Modern slavery can take many forms and is not limited to only one definition, the most common form of modern slavery is debt bondage or bonded labour. Anti-Slavery International defines debt bondage to be a situation where an individual is “trapped in poverty (so they) borrow money and are forced to work to pay off the debt, losing control over both their employment conditions and the debt.” According to Walk Free’s Global Slavery Index 2023, there is an estimated 50 million people enslaved around the world, representing a 10 million rise since 2018. Out of the aforementioned figure, 21 million people are enslaved due to debt bondage. The founder of Walk Free, Grace Forrest, states that “exploitation is the industry standard. In 2023, so much of this industry is underpinned by rampant exploitation of both people and the planet.”
Clothing represents the second-highest value at-risk import for G20 countries at $147.9 billion, out of a total of $468 billion of all imported goods by G20 countries, $12.7 billion of which consists of textiles that were produced by workers suffering from debt bondage. In order for slavery to be eliminated the fashion industry needs to radically change the culture of exploitation that currently plagues its workers and the planet.
The existence of modern slavery in the fashion industry
The reason behind the prominence of slavery within the fashion industry is due to it being one of the most labour-dependent industries in the world. As garments often have complex supply chains, each stage of the supply chain could potentially be employing slave labour. Across the garment and textile supply chain, slavery can take the form of: forced labour, little or no pay, paying to maintain employment, forced and unpaid overtime, health and safety ricks, and a lack of worker’s rights.
Once example of a textile that is synonymous with slave labour is cotton. During the production process, multiple fibres sourced from all over the world are combined into a singular fabric at a textile mill. Not only does this process exacerbate the process of following the supply chain, it could also mean that there are multiple cases of slave labour that has contributed to the production of the garment. According to a 2021 report produced by Sheffield Hallam University, over 100 international fashion brands are at high risk of using cotton that has been produced by slave labour.
The link between slavery and sustainability
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) offer the best insight regarding the achievement of a more sustainable future for the world. SDG 8.7 stands for taking immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour and end modern slavery. Furthermore, slavery and sustainability can both be eliminated at the same time if the fashion industry is able to tackle the culture of exploitation and lacking transparency.
Fashion brands have exploited both their workers and the planet in the name of cutting costs. In doing so, fashion brands lower the wages of their workers enslaving them to debt bondage as well as lower the quality of the materials used in production at the detriment of the environment. It is worth highlighting that this phenomenon is not limited to fast fashion companies. Luxury brands also try to lower their costs by imposing debt bondage on to its workers, data from the Clean Clothes Campaign showed that the living wage gap for workers linked to luxury brands assessed by Walk Free and WikiRate was significantly higher (53%) than for non-luxury brands (38%).
Similarly, a lack of transparency between declaring the employment of slave labour and adoption of sustainable practices is rampant within the fashion industry. The non-profit Free2Work reviewed the transparency of fashion brands such as Gap, H&M, Levis, and Adidas and ranked them on a scale of A-F. The grading system focused on “policies, transparency, traceability, monitoring and training or worker rights.” The majority of the fashion brands reviewed by Free2Work received D-F grades, with a minority receiving an A grade. Informing customers of their hiring practices as well as their sustainability policies is necessary for fashion brands to become more transparent in their actions.
What have governments done to tackle slavery?
While the Global Slavery Index 2023 has identified the areas in which slavery could be tackled within the fashion industry, the responsibility is on governments to implement the suggestions through policy according to Forrest. There have been attempts to tackle slavery within fashion through legislation around the world, most notably in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, and some states in the US.
When legislating slavery in fashion, the majority of governments take two approaches: proactive harm prevention, and reactive measures. The German government, in passing the 2021 Act on Corporate Due Diligence in Supply Chains, adopted the proactive harm prevention method of tackling slavery in fashion. The 2021 Act requires fashion companies to carry out due diligence on their suppliers to prevent any slavery from being included in their supply chain. Reactive measures have been adopted in the UK (Modern Slavery Act 2015), Australia (Modern Slavery Act 2018) and the US (California Transparency in Supply Chains Act 2010). The reason that these laws are reactive is due to the fact that they require fashion companies to self-report on their stages of the supply chain.
While reports are useful as a way of tackling modern slavery in fashion, they are ineffective if they are not backed up by action. A review of 97 statements submitted by garment producers and fashion companies within the jurisdiction of the British and Australian Modern Slavery Acts was conducted by Walk Free and WikiRate in 2022. A conclusion of the review revealed that the majority of the fashion companies failed to address risks to modern slavery in their supply chain process. In this instance, the review is useful in that it sheds some light on fashion companies that are failing to adhere to the laws that are imposed on them. However, the governments that fall under the review now need to update their laws in order to ensure that fashion companies in their jurisdiction are making an active effort to eliminate slavery from every stage of their supply chain. Furthermore, Fashion Revolution’s 2022 Fashion Transparency Index found that 96% of fashion companies do not currently disclose whether or not the workers in their supply chain are paid a living wage, with only 27% having a public strategy for achieving living wages.
Recommendations for future policymaking
The main takeaways from the existing laws surrounding slavery in fashion so far is that reporting is not enough to tackle slavery and laws need to extend beyond their borders if they are to tackle the entire supply chain.
Firstly, instead of carrying out due diligence or asking companies to self-report, legislation should cover both approaches to ensure that the information being received is as accurate as possible. Furthermore, there is not currently any penalties for companies who either choose to not report their activities or provide false information. By imposing a penalty, whether it is financial or a different impediment, on fashion companies that fail to provide information or provide false information to their respective government, fashion companies will be more likely to take the legislation more seriously.
Secondly, the current legislation around the world fails to recognise the complexities surrounding the fashion and textile supply chain. Most government’s concerns when tackling slavery is to focus on the wages being paid to the workers in their jurisdiction. However, if eliminating slavery is to be taken seriously in policy, governments need to include fair, or minimum, rates of pay for workers across the entire chain of supply even if the workers are outside of the jurisdiction. While this may sound like a radical call for policy change, it is the only way to ensure that slavery is removed across every chain of supply.
These suggestions are not just pertinent to the legislation surrounding slavery in fashion, they are also relevant to the surrounding legislation regarding sustainability within the fashion industry. If governments take more action against fashion companies and improve the flow and quality of information that they receive from fashion companies, then the fashion industry would be a much more sustainable space.
Conclusion
Slavery is still a big problem within the fashion industry and unless governments take stronger action against fashion companies, this problem will not disappear anytime soon. The symptoms of tackling slavery in fashion are pertinent to the wider discussion surrounding how to achieve a more sustainable fashion industry. By eliminating the existence of slavery across every chain of supply within fashion, there is chance that the fashion industry can also become a more sustainable space.
Sources used:
Anti-slavery, What is Modern Slavery?, 2024.
Walk Free, The Global Slavery Index 2023, 2023.
Chris Gaisie, “Slavery is still in Fashion”, in We Are_, N.d.
Madeleine Schulz, “Modern Slavery is on the Rise. Fashion’s Role Remains Steady”, in Vogue Business, 2023.
Unseen, Modern Slavery in Fashion, 2023.
Walk Free, Stitched with Slavery in the Seams, N.d.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Promote Sustained, Inclusive and Sustainable Economic Growth, Full and Productive Employment and Decent Work for All. N.d.
Fashion Revolution. Fashion Transparency Index 2022, 2022.
Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Supply Chain Act, N.d.
Gov.UK, Modern Slavery Act 2015, 2015.
Australian Government Attorney-General’s Department, Modern Slavery Act 2018, N.d.
State of California Department of Justice, The California Transparency in Supply Chains Act, 2024.