global supply chains changed the way production happened as it sent each step to the lowest bidders. “A successive wave of trade liberalization policies in the 1990s, including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994, effectively wiped out most import restrictions and duties on foreign-made clothing. Not surprisingly, American textile manufacturers couldn’t compete: between 1990 and 2011, about 750,000 apparel manufacturing jobs in the U.S. disappeared, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average U.S. garment worker, among the roughly 150,000 who still remain, makes about 38 times the wage of his or her counterpart in Bangladesh,”34 according to Elizabeth Cline Today, sending off our production to foreign countries can mean workers are mistreated or unfairly paid or subjected to other unethical practices, but we do not know about or witness it. The Clean Clothes Campaign says that “the vast majority of garment workers – approximately 80% – are women.”35 As consum-
1994
NAFTA and trade policies change
1990 - 2011
2013
Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh
loss of 750,000 U.S. apparel manufacturing jobs
TRANSPARENCY: From the Financial Times Lexicon: “This captures the extent to which information about the companies, suppliers and sourcing locations is readily available to end-users and other companies in the supply chain.”37 It allows for better traceability of goods.
ers, we are so far removed that we may ignore the working conditions or safety of underpaid and mistreated garment workers. But when the Bangladesh tragedy occurred years ago, the global movement called Fashion Revolution launched. Their mission is to encourage transparency in manufacturing and to protect the workers who make our clothing from tragic events like this happening again. They want to “unite people and organizations to work together towards radically changing the way our clothes are sourced, produced and consumed so that our clothing is made in a safe, clean and fair way. [They] believe that collaborating across the whole value chain — from farmer to consumer — is the only way to transform the industry.”36 They want to encourage and empower consumers. So, be curious, find out, and do something, as Fashion Revolution urges us, and every year, in honor of the Rana Plaza tragedy, ask #whomade-myclothes. e
