Tag: labor

FASH455 Exclusive Interview with Matthias Knappe, Head of Fibres, Textiles and Clothing Unit, International Trade Centre

About the interview

Textile and apparel trade matters. Even today in the 21st century, apparel could still account for 80—90% of a developing country’s total merchandise export and play a critical role in promoting economic growth, poverty reduction, and gender equality. The interview explored several key topics:

  • Why textile & apparel trade matters for development in the 21st century
  • How ITC provides capacity building support and enhances the export competitiveness of garment exporters in developing countries
  • Sustainability movement’s impact on apparel sourcing and export competitiveness of developing countries
  • The promise and complexity of circularity in tackling used clothing challenges
  • Empowering women entrepreneurs through SheTrades
  • Skills and education needed to thrive in the global fashion apparel trade

About Matthias Knappe (speaker)

Matthias Knappe is the Head of Fibres, Textiles and Clothing Unit at the International Trade Centre (ITC), which is co-run by the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the United Nations (UN). Matthias has over 30 years of diversified professional experience in international trade and development. He has worked at the enterprise, institutional, and governmental levels. Matthias is leading ITC’s textile and apparel and light manufacturing unit. Over the last 20 years, he has been working with the T&C sector around the world to increase its export competitiveness. He designed and currently manages ITC’s Global Textiles and Clothing (GTEX) programme and various other fibre, apparel and light manufacturing projects. The Unit’s present portfolio includes projects in 15 countries.

About Emilie Delaye (moderator)

Emilie Delaye is a master’s student in Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware, with a specific interest in supply chain, global sourcing, and sustainability. With a background in Entrepreneurship and Fashion Management, Emilie’s passion lies in improving the fashion industry through innovative problem-solving and collaboration. She has worked on projects exploring sourcing destinations and emerging sourcing trends, as well as collaborated with Macy’s on an initiative centered around Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations. Emilie’s work is driven by a commitment to fostering innovation and ethical practices in fashion, positioning her as a future leader in driving the industry toward greater sustainability and responsibility.

Current Event Discussion: How Shipping Containers Control Global Trade

FASH455 Learning activity: After watching the two video above, please explore the following topics with the assistance of ChatGPT or other generative AI tools:

  1. The significance and complexity of container shipping for U.S. fashion brands and retailers
  2. Current issues related to container shipping for U.S. fashion brands and retailers

In your response, please include the following elements:

  • Questions: list at least three questions you asked ChatGPT or other AI tools that helped generate the most information and insights.
  • Summary and reflections: summarize the key points from the answers you received from the AI tool and share your reflections (e.g., were there any surprising insights? the outlook for the issues discussed)
  • Further Reading: Suggest 1-2 additional articles from national or international press that offer deeper insights into the topics. The readings need to be published after 2024. Please share the article link and briefly explain why you recommend them.

New USITC Report: Apparel: Export Competitiveness of Certain Foreign Suppliers to the United States

The United States International Trade Commission (USITC) released its new fact-finding report examining the competitiveness of Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan as apparel suppliers to the United States. The study was conducted in 2024 based on input from secondary sources (e.g., trade statistics, public hearings, and desk studies) and fieldwork. Below are summaries of the key findings regarding apparel export competitiveness.

Factors that affect export competitiveness in the global apparel sector

One key issue the study explored is what factors affect a country’s apparel export competitiveness and how to become a preferred apparel sourcing base for U.S. fashion companies.

The studies suggest that four types of factors are most important (see the figure above). However, consistent with existing literature, the USITC report could not determine which factor is decisive in fashion companies’ apparel sourcing decisions. For example, the report found that:

  • “cost—the price buyers pay their suppliers—plays a key role in sourcing decisions, although opinions vary regarding the importance of cost relative to other factors.”
  • “Depending on the product, target consumer, and identity of a brand or buyer, apparel buyers will place varying degrees of importance on product differentiation factors such as quality, specialization, product mix, and full package offerings, which include design services, finishing, packaging, and logistics.”
  • “The emphasis on reliability has particularly grown in response to various recent disruptions to global apparel supply chains such as a global pandemic, geopolitical conflicts, and trade policy.”
  • “Although emerging research suggests that compliance programs concerning wages, social inclusion, and climate change mitigation may increase competitiveness, buyers and brands remain divided on the topic…the relative importance, or “weight,” of such compliance in sourcing decisions remains a topic of active study and discussion within the industry.”

Cost and export competitiveness

The USITC report highlighted the complex and nuanced relationship between “costs” and a country’s apparel export competitiveness. Several patterns are noteworthy:

  • Apparel is a buyer-driven industry, meaning “the global apparel supply chain gives buyers the power to negotiate based on price, which can push down prices and transfer greater costs to the supplier.”
  • The ability to produce textile raw materials locally can provide cost advantages in garment production—“Material inputs are widely recognized as the largest component in the cost of a final apparel product, and these prices are largely determined by the presence of a domestic textile industry or costs of importing textiles.”
  • It is difficult to compare wages across countries to measure labor competitiveness. In particular, low labor costs “do not reflect the true cost of doing business (e.g., via wage suppression)” in a country and “they can harm a country’s reputation for social compliance and negatively affect labor productivity.”

Buyer-supplier relationships in apparel sourcing

The USITC report revealed some positive developments in the buyer-supplier relationships involving U.S. fashion companies.

  • Fashion companies increasingly recognize the value of building long-term relationships with their vendors. Buyers emphasize that maintaining these relationships is a key factor in sourcing decisions, largely due to the cost and time involved in finding and establishing relationships with new suppliers.
  • Fashion companies’ efforts to improve supply chain transparency and traceability also need  “suppliers who will act in line with their brand’s values.”
  • Suppliers benefit from the long-term relationship, too. As the USITC report noted, some fashion companies guarantee suppliers a particular profit margin to ensure their continued operation. Additionally, some buyers gain a deep understanding of their suppliers’ cost structures, enabling them to calculate the costs of compliance with various standards and assist suppliers in reducing costs where possible.
  • Subcontracting is still regarded as necessary for the garment industry. As noted in the USITC report, apparel orders fluctuate seasonally, making it impractical for suppliers to hire additional permanent workers or invest in machinery for peak demand. To meet buyer expectations during busy periods, manufacturers often subcontract parts of orders and increase overtime or rely on temporary contract workers. This practice is seen as essential for ensuring a reliable supply of apparel.

Social and environmental responsibility and apparel sourcing

The USITC report acknowledged the growing importance of social and environmental compliance to a country’s apparel export competitiveness. However, the relationship remains complex.

  • The extent to which voluntary social and environmental responsibility programs and their associated auditing practices have influenced outcomes, especially regarding worker rights, remains unclear.
  • Suppliers report that the increased frequency of flooding and high temperatures due to climate change negatively affect their ability to meet labor and environmental standards.
  • Increased compliance with social and environmental standards raises supplier costs, negatively impacting their cost competitiveness. Many stakeholders note that while brands and consumers demand greater responsibility, this often does not come with a “price premium” for suppliers, who ultimately absorb these increased costs.

Note: The USITC report also evaluated the export competitiveness of each apparel-exporting country it examined, including their respective competitive advantages and issues to address.

California Garment Worker Protection Act (Senate Bill 62) Passed, and Debates Continue

About Senate Bill 62

  • The new law bans the long-standing piece-rate system — 5 cents to sew a side seam, for instance, or 10 cents to sew a neck — that often adds up to less than $6 an hour (source: LA times). From now on, garment workers in California will get a minimum wage of $14 per hour for employers with 26 or more employees.
  • The new law’s “brand guarantor” provision would extend the liability for wage theft from the factories themselves to the brands and retailers that sell the clothes, as well as any subcontractors in between. In other words, the bill creates new liabilities across California’s clothing supply chain from factory subcontractors to retailers. (source:  San Francisco Examiner)

Concerns about Senate Bill 62

According to the American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), the California Garment Worker Protection Act “does not recognize that brands or buyers may have little to no control over how a particular garment factory employer manages their payroll or enterprise finances.” AAFA explains why this new law in actuality could punish good actors:

“Brand Good contracts with Manufacturer Y to manufacture their clothes, paying a good price, more than enough to pay required wages to Manufacturer Y’s employees. However, in an effort to generate more business, Manufacturer Y also takes a low-bid contract from Brand Bad, so low that both Manufacturer Y and Brand Bad know Manufacturer Y will not be able to pay required wages to its employees. Under this bill, Brand Good would be liable for any wage claims resulting from Manufacturer Y’s acceptance of a low-bid contract completely unrelated to its operations.

The legislation would make responsible brands like Brand Good legally liable to pay for wage claims resulting from Manufacturer Y’s and Brand Bad’s unlawful or irresponsible activity. SB 62 will not deter bad actors like Brand Bad from operating in California’s garment manufacturing industry. Instead, it will penalize responsible companies like Brand Good, even though Brand Good did the right thing. As a result, Brand Good, and other responsible brands, will no longer allow their branded garments to be manufactured in California out of fear that they will acquire additional liabilities over activities they don’t control.”

More than 60% of garment factories in the US are based in California.

Further reading:

Discussion question:Based on the video and the readings, what is your view on the California Garment Worker Protection Act? What changes could it bring to the fashion apparel industry and why?

(Disclaimer: All posts on this site are for FASH455 educational and academic research purposes only, and they are nonpolitical and nonpartisan. No blog post intends to either favor or oppose any particular political party/public policy, nor shall be interpreted that way)

How Is the Pandemic Changing the Global Fashion Industry?

Note: In the video “Textile” actually refers to “garment”

Related readings

North American Apparel Market Leaders Talk

Panelists:

  • Julia Hughes, President, United States Fashion Industry Association (USFIA)
  • Bob Kirke, Executive Director, Canadian Apparel Federation (CAF)

Topics covered:

  • Textile and apparel trade policy updates
  • Impact of COVID-19 on the apparel sector and fashion companies’ responses
  • U.S.-Mexico-Canada  Trade Agreement (USMCA)
  • Forced labor and related compliance issues

Interview with Dr. Marsha Dickson, Co-founder of Better Buying

 Dr. Marsha Dickson, Irma Ayers Professor, Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies at the University of Delaware discusses her co-founded Better Buying project(http://www.betterbuying.org), a meaningful effort to improve the social responsibility practices in the global apparel industry. The video is produced by Mallory Metzner, reporter of channel 49 of the University of Delaware.

ILO Evaluates Trade Impact of Labor Provisions in Free Trade Agreements

labor provision

The International Labor Organization (ILO) releases a new study, which looks at how the increasing number of labor provisions in free trade agreements are impacting the world of work. According to the study:

Labor provisions in free trade agreements take into consideration any standard which addresses labor relations or minimum working terms or conditions, mechanisms for monitoring or promoting compliance, and/or a framework for cooperation.  (See appendix: evolution of labor provisions in US free trade agreements).

As of December 2015, there were 76 trade agreements in place (covering 135 economies) that include labor provisions, nearly half of which came into existence after 2008. This represents more than one-quarter (28 percent) of the trade agreements which the World Trade Organization (WTO) has been notified of, and which are currently in force. Over 80 percent of agreements that came into force since 2013 contain such provisions. Countries most active in promoting labor provisions in free trade agreements include: Canada, the European Union, the United States, Chile, New Zealand and Switzerland. Some South-South free trade agreements also include labor provisions.

The study finds that there is NO evidence to support the claim that implementation and enforcement of labor standards leads to reduced trade. The findings show that trade agreements, with or without labor provisions, boost trade between members of the agreement to a similar extent. For country-partner pairs that have a trade agreement with labor provisions in force, bilateral trade is estimated to be on average 28 percent greater than what would be expected without such an agreement.

Results further show that, on average, trade agreements that contain labor provisions impact positively on labor force participation rates, bringing larger proportions of male and female working-age populations into the labor force and, particularly, increasing the female labor force. The study assumes that labor provisions in trade agreements can raise people’s expectations of better working conditions, which in turn increases their willingness to enter the labor force.

However, the study found NO statistically significant relationship between labor provisions and labor market outcomes such as wages, share of vulnerable employment or gender gaps at the aggregate level (i.e. consider all countries). On the one hand, this implies that labor provisions at least do not lead to the deterioration of other labor standards in a country. On the other hand, it indicates that labor provisions in free trade agreements have limited impact on the outcomes of the labor market.

Additionally, the study stresses that interaction among stakeholders, capacity-building and monitoring mechanisms – with the support of social dialogue are critical to achieve positive outcomes in the labor market. In a case study on the Cambodia–US Textile Agreement specifically, the report finds strong firm-level intervention, such as monitoring and compliance, improved wages at the firm level, including a notable reduction of the gender wage gap. In another case study, it is found that capacity-building measures brought to Bangladesh after the Rana Plaza tragedy have resulted in some visible improvements with respect to the number of trade unions, building safety and amendments in labor law in the country.

Appendix: Evolution of labor provisions in US free trade agreements

labor provisions

Source: http://www.thirdway.org/memo/tpp-in-brief-labor-standards

The L.A. Apparel Industry Gets Involved in the Debate on Minimum Wage

LA wage

minimum wage.jpg

According to the Los Angeles Times, California’s newly proposed $15/hour minimum wage by 2022 could spur more local apparel manufacturers to exit the state if not leaving the country. For example, the American Apparel, the biggest clothing maker in Los Angeles, has announced it might wipe out about 500 local jobs and outsource the making of some garments to another manufacturer in the United States.

Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) show that the number of employment in the L.A. apparel manufacturing sector (NAICS315) decreased by around 32% from 61.8 thousand in 2005 to 42.0 thousand in 2015. Meanwhile, average hourly wage for sewing operators in California increased by around 25.5% from $8.98/hour to $11.27/hour. As another source,  the California Fashion Association says that the hourly wage for LA apparel workers was around $15/hour in 2014 (all occupations).

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, many apparel companies see L.A. increasingly become a difficult place to do business because of the expensive and limited commercial real estate, the rising pressures of raw material cost and the difficulty of finding sufficient skilled workers who can afford to live in the city. Companies expect the situation to get even worse after the minimum-wage hike further raises their operation expenses in the years to come.  

Some industry professionals suggest L.A. may “become for apparel what Silicon Valley is for technology: the hub for the design, but not the manufacturing, of products”. Data from the California Fashion Association shows that in May 2012, 3,770 independent fashion designers worked in Los Angeles, earning about $30 an hour in Orange County and $35 an hour in the L.A. County metro area. However, such a prospect is unclear given the advancement of technologies such as the CAD system which makes location less critical for fashion designers. On the other hand, L.A. is facing competitions from other apparel hubs such as the New York City for design businesses and talents.

fashion designer

Apparel Industry is Not All about Labor Cost

While most discussions on improving corporate social responsibility practices in the apparel industry still focus on conventional solutions like higher labor standards and more effective monitoring programs, a recent Boston Consulting Group report suggests supply chain innovation also has its role to play.

One key argument of the report is: Although cost still matters in apparel sourcing, lower-cost can be achieved through means other than seeking cheap labor. For example:

1

Engendering end-to-end supply chain efficiency through managing raw materials. Apparel companies may work with their suppliers further down the supply chain to optimize fabric selection, which usually account for as much as 60-70 percent of the total cost of a finished garment (v.s. 30-40 percent of labor cost). Some apparel companies have started to use fewer yarns and weight classes so as to reduce fabric count and lower down sourcing cost. Some other companies are realizing significant cost reduction by timing orders so as to level the load over the course of the year. [Note: looks like Uniqlo’s model]

2

Building an integrated supply chain. As cited in the report, to balance sourcing cost and speed to market, one major apparel retailer builds 15 to 20 percent of the season’s styles and pre-positions about two-thirds of its raw material before the season (both in-house and from production partners). During the season, the company analyzes sales, staying in constant communication with its stores and with the design team. It resupplies items that are selling well through accelerated production and delivery, usually within three to four days. Designers then create new styles by adapting the best sellers using the pre-positioned material. [Note: looks like Zara’s model]

Innovating ways of production. The report suggests that bonding and gluing technologies (i.e. use bonded adhesive films and processes such as ultrasonic heating and high-frequency radiation to fuse together layers of fabric) can produce an entire small garment in 30 to 40 percent less time than conventional cut-and-sew. Digital technologies such as digital prototyping of textile designs can also significantly help apparel makers reduce waste and boost efficiency in pattern making. The potential application of 3D printing may further allow apparel makers to produce smaller batches, and possibly even allow for made-to-order production of individually designed and sized garments. This would not only allow companies to match the market’s growing need for speed, but also reduce the costs of retail inventory surpluses and associated price reductions.

Two additional thinking based on the report:

First, much attention has been given to the changing business environment of the apparel industry, such as rising labor cost in Asia, shifting market growth towards emerging economies and more sophisticated consumers’ demand in the era of omni-channel retailing. But what if the nature of the apparel industry is also changing: if one day labor cost is no longer a key factor in deciding where to produce and apparel production itself is no longer labor-intensive at all? Although automation of apparel production was not achieved in the 20st century, it may not be something totally impossible in the 21st century. We need to have bold thinking here.

Second, while the apparel industry is innovating its business model (i.e. the way to produce, the way to deliver products and the way to serve its customers), T&A educational programs also need to embrace innovative thinking. For example: are traditional course offerings sufficient enough (or still relevant) to prepare students’ job readiness in the 21st century? How to proactively respond to the changing nature of the apparel industry which has started to adopt more and more new technologies? What if we redefine the meaning of “T&A” majors and redesign the model of preparing the workforce for the apparel industry? (just like the question: for wearable technology, shall IT companies make apparel or apparel companies make IT products?)