FAST FASHION

Fast fashion is a global phenomenon that has revolutionized the clothing industry, but its dark side looms large in the realm of modern slavery and can include exploitation on a massive scale of people and the planet. In pursuit of low production costs, many fashion brands exploit vulnerable workers, subjecting them to abysmal conditions and meager wages and the industry’s rapid turnover of cheap clothing contributes to pollution and waste.

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How ‘woke’ marketing lets fast fashion brands get away with environmental and labour abuses

Despite growing awareness of the environmental and social consequences of fast fashion, the overproduction and overconsumption of clothes continues. To …

Nike Lies: Debunking their False Arguments & Wage Theft Schemes

Sportswear giant Nike has been under fire for the working conditions in their factories since the 1990s.  Now Nike is …

Big industry with big problems: fast fashion in China

China is both the world’s largest textile producer and consumer thanks in part to E-commerce powerhouses Shein and Temu. These …

Shein’s proposed joining of London’s stock exchange opposed by rights campaigners and Fashion Council

Shein has long been plagued by accusations of exploitative and forced labor conditions in its supply chains. In addition, it …

‘Significant’ Volume of Xinjiang Cotton Mislabeled as US or Brazilian

Forced-labor-linked cotton from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region is still sneaking its way into products sold by U.S. and global retailers, with a …

Addicted to shopping at Temu? You might be getting a forced labor fix

Temu has perfected the art of gamifying cheap online shopping as reported by the BBC. Using everything from roulette wheels with …

Global fashion brands exploiting Bangladesh workers: Study

Study of 1,000 clothing factories found some fashion firms ‘engaged in unfair practices’, including H&M, Lidl and GAP. Major international …

10 Fast Fashion Statistics You Should Know In 2024

Fast Fashion Statistics You Should Know If there is something fast fashion brands thrive upon, it is a lack of …

Fast Fashion and Its Environmental Impact

The Dark Side of Fast Fashion According to an analysis by Business Insider, fashion production comprises 10% of total global carbon emissions, …

I escaped modern slavery. Wouldn’t you want to know if I made your shirt?

According to the Global Slavery Index, nearly 50 million people are living in modern slavery, exploited because of society’s desire …
garment industry

Debt, wage theft and coercion drive the global garment industry – the only answer is collective action

Image: April 2019: Uyghur women work in a cloth factory in Xinjiang, China. Azamat Imanaliev/Shutterstock Major fashion brands including Barbour and …

What is fast fashion and why is it so controversial?

Why is fast fashion so popular? To keep up with the ever-changing trends propagated by runway shows, influencers and frenetic …

America can’t resist fast fashion. Shein, with all its issues, is tailored for it

Shein promotes clothes under $30, $20 or even $5, mostly made in China and shipped directly to shoppers. Justin Chin/Bloomberg …

Temu shoppers risk buying items made by forced labour, MP warns

Christmas shoppers ordering cheap gifts from Temu risk buying items made using forced labour, an MP has warned. The Chinese …

‘Substantial volume’ of clothing tied to Uyghur forced labour entering EU, says study

A worker gathers cotton yarn at a textile manufacturing plant in Xinjiang, in north-west China, in 2021. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP Calls …

Against Their Will: The Situation in Xinjiang

Forced Labor in Xinjiang The People’s Republic of China has arbitrarily detained more than one million Uyghurs and other mostly …

Workers for fast fashion brands fear starvation as they fight for higher wages

Image: Bangladeshi garment workers gather during a protest demanding an increase in their wages at Mirpur in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on …

Black Friday sales: Are your bargains costing someone else’s freedom?

This Freedom United webinar will address the neglected topic of how modern slavery is intertwined with consumerism, ahead of the …

16 Attorneys General issue warning for Shein, dialing up pressure for change

In a letter dispatched to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last week, Republican attorneys general from 16 U.S. states to scrutinize …

AI to help weed forced labor out of cotton

Legislation aimed at eliminating forced labor is rolling out around the world, forcing companies to start mapping their supply chains to prove they are free of …

Foreign diplomats given tour of Uyghurs’ “content and happy life”

Beijing-based ambassadors and diplomats from 25 developing countries visited the Uyghur region recently on invitation from the Chinese government. The …

Canada probes Nike, Dynasty Gold over alleged use of forced labor in China

Image: People walk past a store of the sporting goods retailer Nike Inc at a shopping complex in Beijing, China …

No scrutiny for some 2 million packages entering U.S. daily

U.S. lawmakers are concerned about an overwhelmed Customs and Borders Protection (CBP) which is charged with blocking imports linked to …

The problem with the Shein influencer trip

In a strikingly obvious attempt at whitewashing, fast fashion giant Shein invited a group of American influencers on a trip …

Sustainable clothing brand Patagonia manufactures in the same factories as fast-fashion; textile workers are being exploited

Clothing brand Patagonia seems to be doing everything right: for its employees, for the people who make the clothes and …

Fast-fashion outlets may be skirting Uyghur slave labor laws

Global fashion websites such as Shein may be selling clothes made by Uyghur slaves directly to American consumers by exploiting …

Garment workers in SoCal are paid ‘as little as $1.58 per hour,’ Labor Department says

Garment workers protest Tuesday outside Los Angeles City Hall. The Garment Worker Center called on the L.A. City Council to …

$30 Million Worth of US Fashion Imports Stopped for Forced Labour Inspections in Last Year

A total of 631 apparel, footwear and textile shipments with a combined value of $29.55 million have been stopped under …

The complicated path to avoiding cotton from Xinjiang

With its slogan “We Care”, the mountaineering and trekking company Mammut casts itself as a pioneer of sustainability. None of …

How Cheap, Disposable Fashion Fuels ‘Waste Colonialism’

A waste picker stands in the landfill at Dandora in Nairobi, Kenya. The Changing Markets Foundation Acrid smoke constantly billows …
A painting of a hand picking cotton

Shein’s Cotton Tied to Chinese Region Accused of Forced Labor

A US attempt to ban imports of cotton linked to forced labor in China contains a loophole large enough for a multibillion-dollar …