KeiSei Magazine
  • Fashion
    • Style
    • Ethical Talks
    • Editorials
  • Beauty
    • Skincare
    • Beauty Edit
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellbeing
    • Culture
  • Inspiration
    • Guides
    • In Conversation With
  • Shop
KeiSei Magazine
  • Fashion
    • Style
    • Ethical Talks
    • Editorials
  • Beauty
    • Skincare
    • Beauty Edit
  • Lifestyle
    • Wellbeing
    • Culture
  • Inspiration
    • Guides
    • In Conversation With
  • Shop
  • ETHICAL TALKS

How Is COVID-19 Affecting Our Supply Chains?

  • 4 minute read
How Is COVID-19 Affecting Our Supply Chains?
Photo by Gerda Krutaja for KeiSei Magazine

By Beatrice Tridimas

 

We’ve seen the coronavirus pandemic shut down restaurants, airports and pretty much anywhere that’s not your own backyard. We’ve seen populations unite in clapping for our carers, communities gather to support their vulnerable and a veteran celebrate his 100th Birthday by raising £12 million for the NHS.

Meanwhile, many industries are suffering losses as they are closed down and consumers choose to buy less and less. For an industry as complex and already wrought with difficulties as the fashion industry, COVID-19 is having insurmountable effects.

‘It’s a very confusing time, with very quick moving decisions being made that differ from brand to brand to country to country,’ Christina Hajagos-Clausen from global union, IndustriALL, tells me. 

‘It’s important that governments, brands, suppliers and trade unions can all discuss a way to get wages paid.’

@remakeourworld via instagram
@remakeourworld via instagram

At the beginning of April, confusion over wages triggered spontaneous protests in Bangladesh’s capital. A clash erupted leaving two workers dead. The concern followed the government’s decision to close all public and private establishments, meaning workers were turned away from factory gates with no wages to take home.

Supply countries, like Bangladesh who have had around $3.18 billion worth of orders cancelled due to the pandemic, are not in a position to absorb the costs of industry shut-downs. Production rates are already so low it’s hard to meet minimum wages and comply with regulations. Employers are unable to contribute to social security systems, nor does the law require them to. With factories closing due to COVID-19, many employers have no choice but to furlough garment workers without guaranteed pay.

It’s thought at least 500,000 garment workers will not get paid at all during the current lockdown in Bangladesh. Other workers are returning to work in running factories and risking their lives in order to get paid.

As the virus demolishes the demand for fast fashion, the world’s biggest retailers are taking huge hits. But instead of managing these losses, they are pushing the costs back on to their supply chains, cancelling orders and refusing to pay. In a survey of suppliers, over 90% reported that brands weren’t providing support to cover the costs of cancelled orders, furloughed staff or delayed payments.

Model and activist arizona muse via instagram
Model and activist arizona muse via instagram

‘We need to unite the industry around one common vision,’ Christina says. An adequate response to COVID-19 doesn’t just involve temporary measures to account for losses and protect workers while they’re out of work. The failure of brands to take responsibility for their supply chains highlights the dramatic power imbalances between supply countries and Western brands that the industry is structured around. 

To respond to the crisis, the industry needs long-term, sector-wide reform.

Here’s an overview of what brands and organisations are doing in response to the effects of COVID-19 so far:

  • At the end of March, signatories of the ACT agreement, including Inditex, H&M, Primark, and Next agreed to pay for completed orders.
  • Most factories covered by The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety are thought to have shut down, with safety training in line with WHO guidelines being carried out over teleconference for any factories that do remain open.
  • The ILO have released a Call to Action asking brands, governments and financial institutions to work together to protect workers’ income, health and employment. They include in their brief the vital point that immediate measures taken to deal with the effects of COVID-19 will be most effective if they have the view to strengthening social support systems in the long run, therefore committing to this statement will also be a commitment to working, over time, to establish strong and sustainable social security and protection systems within the garment supply chain. You can read the full report here.
  • The South African Clothing and Textile Workers’ Union has ensured full pay for 80,000 workers during South Africa’s 6-week lockdown.
  • Primark have announced the introduction of a wage fund which will raise money to help pay the wages of the garment workers affected by the cancellation of clothing orders.
  • IndustriALL Union have called on the Bangladesh Prime Minister to consult unions and initiate an adequate response to the effects of COVID-19 on industry workers.

Whilst the industry has been forced to break down, we have the opportunity to review how it might be rebuilt for the better. 

Here are some ways you can take action now and demand justice for supply chains:

  1. Use this template from Fashion Revolution to write to your favourite brands and demand they honour their commitments to their supply chains.
  2. Sign this petition calling on major brands to #PayUp.
  3. Buy a Loststock Box and support a garment worker for a week. 
  4. Share this story and keep educating yourself about who makes your clothes and how you can help them!
Beatrice Tridimas

Beatrice Tridimas

Bea is a content writer and editor based between Hampshire and London. When she’s not diving deep into the ethics of the fashion industry, she’s writing book and theatre reviews with a steaming cuppa to hand. You can keep up to date with her writing projects via her twitter @bea_trid

Beatrice Tridimas

Previous Article
THE NEXT BLACK
  • ETHICAL TALKS

5 Sustainable Fashion Documentaries That Inspire Change And Hope

View Post
Next Article
Positive Luxury Butterfly Mark
  • ETHICAL TALKS

Guide To Sustainable Fashion Certifications: What Do They All Mean?

View Post

KeiSei Weekly:

Sign-Up For A Weekly Dose Of Sustainable Lifestyle Inspiration

You May Also Like
How Can Ethical Fashion Empower You?
View Post
  • ETHICAL TALKS

How Can Ethical Fashion Empower You

  • Lola Connelly
  • February 28, 2021
London Fashion Week AW21: Pandemic Pressures & Gender-Neutral Innovations
View Post
  • ETHICAL TALKS

London Fashion Week AW21: A New Agenda Of Opportunities

  • Charlotte Hope-Shannon
  • February 26, 2021
How These Lingerie Brands Approach Sustainability
View Post
  • ETHICAL TALKS

How These Lingerie Brands Approach Sustainability

  • Claire Roussel
  • February 14, 2021
Models wearing Skall Studio AW21 Collection for Copenhagen Fashion Week
View Post
  • ETHICAL TALKS

Copenhagen Fashion Week Embraces Sustainability And Digital For AW21

  • Daisy Wallis
  • February 9, 2021
Understanding Gender Neutral Fashion
View Post
  • ETHICAL TALKS

Understanding Gender Neutral Fashion

  • Miko Takama
  • January 30, 2021
Intentional Shopping: How To Shop Mindfully On A High Street Budget
View Post
  • ETHICAL TALKS

Intentional Shopping: How To Shop Mindfully On A High Street Budget

  • Charlotte Hope-Shannon
  • January 22, 2021
Can The Future Of Fashion Become Carbon Negative
View Post
  • ETHICAL TALKS

Can The Future Of Fashion Become Carbon Negative?

  • Kacie Wedel
  • January 14, 2021
FILIPPA K | TRUMPET LEGGING | £95
View Post
  • ETHICAL TALKS

How To Easily Care For Your Sustainable Sportswear

  • Kacie Wedel
  • January 14, 2021
4 comments
  1. Pingback: The Evolution Of Digital Fashion And The Impact On Sustainability
  2. Pingback: Copenhagen Fashion Week Embraces Sustainability and Digital for AW21
  3. Pingback: London Fashion Week AW21: A New Agenda Of Opportunities
  4. Pingback: Seasonless Fashion: A New Era For The Fashion Industry

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

KeiSei Weekly

Sign-Up for more Inspiration on Sustainable Living and Style Direct to Your Inbox

How many houseplants have you managed to kill off? ⁠⁠
Fashion is more than just about clothes. As a consumer we have the power to bring about change to disadvantaged women and ask important questions. ⁠⁠
Did you catch @londonfashionweek this year? LFW AW21 was much more than just a symbol of change but one of universal anxiety. With the fashion industry already facing a sustainable pandemic of its own much was in question about its future...
Are you looking for a fresh new hairstyle? Then look no further than our new article which discusses our best tips and tricks for more natural hair dying at home. ⁠
All hail Squalane!⁠
Want to know how your underwear can be more sustainable and ethical?⁠
KeiSei Magazine
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Terms of service
  • Privacy policy
© 2020 KeiSei Magazine Ltd.

Input your search keywords and press Enter.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT