By Sydney S.
If you have only recently been introduced into the world of ethical and sustainable clothing, welcome! And on a realer note, I’m sorry – it can be a rude awakening for consumers to see the cost of ethical pieces vs. what they’re used to paying. While the higher prices may seem tough on your wallet, it’s worth understanding why it costs more to produce clothing the right way.
One of the biggest factors dictating clothing prices is the wage workers are paid. As the minimum wage varies widely in the US among different states, so too does the wage garment workers are paid abroad. And because many retailers (think Target, H&M, Kohl’s, and Old Navy) don’t own the actual factories manufacturing their products, garment workers are at the mercy of the wage the factory sets rather than being guaranteed a living wage. A living wage is defined as a wage that is “sufficient to afford a decent standard of living for the worker and her or his family. Elements of a decent standard of living include food, water, housing, education, health care, transportation, clothing, and other essential needs including provision for unexpected events”1.
For context, MIT has calculated that for a single Wisconsin resident with 0 children, the living wage of a Wisconsin resident should start at $11.06/hour2. Yet, Wisconsin’s minimum wage has remained $7.25/hour for more than a decade. This means Wisconsin residents earning minimum wage are making 34% less than they should be to have a wage that supports a decent standard of living. How can we fix this? It’s actually quite easy – VOTE. You can vote and demand local legislators to raise minimum wage.
But if you can only vote for changes in Wisconsin, how can you support living wages globally? When purchasing goods, especially clothing, your dollars are your vote. This means that the purchases you make can either support retailers supporting a living wage, or support retailers offering cheap prices in lieu of ensuring a living wage for their garment workers. In the 2020 report “Un(der) Paid In the Pandemic) by Labour Behind the Label, the wage gap for garment workers in India, one of the most popular countries for garment production averages 48%3. Imagine what life would look like if Wisconsin had a 48% wage gap, and our minimum wage fell to $5.75/hour!
When workers aren’t paid a living wage, they’re often forced to work longer hours (often 60+ hours/week) without overtime pay. Labor unions are rare and many garment workers cite threats from leadership and union busting as the cause for most factories remaining nonunionized. Dangerous working conditions run rampant, and have resulted in terrible, preventable tragedies such as the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 that killed 1,134 workers, and the Ali Enterprises fire in 2012 that killed 264 workers. The conditions these workers must contend with – and in certain cases, die from – are directly impacted by the purchases we make and the companies we support.
Actionable Tip:
When you shop for clothing, check the retailer’s website for the transparency of their factory information. If they list the name, location, and what they produce in their factories, it’s a good sign the retailer has taken steps to make their supply chain more transparent. A transparent supply chain means the retailer is aware of the wages and conditions of garment workers in the factories where they source products. And transparency means opportunities to ensure workers are paid a living wage and under safe conditions.
Resources:
Sustainable Saplings 
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