The Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh on 24 April 2013 constituted a sort of watershed in the discussion about working conditions in the fashion industry. As more than 1.100 people lost their lives and almost 3.000 remained critically injured in the collapse, the world has been invested with increased awareness about the horrid setting garment workers are forced to work in. Yet, since the tragedy, not so much has beed done to reverse the status quo.
Following the catastrophe, an unprecedented global attention was placed on the fashion industry, which felt the pressure of showing commitment to better the general working conditions of garment workers. As a result, global brands and retailers, as well as a number of unions, signed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a five-year binding agreement to ensure a safer working environment in the textile industry in Bangladesh. Over 220 companies were signatories to the Accord - including H&M, Mango, Benetton and ASOS - and, in 2018, more than 190 brands and retailers signed the renewed agreement.
Illustrated by Giada Maestra
The 2018 Agreement, which replaced the older one and is currently in force, provides that skilled personnel shall regularly carry out safety inspections in all factories working for the signatory companies, and that a Chief Safety Inspector shall prepare Written Inspection Reports of all factories visited to which, if needed, the factories shall respond with a remediation plan. Corrective actions may include closing the factory for safety reasons or for renovations, for a period no longer than six months, while ensuring regular income for the employees.
First of all, the accord only applies to factories operating in Bangladesh. Even though a large share of garment workers reside in Bangladesh (where ready-made garments represent over 80% of total exports), the fashion industry employs 1 in 6 of the world’s workers, the vast majority of them representing low-cost labour in developing countries. Secondly, the government of Bangladesh is continuing its violation of human rights, by preventing the enjoyment of the freedom of association through the repression of wage protests. And most importantly, brands that pledged to conduct sweeping reforms - even signatories to the Accord - continue in their efforts to bring down the costs of production. In other words, the conditions that led to the disaster are all still in place.
The fashion industry will not support desperately needed reforms until it is compelled to do so by a general recognition that low-cost necessarily implies depriving garment workers of a living wage and exposing them to extremely dangerous working conditions. Lifting the constant pressure exerted by consumers on suppliers to lower prices is crucial, and that comes only with the realisation that paying the right price means that decent working conditions are met and human rights are respected. As for now, this picture published by the Clean Clothes Campaign shows the average garment worker’s payment off the retail price of a t-shirt, which can’t provide a decent standard of living.
If we are not willing to change our shopping habits, at least we should be aware of the actual implications of buying non-sustainable clothing. Clothing companies, despite their apparent commitment to improve labour practices, are still substantially failing to pay their supply chains enough so that they can ensure workers a living wage. Garment workers are also silenced by their governments by being deprived of exercising the freedom of association and, therefore, prevented to protest the unmet promises of the garment industry. In addition, in the workplace, women, who represent the vast majority of garment workers, often suffer from infections due to the lack of hygienic controls or bathroom breaks, and, most importantly, are constantly exposed to sexual harassment and mistreatment by men. In this case, reporting sexual abuse is not an option because it would translate into losing the only source of income.
What I want to stress in conclusion is the importance of feeling a form of responsibility as consumers. However, this does not automatically mean we should boycott the global clothing brands altogether, which is not such an easy road to take. Rather, developing awareness about the implications of paying low-cost items for women in developing countries, and being willing to turn to more transparent brands to ensure that the rights of garment workers are respected, might represent a more viable solution. Clothing brands don’t have to be necessarily exploitative, and a radical change in their labour policies might only come as a response to us holding them accountable. In the long run, this could also be an opportunity for the empowerment of women working in the industry.
Besides all the negatives the pandemic has forced on us, we surely cannot help but notice that this past year and a half has seen a surge in creativity - and we couldn’t be happier about it. In fact, in absence of physical events, artists and those working in the creative industry had to find new ways to make art available from home. Starting from the groundbreaking Travis Scott’s Fortnite concert, some have experimented with virtual clubbing, while digital art has seen a huge success. Now, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are for the first time enabling high profits from the sale of digital art, and that is revolutionary. As a result, actual NFT-based artwork marketplaces have been put in place, like this one or this one.
Most importantly, not only has everyone in the creative industry had to adapt and find new ways to get things done, but also those whose main occupation is not associated with art and crafts might have at some point felt the need to create something. I myself am not a creative person, but this common experience has given me the opportunity to think about how I was contributing to the community (and if I was somehow). Eventually, I came to the conclusion that the act of creating gives us purpose and contributes to our individual and social well-being.
Many argue that creativity is inherent to every human being. We are born creative, they say, but just some of us remain as such in their adulthood. In fact, creative thinking appears to come easy to some people as opposed to others. This could, on some level, be associated with the environment we grow up and live in through our lifetime, and the education we receive. Obviously, that is something we have very little power on. So, given the different circumstances each of us faces, what is it that really allows us to express creativity in our adulthood?
Illustrated by Giada Maestra
One point where to start could be concentrating on doing what makes us feel good. Especially in western thinking, our self-worth is largely dependent on our productivity and the accumulation of property we collectively define as valuable. In other words, we are taught that being productive in the economy makes us a worthwhile person and that such productivity should materialise into objects in order to obtain external validation.
But, whenever we think about our well-being, our mind often goes to all those activities that require self-expression and allow us to show our personality to the world. That could be cooking, gardening, knitting, sewing, styling new looks, creating pottery with clay (part of the heritage of 2020), but also photographing, painting, drawing and writing. As a matter of fact, research shows that flourishing comes, among other things, from taking on new habits that involve some form of creativity and pursuing our true interests. According to this study, this way we would be able to grasp a sense of satisfaction, happiness and fulfillment.
One could argue that this crisis, despite the increase in creative activity, has left many of us feeling all but flourishing, losing - rather than gaining - engagement with the world.
As I’ve recently approached creative practices for the first time as an adult (like many others), I came to realise we are so used to looking externally for validation and self-worth, we normally don’t do things just because we feel like it. This is the positive I have managed to drag out of this collective tragedy: the need to adapt to crisis facilitates the emergence of our true nature. As human beings we need to create, and even if we do it for its own sake, it leads to a sense of achievement and pride.
What I want to suggest is that we should take this opportunity to approach art, which is ultimately what helps us the most develop creative thinking. In other words, to be more creative we simply need to actively engage in the creative process and allow ourselves to enjoy it without feeling the pressure of productivity we are becoming so used to.
If you want to know more about NFT art: https://time.com/5947720/nft-art/ (spoiler: this piece of digital art was sold for $69.3 million)
and also about how artists could be paid in the digital era: https://li.substack.com/p/the-case-for-universal-creative-income
We all have that friend that once said: “my actions are surely not going to change the world. We’re almost 8 billion people” or “I can’t make up my mind, this time I’m just not gonna vote, there’s millions of voters anyway”. And I get it. Even if tomorrow I were to turn vegan, environmental degradation would still be rampant and I would definitely not stop climate change. That is simply mathematics. Also, check out this link if you want to get a sense of how small we are.
I swear my intention was not to discourage you (I mean just let me for a few more lines). If we look at the data, about a third of total greenhouse gases emissions come from manufacturing. In fact, the manufacturing sector is the number one biggest emitter of Co2, being positioned even before crop production and transportation. For example, cement is made from coal, oil and other fossil fuels and also plastics come from a combination of crude oil, natural gas and coal. Plus, the vast majority of our clothes are produced using oil derivatives. Now think about how many times a day you come across something made of plastic or walk on a cemented road. Not to mention the quantity of synthetic clothes we own, because let’s face it, every girl in town has that Zara faux leather jacket.
So, going back to the initial question, if Transnational Corporations are the most responsible for GHGs emissions,
The most obvious answer is that we need to turn to renewable energy sources. Things like installing solar panels or using your bike instead of your car are thought to be the most influential choices one can make when it comes to fighting climate change. Changing eating habits might also be a good point: trying to reduce the quantity of meat in our meals and switch to plant-based solutions drastically reduces the Co2 emissions per capita. But, not all of us can actually afford to take these decisions. For example, we simply might not have the financial means to buy an electric car. Also, very often our cities are not structured in a way that makes us feel safe using the bike - which may lead to feeling forced to take the car even if we live in a small town. And, last, let’s not forget that it may be difficult for many of us to change our eating habits while we’re still living with our parents.
As all these are obstacles to our capacity to make a difference, we might feel overwhelmed and anxious. That’s why we often come to the conclusion that our actions don’t count. But, sometimes we have to let go of things out of our power and focus on simpler acts. For me, shopping local has been a great compromise. It has helped me feel less anxious about not doing enough against climate change and significantly more satisfied with the things I buy. In fact, turning to sustainable businesses for my occasional shopping has given me a sense of pride about the items I own - as they’re often unique and allow me to express my creativity - and at the same time a sense of relief for helping the environment. In turn, as our collective habits evolve, the power of the consumer becomes more and more evident as we see the market changing for the better, with many new businesses focusing on human and environmental well-being. Also, engaging in a discussion about these issues can be very meaningful because very often people are simply uninformed about the effects of our lifestyle on the environment.
The bottom line is that we as individuals can actually make a difference simply through developing our own awareness - which in turn can influence the consciousness of the people around us - and this is just as important as taking direct action. So, there are many little things we can personally do to change the status quo but, most importantly, we need to remember we have the capacity to influence others, which will surely lead to a more effective collective action in the future.
Illustrated by Giada Maestra
I leave you with two links if you wish to know more about this topic.
Here you find an art project by Olafur Eliasson connected to the global issue of ice melting. This work of art had the ultimate purpose of calling for individual action: https://icewatchlondon.com
This is an article by Bill Gates on how to transition to a zero-emission economy (pretty technical I would say, but I really recommend it): https://time.com/5930098/bill-gates-climate-change/
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