Sweatshop article

Do you know the real cost of your £2 t-shirt?

Stop. Take a moment to glance over the outfit you are wearing right now- where do you think it came from? Do you think it came from factories where the workers feel empowered and able to express their concerns? I very much doubt that. The greatest possibility is that the clothes you wear every day, from your favourite pair of jeans to your new party dress, were the products of the hell on earth which we hide through the name of a ‘sweatshop’.

So, what do you think of when you hear the word sweatshop? I don’t know about you, but the very thought which sprints into my head is the mentally disturbing image of workers crammed into inhumane conditions, with sweltering temperatures and coerced to rapidly produce a nonstop reel of clothing for our ever-growing greed as consumers. This very image makes me feel nauseous and guilty that we have caused this hell on earth to become a reality for thousands of helpless people worldwide. By definition, a sweatshop is a ‘crowded workplace with very poor, socially unacceptable or illegal working conditions. The work may be difficult, climatically challenging or underpaid.’ This definition sickens me as it feels like a violation that this hell can exist on earth and continue to operate in our world with very little opposition created by anyone. These are machines for the downfall of our society and will ultimately continue to exploit and weaken vulnerable workers worldwide, until they can no longer cope and will crumble under the constant pressure which is piled and pounded onto them every day of their life. How can this torture exist legally on earth? These workers are the slaves of our society and the controllers of these contraptions use anyone and anything in order to ensure they benefit from this hell, whether this be through child labour, sexual abuse or underpaying workers, any action will be taken to ensure the workers continue to feel as inferior as possible. In short, sweatshops break labour laws and operate illegally worldwide. But why do we still allow this to exist in our society which is meant to be more ‘equal’ and ‘exclusive’ for all? Surely sweatshops are a clear piece of evidence hinting to the failure of our society of what needs addressing to save the rights and lives of thousands worldwide for the foreseeable future?

The issues sprouting from sweatshops do not just limit themselves to the poor lives of the workers- inhumane problems continue to bud into all sections of society, from human rights to the environment we live in. Sweatshops thrive off exploiting workers, cutting costs and craving cheap labour to ensure the people in control gain the most amount of profit they possibly can. But why has this hell emerged? The one clear answer is reading this article right now- us. Our persistent greed for fast fashion has resulted in huge pressures on brands, who then move their labour overseas with a ‘take it or leave it’ approach for factories. As these factories are so desperate for any form of income and are very aware of the competition from other countries, they seem to accept any deal brands offer them, no matter how inhumane these may seem. This approach seems to be appealable for many if we start to consider the vast and regularly growing list of brands which operate worldwide- in countries ranging from Turkey, to Bangladesh, to Sri Lanka and the Philippines- these are labour hotspots for many companies thriving under growing profits. From brands like Adidas, Asos, Disney, Nike, H&M and Gap, it seems as if it's becoming more likely for a brand to not use a sweatshop, than to use one, which is a disturbing reality. How can brands get away with these actions? The answer seems to be easy for them- brands state how they have no responsibility for the conditions in their factories as they don’t provide direct employment, so use this as a clear cop-out. Brands provide short contracts, which enhances pressures, meaning factories enforce overtime hours, low quality conditions, with frequent accidents. This ultimately means workers are the victims of this system, as many are unaware of their own legal rights and work with clear violations and poor conditions, being oblivious to what they are entitled to. The downfall of the lives of workers is clearly the main issue sprouting from sweatshops, which has made us blatantly oblivious to the effect this is also having on our environment. Sweatshops increase water consumption, pollute water sources, pour out tonnes of greenhouse gases, contributing to global warming and rapidly dispose of products, meaning the extent of waste sent to landfill continues to grow and pose more problems for our world, as sites are teeter on the brink of overflow. Then why do we allow these torture devices to continue? It's because we view our greed for new products as vital over the rights of workers worldwide, so we begin to view this as acceptable- it's not! Sweatshops pose the largest threat to our society today and will be the reason that the growing gap between the rich and the poor refuses to shrink.

A false sense of security and validation was shed with Nike and Gap, who promised to change and change their operations for the better. A time of hope began to emerge as they promised to impose specific regulations, such as ensuring workers have one day off in a seven-day working week and they couldn’t be forced to work overtime, as well as Nike wanting to ensure that all workers were at least 16 or 17 and Gap ensured workers had to be at least 14 or the legal age of working in the country they were operating it. These new terms began to fill consumer’s minds with the possibility that the future could be bright for the lives of these workers and prosperity would be likely. However, this light was rapidly extinguished as it was discovered that, in a factory in Cambodia, workers were forced into poor conditions, with frequent blackouts, working overtime and some children being employed as young as 11 years old. The story of the sweatshop isn't just one of misery and exploitation- brands are starting to open their eyes to the brutality of this industry and stand up for the rights of the people to make a change for the better. Brands such as Vogue, Marie Claire, Glamour and Eluxe, are all working to increase sustainability and provide a stable future. The concerns of how ethical a brand is also becoming more vital and prominent and we can feel assured shopping from brands such as Patagonia, Levi’s, Boden and Monsoon, which have been shown to be against the use of sweatshops and ensure to focus their impact on being as ethical as they possibly can.

As a consumer myself, I won't deny that I am guilty of owning many items of clothing which are the products of sweatshops worldwide- it's as if the grip of them is continuing to swell by the day and it is becoming impossible to find brands which seem ethical and won't result in exploiting thousands. Our confusion as consumers snowballs by the day, as the pummeling of news and guilt begins to feel overwhelming. I feel as if I am unaware of what I can do to make an impact and escape the disease of the sweatshop that’s spreading faster than we can cope with. But the actions of few can combine to germinate a prominent impact and change for the better. Simply researching into brands which refuse to use sweatshops and boycotting them from your life can finally make brands realise that they can no longer use these hells on earth, as we will force their popularity to dramatically decline, meaning their growing profits they crave will disappear. Through this heightened education, we can use this to spread our views and facts to others so more people will become aware of what needs to be stopped. If you want to take this one step further, you could set up a monumental social media page to spread news rapidly and worldwide to a wider audience at a click of a button. There is one thought I would like to propose to you- you can wear the same outfit more than once! I know this prospect may haunt you, but this is the reason why our waste is so extortionately high. We need to reduce our consumption, reuse our clothes (whether that be turning a jumper into a cushion cover or jeans into a pair of summer shorts) or donate them to siblings or friends, as well as being able to efficiently sell them through the range of platforms such as Depop and Vinted. Through this, we can reduce our greed for fast fashion and disconnect the need for Sweatshops to exist in the first place (as well as realising the amount of money you could save from only buying new clothes when it is necessary- let's be honest, did you really need that new pair of black flares, which are identical to the other five pairs you already own?)

If we begin to cooperate to take these actions against those who exploit vulnerable workers worldwide and damage our environment constantly, these industries will soon extinguish permanently, and we can ignite the equality of our society, where the gap between the rich and poor will soon become indistinguishable. So, what first step will you take to make your difference to this hell on earth? Will you be part of the reason that our next generation will no longer know what a sweatshop is?