Why, hello! How are you? It’s been a long time since I last posted (besides last weeks excellent interview with Gabe from Wellington Chocolate Factory). However, I have a worthy excuse. I’ve spent the last year or so working on a book and my efforts mean it will be coming your way in the not too distant future. Additionally, I’m going to need your help though because we’re crowdfunding it! How exciting (and scary) is that? Want to know more? Sign up to my email list here.

As you know, ethical fashion is an issue that I often write about on this blog. Since watching the 2015 documentary ‘The True Cost’ which famously lifted the veil on why our clothes are made so cheaply, I’ve been keen to raise awareness about the enormous environmental and humanitarian impact of fast fashion.

By now you might have heard that some companies hit by COVID simply decided to cancel orders and suspend payments as a tactic for managing cash flow. While we all know that it has been an unprecedented time, these actions underminesthe viability of suppliers and their ability to pay employees for work already completed. Who feels the raw impact of these corporate decisions the most? The women, like you an I, who work in the factories, sewing garments.

The reality of the impact of COVID 19 is not going away for these women. Workers have been forced back to work and cannot maintain physical distancing. Basic labour rights are unravelling, from Bangladesh to Cambodia (FYI, Bangladesh's garment industry is the second-largest in the world, behind China's). Meanwhile, hunger and lack of access to sanitary condition are a very real problem. "My factory was shut for six weeks. I fell behind on rent. I couldn't pay my brother's medical bills," Akter, 30. "I'm very scared and vulnerable. It's not only me. All my co-workers are in the same position" (If you’re interested in knowing what is going on in real time, the Clean Clothes live blog has day by day updates).

In the wake of the COVID 19 crisis, it is so important that responsible purchasing behaviour and labour rights are upheld - in all circumstances - and are treated as more important than sales, delivery dates and costings. The supply chain is an ecosystem - if one element fails, this has a flow on effect to the survival of all other elements.

So what can we do to help amplify the voice of these women?

I’ve compiled a list of the various campaigns going on right now which are trying to fight for garment worker rights. See below.

COVID Anti-Fast-Fashion Campaigns

Tearfund and the COVID Fashion Commitments - Asking for public commitments to act responsibly and aspire towards six goals (more below).
International Labour Organisation Call To Action - Sets out urgent priorities and specific commitments for organisations across the industry to endorse as the first step to collective action to achieve these goals.
Fashion Revolution - Continuing to ask #WhoMadeMyClothes but with a COVID 19 spin. Calling on consumers to write a letter to brands and ask for a donation to Fashion Revolution.
Remake - Demand for brands to pay up during COVID 19 and save garment makers lives, demanding an emergency COVID 19 relief fund for garment workers. Calls for consumers to sign their #PayUp petition and donate to relief funds.
Clean Clothes Campaign - Calling for factory closures accompanied by paid leave, reassessing order deadlines and ensuring the ability to organise. Provides information to brands to protect workers.
Fair Wear Foundation - Sharing information and updates on social media. COVID 19 dossier includes guidance for production companies.
Labour Behind the Label - Calling on brands to meet seven demands in response to COVID 19. Honour contracts. Pay wages and protect jobs. Bailout workers. Prioritise Worker Safety. Respect their right to refuse to work. Put people before profits. Rebuild a more equitable industry. Asking for a letter to campaign companies and a call to donate.
Oxfam Australia - Asking that brands urgently commit to ensuring workers in garment factories continue to receive their wages during the Covid-19 crisis for a minimum of three months by:
- Paying for orders already completed and ready for shipment, to allow for immediate payment of worker’s wages.
- For work in progress (clothes currently being made) pay worker’s wages at least.
  Brands must also ensure:
- No worker is forced to work in factories made unsafe by inability to keep physical distancing.
- Workers who raise concerns about Covid-19 do not face repercussions or dismissal.
- If factories close or a worker becomes infected with Covid-19 workers should receive paid leave entitlements.
- Collaboration with other brands (in Australia and internationally,) trade unions, financial institutions and governments to determine a collective response to maintaining wages.

Getting involved in any of these campaigns is a great start if you want to show your support for the voices of garment workers as part of this global crisis.

View this post on Instagram

I’m mostly smiling in my photos but today I’m not. On the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed 1,138 people and injured many more in 2013, @fash_rev_newzealand and @fash_rev encourage millions of people to come together to campaign for systematic change in the fashion industry. This year, the stakes are even higher as the worlds major fashion brands need to be held to account to #PayUp 💸 The Covid 19 pandemic has meant that $3 billion worth of garments have been paused or cancelled by the worlds biggest producers of clothes. Rather than pay for what they’ve ordered, the brands have put it on garment factories to foot the bill. Inspired by @ethicallykate, I too will be signing the petition for. @remakeourworld to oppose brands that aren’t actually following through with payment in a timely manner or are asking for rebates or concessions from suppliers. The people who suffer are predominantly women and children who are the most vulnerable - no healthcare support, no holiday pay, no health and safety protocols. This isn’t acceptable. I want to urge major fashion brands to pay up. You can do this too. Sign the petition to hold companies like @asos @primark and @nextofficial to account. #whomademyclothes #youwontgetawaywithit #payup

A post shared by The Residents (Lucy Revill) (@lucyrevill_residents) on Apr 20, 2020 at 4:04pm PDT

So how can we move forward together?

While each of these global initiatives all have their own focus, some may be less New Zealand-centric, so it is helpful to know what is most relevant to us here. That is why I want to explain how Tearfund, who produce the annual ethical fashion report, are doing things a bit differently in 2020.

There are so many small fashion and non-fashion businesses right now who are struggling just to make ends meet.

It doesn’t feel like the right thing to be naming and shaming who has and hasn’t met their ethical fashion obligations.

Tear Fund’s COVID Fashion Commitments

Tearfund have launched six COVID Fashion Commitments that they hope fashion labels can commit to for the good of garment workers. While they will continue next year with the report, they wanted to take a more streamlined and agile approach in 2020 because many companies are in partial or complete shutdown.

As the pandemic continues, there will be ongoing disruptions to supply chains. So instead, the COVID Fashion Commitments are the guiding wisdom for ethical fashion accountability.

These include:

Support workers’ wages by honouring supplier commitments
Identify and support the workers at greatest risk
Listen to the voices and experience of workers
Ensure workers rights and safety are respected
Collaborate with others to protect vulnerable workers
Build back better for workers and the world.

Companies are called to publicly commit to stand together with workers in their global supply chains. They could do this in loads of ways (social media, website) but key is that these commitments are made to the rest of the world. Companies should also share as much information publicly as possible about how they’re keeping their supply chain transparent.

Tearfund have set a deadline of 17 July for companies to commit, just to keep everything moving. By that date, companies should share information and evidence (if they can) to support their commitment.

Tearfund also has a full list of strategies for businesses to approach these challenges with dignity and to help everyone find a way through. More information is available here. I hope that fashion businesses will use this valuable resource and publicly commit to the ethical COVID Fashion Commitments.

The goal of ethical fashion is to ensure good outcomes for worker wellbeing - not to add new burdens. The COVID 19 pandemic, store closures, retail layoffs, supply chain disruption and brands collapsing is all part of the same interlinked story.

While it is important to be enthusiastic about wanting a better world, we also all need to acknowledge what the industry is going through right now.

By standing together, we can all hopefully come through more resilient.