Modern women have adopted a “barely wear” culture when it comes to their wardrobes, using items only a handful of times before getting rid of them.
One in five (21 per cent) UK shoppers planning to buy new clothes for the Christmas season will wear them just three times or less before either throwing, selling, or giving them away, according to a new poll by ActionAid.
Shockingly, this equates to an estimated 6.2 million items of clothing at least being discarded or passed on after minimal use.
It comes as hundreds of garment workers – many of whom are women – in Bangladesh are struggling to survive on their wages as rising prices due to the global economic crisis push the cost of vital essentials out of reach.
Earlier this year, it was reported that high street retailers in the UK, including H&M and Gap who source clothes from Bangladesh – the world’s second-biggest clothing supplier – were paying below the cost of production.
The report by researchers from the University of Aberdeen and UK-based Fairtrade organisation Transform Trade claimed that factories were struggling to pay workers the minimum wage of £2.30 per day.
Examining the time period between March 2020 to December 2021, the report discovered that 90 per cent of high street retailers engaged in “unfair practices”.
Now, mass demonstrations are erupting in the Asian country, according to ActionAid, as garment workers demand higher wages.
The government has agreed to raise the legal monthly minimum wage from 8,000 taka (£58) to 12,500 taka (£90) but workers say they need 23,000 taka (£165) a month to survive.
Hajera is one of the more than four million people who work in Bangladesh’s textile industry.
The 36-year-old mother-of-two, who lives in Dhaka, is the main breadwinner in her family but is increasingly struggling to afford essentials as rising prices outstrip her salary.
She said: “We have to pay higher prices for goods, but our salaries are still really low. Potatoes were 20 taka (£0.14) per kg but now they’re 40 taka (£0.28) per kg. The price has doubled.
“Sometimes when we are sick, we don’t buy medicine. We can no longer afford to buy any kind of fruit. We used to buy nutritious foods like milk and eggs for our children. But we are unable to buy these now due to the price hike.
“Due to a lack of money, many families can no longer continue with their daughters’ education. Now there are a lot of underage girls working in the garments factory. Many of them are forced into marriage at a very early age.”
Conditions at the factories are poor, she says, with abusive behaviour and exploitation rife.
She added: “There are many times when we’ve had to tolerate bad behaviour and abusive language from supervisors, when we’ve been unable to meet the production [deadline].
“There are many instances when they just want you to work for free and not pay you. There are many cases of sexual harassment happening.”
In the lead up to Christmas, ActionAid says that clothing sales will rise as shoppers plan to buy at least one new item to give as a gift this year (55 per cent).
And many will buy multiple with almost a quarter (24 per cent) will buy four items or more while one in ten (10 per cent) intend to buy seven or more.
Yet few are willing to spend big, with only 12 per cent planning to spend more than £50 on each gift.
More than a third (38 per cent) said they would spend £20 or less on each item of clothing and around one in ten (nine per cent) intended to spend less than £10.
As well as low pay, workers in the textile industry continue to face unsafe working conditions and labour rights abuses, with little having changed in the ten years since the Rana Plaza disaster resulted in 1,134 deaths when a factory collapsed.
When questioned, more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of shoppers said they would consider buying from an ethical clothing brand if it would ensure better working conditions and wages for the individuals who made it.
Hajera has been attending an ActionAid-funded women’s café in Dhaka where she has learned about her rights and become a leader of change in her workplace.
At the factory where she works, she is a member of the Participatory Committee – a coalition of 10 women nominated to represent the interests of garment workers – which has been able to negotiate better wages, annual leave, paid overtime and maternity leave for employees.
Hajera said: “After talking and listening to everyone, I become someone who can protest for their rights. I can now speak confidently.
“That’s where I learnt how to talk and became a leader. This work is important to me because [in society] women are neglected. I want everyone to know about their rights.
“The factory now provides new mothers with maternity leave. That’s a big change. Also, our salaries used to get paid very late on the 30th of the month whereas now we receive it by the 10th. Change happened. Workers are happy. Things have progressed a lot.”
Fatema is the manager of one of the women’s cafes in Dhaka, which has reached around 1,500 garment workers through its training, campaigns and support. She said: “Workers used to be so afraid at the factory that even if they experienced inappropriate behaviour, they maintained complete silence, out of fear that they might lose their jobs.
“Now, if a superior misbehaves and disrespects a fellow worker, they will all raise their voices instantly.’
“Women garment workers have only got one demand at this point in time, which is to increase their salaries.
“In the same way that the price of goods is increasing, if their salaries could also be raised a little more, they would be able to survive somehow.”
This Christmas, ActionAid is asking people to consider supporting garment workers in Bangladesh to fight for better pay and conditions in their workplaces and build a sustainable income for themselves and their families.
Susan Wilders, Co-Director of Fundraising at ActionAid UK, said: “In the lead up to Christmas, many of us will enjoy searching for the perfect new party outfit to wear or picking out the ideal gift for a loved one.
“This year, ActionAid is asking people to think twice about the women making the clothes they are buying.
“These inspirational women are working together to demand higher wages and better working conditions so that they can survive this economic crisis and support their families to thrive.
“You can show solidarity with them by supporting our campaign this Christmas and helping them continue to fight for their rights.”
To support women leading change in their communities this Christmas, donate to ActionAid UK’s Christmas appeal here: https://actionaid.org.uk/
H&M and Gap have been contacted for comment.
