What are the social impacts of the textile and fashion industry?
Impacts regard to Work Condition & Human Rights
Regarding the Work Conditions and Human Rights, data from the textile industry at the moment are alarming. The international fashion revolution movement conducted a series of surveys on workers in the textile industry, from which emerged the following data: in Guangdong, China, young women work up to 150 hours a month of overtime, 60% of them do not have a contract and 90% do not have access to social security; in Bangladesh, garment-making workers earn $ 44 a month (against a minimum wage of $ 109). Still, Fashion Revolution has also estimated in the course of a survey conducted on 91 clothing brands that only 12% of these have taken action to ensure a legal minimum wage for their workers. The Bangladesh Child Rights Forum estimates that 7.4 million Bangladeshi children are forced to work from an early age to help support their families, becoming victims of abuse and torture in 17% of cases.
In Italy, the average wage for textiles in Italy is € 20,040 per year or € 10.28 per hour. Entry-level positions earn a salary of € 14,400 per year, while more experienced workers earn up to € 51,250 per year. The 2021 Textile and Clothing Contract provides for a working time of 40 hours a week to be carried out with different distributions/articulations based on an agreement with the RSU. For employees with discontinuous duties, the working time is 48 hours on average per week over a 12-month period, while for workers on 6×6 shifts, the working time is 36 hours per week. Overall, weekly working hours, including overtime, cannot exceed the limit of 48 hours per week and the annual limit of 96 hours. For shift work hours, the worker is entitled to an increase of 1.38% of the national contractual salary and of the additional elements established by the company if paid monthly; while for workers on chess shifts, the increase is 1.64% on the national wage element.
Impacts regarding Work Conditions and Health in resource production
Instead, regarding Work Conditions and Health in resource production, the textile industry can manifest the following risk pathologies: Musculoskeletal disorders; Exposure to physical agents; Exposure to chemical risk; Exposure to dust and fibres; Exposure to biological agents; Work-related stress.
Dermatological manifestations caused by contact with clothing are generally attributed to chemicals and dyes that are added to textile fibres during their manufacture and assembly into garments. In particular, the responsible agents have represented by-products for dyeing and finishing, metals, rubber and glues. Occasionally, optical brighteners, biocides, fire retardants and other added chemicals are also responsible for the onset of the skin’s clinical picture. Dyes are the most commonly used chemicals. The cause of professional skin problems is contact with certain substances during work. They affect the hands and forearms (preferably) that is the parts of the body that are most likely to come into contact with the substance but can extend to other parts. How quickly the skin reacts depends on the concentration or potency of the substance as well as the duration and frequency of its contact with the skin. In some cases, allergens can cause skin symptoms if inhaled or ingested. It may also happen that skin contact with chemicals causes allergic symptoms to the respiratory system.
https://sdwatch.eu/2020/02/environmental-and-social-impacts-of-fast-fashion/
https://dressthechange.org/limpatto-ambientale-e-sociale-dellindustria-della-moda