Good Clothes Fair Pay and The UN SDGs

By dkavo27 | Updated: June 13, 2024, 5:24 a.m.

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The fashion industry is a multi billion euro industry that spans across the world. Yet despite this there are millions of workers within this industry who are in systemic poverty. That is why as part of my project for my business sustainability module I have created a video which highlights the importance of the Good Clothes Fair Play initiative and connects them to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Throughout the video you will see the scale of poverty within the textile and fashion industries, as well as the knock on effects on health and well-being .

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By Dylan Kavanagh 
Good Clothes, Fair Pay
TU Dublin
What is Good Clothes Fair Pay ? 
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A campaign demanding living wage legislation across the garment, textile and footwear sector.
1 million signatures are needed from EU citizens to push for legislation that requires companies to conduct living wage due diligence in their supply chains.
SDGs related to GCFP
SDG 1 - No Poverty 
SDG 3 - Good Health and Well- Being
Garment workers are responsible for a fraction of the cost of making clothes.

For example - A t-shirt which costs €29, €0.18 (0.6%) is attributed to the garment factory worker. 
SDG -1
No Poverty 
England Men's 2018 World cup jersey was sold for €180 - While workers who made them received less than €2.
It is estimated less then 2% of those who make our clothes earn a living wage.

Effectively meaning 98% of those in the fashion industry are being held in systemic poverty.
SDG -1 
Poverty Levels in the garment industry
The working conditions for those in the garment industry are extremely tough - little to none working rights set by law.

As a result of this around 75 million people are unable to meet their basic human needs.
A massive knock on effect of poverty is damage to health and well-being.

Poverty and low-income status are associated with various adverse health outcomes, including shorter life expectancy, higher infant mortality rates, and higher death rates.
SDG -3 - Good Health and Well-Being 
Children associated with the manufacturing area of the fashion industry are particularly subjected to a poor standard of health and well-being.
SDG -3
Health and Well-Being (Children )
Children in poverty are at much greater risk of never attending school - 38% of the poorest children never attend school.

Causing a knock on impact on their physical health, mental health, social skills and overall well-being.
Some children are then taking up work in the textile and fashion industry as a result of not being in school.
SGD -3 
Health and Well-Being (Children)
Further impacting their health and well-being.

“Children should have pens in their hands, not tools.” -Iqbal Masih

There are many ways in which manufactures and retailers could  help achieve SDG 1 & 3 within the fashion industry.

Firstly, promote the Good Clothes Fair Pay initiative. If manufactures and retailers support GCFP, it will help speed up the legislative process.

Making it a requirement to pay workers as living wage.

Helping to reducing the poverty among these workers.
Call to Action
Provide regular audits of factories/ manufacturing plants.

This would ensure that the appropriate working conditions are maintained for employees, whether that be pay conditions or the actual work conditions themselves.

This would ensure factory workers are being treated correctly.

The improved working conditions for workers would see an improvement in their health and well-being.
Call to Action
Example - Grown Clothing setup by Neil McCabe audits their suppliers factories to make sure they are inline with the UN SDGs.
Brand Responsibility

Managers and other senior figures in textile and fashion business should take responsibility they have within the industry, instead of avoiding it.

For example, brands have been seen to be avoiding in this area by saying paying a living wage wage would be too costly.

When according to Oxfam it would only add 1-4 % in cost per garment.

Call to Action
If textile and fashion businesses take on these call to actions there would be many benefits.

There would be a reduction in the poverty levels among factory workers and as a snowball effect of this their health and well-being conditions would also improve.

With consumers also being more aware regarding SDGs a businesses who is actively trying to achieve them will be seen with good publicity and be a positive for the business as a whole. 
Call to Action -Benefits 
Learn more about GCFP
https://www.goodclothesfairpay.eu/about
Learn more about the Fashion Industry
https://cleanclothes.org/poverty-wages
https://www.lowestwagechallenge.com/post/state-of-the-industry
https://www.aafp.org/about/policies/all/poverty-health.html
The End !
Thank you for watching

Good Clothes Fair Pay and The UN SDGs

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