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Nicholas Motamed

Professor Herman

4/30/2020

Workers Suffering from hand of Companies and Governments

According to Ronald Israel Global Citizenship is a belief that communities have a part in

helping create and honor the values and practices of human rights, fairness, justice, and unity

to help ” celebrate [each other’s] connection to [other communities]” ( Israel1). That is not

shown in the Fashion industry stated by Dana Thomas author of Fashionpolis unfortunately

where companies have factories overseas endure “dirty, unscrupulous business that has been

exploiting“[ laborers in other countries]” in order to gain “bountiful profits”(Thomas, 4). The

laborers in the factories in other countries neglect welfare and safety with low wages, harmful

pollution in the factory and lack of acknowledgment for creating fashion, for the people who

truly are making our clothes. The companies and the governments are the main source of the

issue because they both are responsible for they did not create regulations and enforcements

that could stop the workers from getting mistreated.

Companies have factories overseas that have tons of workers in it making a lot of fashion

products. This is beneficial for workers for it gives opening for jobs and creates growth that

“leads to better working conditions overtime”, although the workers are forced to live in one of

the worst dangerous conditions ever, that could injure workers to a point that can be severe or

kill them( Powell, Morgan 14:19). Found out in Bangladesh a lot of workers are young kids, in

factories making workers work in harsh conditions, in the fashion industry either get harsh
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injuries, or get growth deflects emotionally and cognitively,” like Birth cancer from the

chemicals’(True Costs by Director Morgan). The safety of the workers is in danger since

disasters like this are happening and the companies are not doing anything to prevent workers

from risking their life working in toxic environments such as at the factory where they should be

able work with trust that the company will take care of them. Though neither the companies nor

government put any restrictions or took measures to address safety concerns to help fashion

workers.

People in the government and companies went with the idea of offshoring businesses

after a free trade agreement called North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that

allowed them to go outside of the U.S. Sure it has some merit but Governments did not create

strong but Governments did not create strong regulations nor any enforcements for factories

overseas. The businessmen and women in the companies allow” fewer than 2[%] of [workers]

earn living [wages]” in letting injustice happen” took advantage of lower wages in order to

lower costs of the clothes; allowing companies to give way to less money for workers

(Fashionopolis, Dana Thomas, 32). No worker should have to suffer for working in the factories,

Governments are responsible for agreeing on regulations that should empower workers, while

companies give reasonable amounts to workers (Fashionopolis, Dana Thomas, 32).

Government and fashion companies have powers that they can use to stop pollution so

their workers do not get harmed in the process. Companies allow a “heavy metal named

chromium [used to] help with tanning the leather, that can cause harmful toxic effects on

humans” ( McCartney 163). This means workers that are using this to make leather can have

higher risk of getting affected by the radiation from the toxin, as well as others. Mainly
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Companies are responsible and power to keep toxic or dangerous materials from going into the

factories to keep their workers safe.

The Government and companies could have use their power to use reusable materials like

Stella MCartney’s, British Designer, reusable clothing brands. She created a brand of clothes

that were presented that had ”wool… from available ”sheep farm in New Zealand”, where the

viscose was obtained cellulose gotten from Swedish trees” that she made sure were certified, and

a bunch of other reusable materials(Thomas 160). Companies should go along with MCartney’s

method and have the factories work with reusable cloths that are friendly for the worker to work

on without dangers of toxins or chemicals.

People buy their clothes from stories, believing the companies made them, the real Creators of

our clothes are the workers in factories that have not been acknowledged, allowing no credit

given to their hard work. A good amount of “billion people “when buying clothes “have not

even a twinge of remorse” or thought of where the clothes were made and who created the

masterpiece (Fashionopolis by Thomas, 3). Companies give majority credit to factory workers

for they are the ones who are making the clothes, therefore they are the ones who made the

clothes. Companies and the Governments should create regulations and enforcements that would

make sure workers are acknowledged for creating the clothes, instead of the companies, taking

the credit and the Governments not doing anything about it.
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Governments and Companies in the United States and Governments in the countries with the

factories need to discuss and have a mutual agreement on what regulations and enforcements

are reasonable to help empower workers and keep them safe while making their wonderful

clothes for the fashion industry. As part of Global citizenship and human rights People in the

United States experience their wonderful creations!

Works Cited

By Ronald C. Israel, What Does it Mean to be a Global Citizen?

Director Morgan, True Costs,

One of them is Benjamin Powell

Fashionopolis, by Dana Thomas,