended and upended by it. We want to show to the world that they are not forgotten. We remember Rana Plaza here, by sharing your messages in their memory.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed with thousands of people inside. At least 1,138 people died and thousands more were injured. This is the worst industrial disaster the garment industry has ever seen and it was entirely preventable. Workers were forced to enter a building they knew was unsafe under threat of losing their wages.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
The Role of Fashion Legislation -Stella Hertantyo

# data[].attributes.headline
Fashion Has Long Lacked Accountability — Here’s How Legislation Could Change That

# data[].attributes.subject
Fashion Has Long Lacked Accountability — Here’s How Legislation Could Change That

# data[].attributes.body
This article will break down what public vs. private social change is, the role fashion legislation can play in a sustainable future, and 6 key fashion reforms to note.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
If there is one thing that we know for certain, it's that the fashion industry lacks accountability. Despite sustainable fashion gaining more and more traction in mainstream fashion spaces, fast fashion has continued to overproduce, garment workers are still facing exploitative conditions, and fashion billionaires are pushing for never-ending profit-oriented growth.

And so, the question becomes:

How Do We Hold The Fashion Industry Accountable?

In the slow fashion movement, there is a constant conversation about the relationship between individual and collective action in systems change. But, some experts argue that the entire debate should be reframed.

As Elizabeth Cline, journalist, author, and Remake's Advocacy and Policy Director, puts it, "Individuals can and do change the world all the time. And of course, we need collective action to make change as well. The shift we need is not from individual to collective action, it's from privatized social change towards change in the public sphere."

Fashion reforms are a key example of change in the public sphere. Widely adopted legislation and policy are essential levers for accountability when it comes to helping fashion clean up its act.

What is Private Social Change?

Private social change largely refers to how we spend our money. The popular phrase, "your dollar is your vote," succinctly sums up the essence of private social change.
It is based on the belief that where and how we choose to spend our money - or not spend our money - will be what drives change in the fashion industry.
As an article in the Stanford Social Innovation Review points out, "we get the default assumption that the route to sustainability is through offering sustainable products and services, suggesting that what consumers buy (or don't buy) will be the key to a sustainable future."
We cannot solve the fashion crisis only by buying differently, without challenging the fundamentals of this extractive industry.
This isn't to say that we shouldn't be conscious consumers. Shifting the way we consume can begin to mend our emotional connection with our clothing - and, this often sparks an interest in more systemic issues in the fashion industry.

As Lily Fang of Imperfect Idealist puts it in a post about individual versus systemic change, "It's true: buying less on your own won't stop overproduction, garment worker mistreatment, or the culture of overconsumption. But individual actions are the most tangible ways to get involved, and that can spur your interest into larger-scale reforms."

While it can have an impact, where and how we spend our money is not going to single handedly create a more just fashion industry.

But, we each have the power to extend our change-making capabilities beyond the marketplace.

What is Public Social Change?
Public social change expands the realm of change-making beyond our wallets.
As Cline puts it, "we have to look beyond voting with our dollars and work to introduce strong laws, change educational curriculum, increase budgets for underfunded services, provide social benefits for vulnerable people, teach organizing, share strategies, build networks and coalitions and power, and develop revolutionary new ways of thinking, doing and living."

And, these systemic change-making avenues can be made up of many different individual actions. "We can do these things on an individual level when we sign petitions, share information on social media, attend a town hall meeting, read a book, or donate to grassroots groups fighting for change," says Cline.

These actions (individual and collective) that contribute to public social change make the slow fashion movement more inclusive by emphasizing that your involvement in this movement is not only determined by how you spend your money (and how much money you have to spend), but rather how you choose to show up in the world and stand up for injustice.

The #PayUp campaign shows that public social change does create a sense of community, and it is this strength of community that empowers us to act on a scale that reaches far beyond our habits and daily choices. It is these collective actions that help to push for widespread fashion reforms, legislature, and policy that hold fashion giants accountable.

The Role of Fashion Reforms and Legislation

Just like legislation and policies governing other aspects of our lives, fashion reforms, policies, and legislature are mandates that help to mainstream best practices in the fashion industry and guard against exploitation of the planet and of people.

Historically, the fashion industry has relied on voluntary measures - such as sustainable fashion certifications - when it comes to change-making. What makes policy and legislature different is that they are not voluntary.

"Working through our democratically elected government is one of the most important tools we can use to transform fashion, as the government sets the rules about what business can and cannot do, they outline workplace protections, they set aside funding for research and development, and move large sums of money for new projects," says Cline.

The one caveat of this is that we must continue to use our critical faculties and speak out when we see when lawmakers are serving the interests of the already privileged, instead of the people who desperately need to benefit from fashion reforms. Cline continues to explain that, "like everything else in our society, the government is sometimes responding to business interests instead of worker interests, and politicians and policy writers are sometimes cut off from the everyday realities of communities who need access to justice."

There is an increasing movement pushing for the adoption of such fashion reforms, policies, and laws. One such campaign is Fashion of Tomorrow's #Vote4Fashion campaign, a grassroots initiative that aims to cement fashion policy as a core part of the political agenda on the local, state, and eventually, federal level.

So, fashion reforms and laws are vital for systems change in the fashion industry, because they place a level of responsibility on governments, corporates, and brands, instead of relying on how people spend their money when it comes to leading the way towards a more just industry.

Six Fashion Reforms and Laws That Are Changing The Industry

Bold fashion legislation and reforms will help to mainstream sustainable fashion. Fashion legislation is a huge step in the right direction when it comes to accountability, which is something that Big Fashion sorely lacks. Here are just a few of the fashion reforms and laws that are reshaping the fashion industry:

1. The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry

image via bangladeshaccord.org

This Accord began as The Bangladesh Accord, in 2013, which was an independent, legally binding agreement between brands and trade unions to work towards a safe and healthy garment and textile industry in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Accord was created in 2013 after the devastating collapse of Rana Plaza. This was a fatal incident where a Bangladeshi factory, filled with garment workers, collapsed and resulted in the deaths of 1134 garment workers and thousands more injuries. The Bangladesh Accord holds brands accountable for their suppliers and ensures that suppliers provide fair and safe working conditions, and respond to labor concerns.

The Bangladesh Accord was initially valid for five years. At the end of last year, it was renewed, expanded, and renamed the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. The renewed Accord will continue to protect garment workers in Bangladesh, but it will also be expanded to other garment-producing nations, where workers' lives are currently at risk daily.

2. The SWEAT Bill

image via sweatnys.org

SWEAT stands for 'Securing Wages Earned Against Theft' and is a bill that holds companies liable for unpaid wages. The SWEAT Bill was passed by the New York State legislature in 2019 but was vetoed by Governor Cuomo on January 1st, 2020.

So often, we hear of businesses getting away with not paying garment workers. Under existing law, if a worker is owed money by an employer, it is very difficult for the worker to access their money, because the employer can easily hide or move their funds.

The SWEAT Bill aims to make it easier for workers to get back their wages. The SWEAT Bill will allow workers to freeze the employer's assets, which ensures that workers will be able to get their money back. New York organizers and legislators are looking to pass the SWEAT bill this year.

3. The Garment Worker Protection Act

image via garmentworkeract.org

Los Angeles is the biggest garment hub in the United States, servicing some of the world's largest fast-fashion retailers. Historically, fashion brands have avoided taking responsibility for paying garment workers by hiring their factories as third-party contractors.

Also known as Senate Bill 62, the Garment Worker Protection Act is a Californian anti-wage theft and brand accountability bill that makes the state the first in the country to require hourly wages for garment workers. The Act also prohibits piecework (a mechanism used to pay workers per garment and often results in a shockingly low hourly rate) and penalizes wage theft and other illegal pay practices that disadvantage garment workers.

This Act is life-changing for Los Angeles' 45000 garment workers and their families because it allows them to reclaim a level of agency and makes their lives slightly less precarious.

4. The Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act

image via Pexels

This Act is currently under consideration in the New York State Assembly. If passed, the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act would require all fashion companies that do business (i.e. sell their products) in New York and generate more than $100 million in revenues to map at least 50 percent of their supply chains and disclose environmental and social impacts in public reports.

In terms of environmental impact, this includes elements such as greenhouse gas emissions, water footprint, chemical use, as well as reporting on the total volumes of materials they produce.

When it comes to social impacts, brands will have to median wages for workers and what measures are in place to embed responsible business conduct into policies and management systems.

Beyond increasing supply chain transparency, brands will have to set clear targets for how to improve their social and environmental impact. Fines for non-compliance will be pooled in a community fund that will be used for environmental justice projects in New York.

Organizations including Remake, Fashion Revolution, and Custom Collaborative are pushing to strengthen the Fashion Act.

5. UK Green Claims Code

image via greenclaims.campaign.gov.uk

The UK's Green Claims Code is clamping down on greenwashing by insisting that brands substantiate any claims of a product being "sustainable." Brands that are found guilty of greenwashing or providing misleading information to their customers could find themselves in breach of consumer protection laws.

For fast fashion brands, this means that brands cannot showcase "sustainable" collections without being clear about what makes the collection sustainable.

6. Australia's Modern Slavery Law

This Australian Law was passed in 2018 and established a Modern Slavery Reporting Requirement that states that companies with revenues above AUD $100 million are required to publish an annual Modern Slavery Statement, reporting on all potential modern slavery risks and practices in their operations and supply chains.

All statements are made publicly available in a central government-run repository to foster public oversight, and the companies face penalties for non-compliance. The law aims to increase transparency around modern slavery and human trafficking in supply chains for consumers and investors and improve workplace anti-slavery practices by holding businesses accountable.

What Can We Do To Contribute to Public Social Change?

It's crucial to advocate for widespread adoption of fashion reforms, policies, and laws that continue to protect the rights of garment workers, and safeguard our natural ecosystems, while also ensuring that fashion remains an important medium for expression and cultural sustainability.

This means we can sign petitions, call representatives and express support for sustainable and ethical fashion legislation, show up to protests and boycotts, call out brands online, share information with our friends and family. If you'd like some ideas for getting started, look at this article on how to be a fashion activist and listen to this Conscious Style Podcast interview for tips from Cynthia Dam of Inspiroue.

"In terms of what really makes a movement, it's sustained action more than anything. There's a lot of things grabbing our attention these days and activist burnout is real, so I recommend folks choose just one or two causes and pour your energy into them. And if you don't have time but you do have resources, donate to grassroots groups changing the world," says Cline.

"For legislation to reflect workers and push the boundaries on sustainability, we have to keep building up grassroots coalitions that are led by working people and communities directly impacted by fashion."

Here are just a few organizations that you can look into if you are searching for a slow fashion community, or want to support people doing vital work in the fashion industry:

There are so many pathways we can take to continue pushing for public social change. As individuals, we can find ways to exercise our voices as concerned citizens and understand that our role and agency in society extends well beyond our identity as consumers.

A more just and equitable fashion industry will be the result of a collection of efforts. We need brands to be more responsible in the way they operate. We need consumers who challenge the norms of overconsumption and advocate for a better industry. And we need government-mandated industry-wide fashion reforms and legislation that hold big business accountable and guard against exploitative practices.
This is a movement that has space for everyone.
I hope that this article has left you feeling energized and inspired to figure out what avenue of change-making you can get involved in, within the slow fashion movement!

About the Author

Pin this post to reference later:

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Role of Fashion Legislation - Plus 6 Reforms to Note

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
If there is one thing that we know for certain, it's that the fashion industry lacks accountability. Despite sustainable fashion gaining more and more traction in mainstream fashion spaces, fast fashion has continued to overproduce, garment workers are still facing exploitative conditions, and fashion billionaires are pushing for never-ending profit-oriented growth.

# data[].attributes.body
It’s time to decentralize the study of fashion.

The Fashion and Race Database is an online platform filled with tools that expand the narrative of fashion history and challenge mis-representation within the fashion system. Est. 2017.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
It's time to decentralize the study of fashion.

The Fashion and Race Database is an online platform filled with tools that expand the narrative of fashion history and challenge mis-representation within the fashion system. Est. 2017.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
An online platform filled with open-source tools that expand the narrative of fashion history and challenge mis-representation within the fashion system.

# data[].attributes.body
By not paying a living wage in their supply chain, Canadian fashion brands are keeping the women who make our clothes in poverty. But this can change. Together, we can hold Canadian brands accountable for #WhatSheMakes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Together, we're tackling extreme inequality in the Canadian fashion industry.

Stand with the women who make our clothes so they don't have to choose between rent and food each month. Together, we're exposing the truth behind the clothes sold in Canada - the women who make our clothes, no matter how hard they work, are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

Help us hold brands accountable, push for change and end the exploitation of the women who make our clothes. Sign Oxfam's pledge to demand Canadian fashion brands pay a living wage now.

By not paying a living wage in their supply chain, Canadian fashion brands are keeping the women who make our clothes in poverty. But this can change. Together, we can hold Canadian brands accountable for #WhatSheMakes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Together, we're tackling extreme inequality in the Canadian fashion industry. Stand with the women who make our clothes so they don't have to choose between rent and food each month. Together, we're exposing the truth behind the clothes sold in Canada - the women who make our clothes, no matter how hard they work, are trapped in a cycle of poverty.

# data[].attributes.body
Here is what we are watching and listening to.

# data[].attributes.body
Here are number of events and activities for everyone to take part in the Fashion Revolution beyond FRW!

# data[].attributes.body
TORONTO’S MONTHLY CLOTHING SWAP

All the dopamine, none of the dilemma.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About

Good Swap is a monthly clothing exchange for all genders, all bodies, and all ages located in downtown Toronto at the Centre for Social Innovation 's Annex and Spadina locations.

Why Swap?

By swapping instead of shopping (or dumping your clothes at a thrift store), you're participating in the circular economy, keeping clothing out of landfills, saving money, updating your wardrobe, avoiding unethical fast fashion and resource depletion, and sharing with a community of likeminded people... and sharing feels good.

All the sweet haul dopamine, none of the ethical dilemma!

Learn more about the fashion industry and how to care for clothing you truly no longer need on our Resources page.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Good Swap is a monthly clothing exchange for all genders, all bodies, and all ages located in downtown Toronto at the Centre for Social Innovation 's Annex and Spadina locations. Why Swap?

# data[].attributes.body
Here is who's on our feed and changing the game.

# data[].attributes.headline
“Fashion” is Just an Excuse For the Rich to Exploit the Poor

# data[].attributes.subject
“Fashion” is Just an Excuse For the Rich to Exploit the Poor

# data[].attributes.body
Society is as it is because capitalism requires inequality – the fashion industry makes this painfully clear.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
(Photo By As an illustration of how capitalism operates, fashion is perfect. Photo: Getty)

What does Karl Marx have to do with Karl Lagerfeld? At first glance, not much more than German heritage and eccentricity. Yet capitalism and fashion are inextricably intertwined, and each illuminates the other to reveal much about the world we live in.

In 1844 Friedrich Engels, co-author of the Communist Manifesto as well as a factory owner's son, described the most common factory accident in the cotton mills of Manchester: "the squeezing off of a single joint of a finger". Entire fingers, hands and arms were also trapped and lost in the machines - often followed by infection, then death. Workers, many of them children, faced constant ill-health from breathing fibrous dust, and deformities from the repetitive nature of machine work. A particularly horrible but not uncommon cause of death was being caught in the straps that powered the machines: "Whoever is seized by the strap is carried up with lightening speed, thrown against the ceiling above and floor below with such force that there is rarely a whole bone left in the body," wrote Engels. "Death follows instantly."

The Manchester cotton industry - dependent on cotton grown and picked by African slaves - began the mechanised mass production of textiles and fashion. Fast forward through the same industry for one hundred and seventy years and what do we find? The Manchester mills are now luxury flats and manufacturing has travelled overseas. Yet industry standards are as low as ever - if not worse.

The Pearl River Delta is a colossal industrial zone in China covering nine cities. It recently saw the largest strikes in recent Chinese history as more than 30,000 workers took action against Yue Yuen, a sports shoe supplier for Nike and Adidas located in Guangdong. Despite its deceptively lovely name, the Pearl River Delta is also famed as the place where 40,000 fingers are lost or broken each year in industrial accidents. Engels would have recognised such factories.

Nor has it become any easier to breathe in fashion's factories since Engels wrote of fibrous dust causing "blood spitting, noisy breathing, pains in the chest, coughs, sleeplessness...ending in the worst cases in consumption (TB)." Guangdong is responsible for half the world's production of blue jeans. Sandblasting is used to distress jeans. The dust this produces enters the lungs of workers sanding for 15 hours a day and causes the deadly lung disease silicosis.

To the west of China, Cambodian garment workers are paid $61 a month and are gunned down and imprisoned for striking to gain an increase. In Bangladesh, the fashion industry recently presided over one of the worst industrial incidents in human history when 1,138 workers were crushed to death at Rana Plaza having been forced inside the unsafe factory. A year on from the tragedy those affected are still waiting for compensation.

Content from our partners

As an illustration of how capitalism operates, fashion is perfect. The inequality and exploitation are straight out of the past. Just as Queen Victoria wore dresses stitched by seamstresses who went blind in the candlelight, so today's society it-girls now wear dresses stitched by Romanian sweatshop workers paid 99p an hour.

Society is as it is because capitalism requires inequality. The fashion industry makes this painfully clear. Giant monopolies make billions in corporate profits because millions live on poverty pay and at permanent risk of maiming and death. Corporations purposefully choose countries and factories where wages are very low, pensions and sick leave are non-existent, and the people in charge will keep it this way.

In corporate terms, the "fashion" part of all this is just an excuse for exploitation. It provides the perfect facade of choice and empowerment. It gives the impression that we are all in this together, that we are somehow part of H&M or Gap and have control over the corporations. The glossy idea of "fashion" hides the labour of millions of deeply exploited labourers. It hides the terrifying environmental impact of fashion, and the sexism, racism, and alienation enshrined in the industry. It hides too the cultural lock-down that we find ourselves in, the dictation of our common cultural heritage by a handful of white male European shareholders.

Fashion allows exploitation to pretend to be something else, when in fact the beating heart of the fashion industry is not creativity but profit. To understand this, you need look no further than the writings of Marx and Engels, more than a century ago.

Tansy E Hoskins is the activist author of Stitched Up: The Anti-Capitalist Book of Fashion. She writes for the Guardian and Business of Fashion. As a political commentator she has discussed fashion, politics and change on Woman's Hour, BBC Breakfast and Channel 4's Ten O'Clock Live.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Fashion" is just an excuse for the rich to exploit the poor

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
What does Karl Marx have to do with Karl Lagerfeld? At first glance, not much more than German heritage and eccentricity. Yet capitalism and fashion are inextricably intertwined, and each illuminates the other to reveal much about the world we live in.

# data[].attributes.headline
Could Living Wages Help Solve Fashion’s Climate Crisis? New Research Says Yes

# data[].attributes.subject
Could Living Wages Help Solve Fashion’s Climate Crisis? New Research Says Yes

# data[].attributes.body
"The best argument in favor of paying people more to fight climate change is that the social benefits alone are enough to give it a try. If paying fair wages has powerful carbon-saving potential, it could be the closest thing to a “Magic Bullet” we’ve got, aligning labor rights and environmental efforts into one cause to save the planet." (Cline, 2022)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Could Living Wages Help Solve Fashion’s Climate Crisis? New Research Says Yes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A recent book argues that raising pay in low-wage industries like fashion could slash CO2 through a phenomenon called the reverse rebound effect.

# data[].attributes.body
Here are some of the articles and reports we are reading to keep us up to date!

# data[].attributes.body
A list of our favourite must-read sustainable and ethical fashion reads!

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Consumed: The Need for Collective Change: Colonialism, Climate Change, and Consumerism

# data[].attributes.body
In Consumed,Barber calls for change within an industry that regularly overreaches with abandon, creating real imbalances in the environment and the lives of those who do the work. Barber challenges us to challenge the system and our role in it. The less you buy into the consumer culture, the more power you have. Consumed will teach you how to be a citizen and not a consumer.