El aumento del calor y las intensas inundaciones están relacionados con el cambio climático en todo el mundo, incluidos Bangladesh, Camboya, Pakistán y Vietnam. Interrumpen la vida de los trabajadores de la confección [industria textil] y pueden provocar enfermedades, así como interrumpir y afectar el trabajo en las fábricas textiles. El calor elevado y las inundaciones representarán para los empleadores y los trabajadores una pérdida de cientos de miles de millones de dólares en ingresos y millones de puestos de trabajo para 2030 y 2050.

En este informe del Global Labor Institute de la Universidad de Cornell y Schroders, una empresa de inversión global, nuestra pregunta principal es la siguiente: ¿Cuáles son los riesgos del cambio climático para los trabajadores de la industria textil y cuánto daño económico provocará?

Para responder a esta pregunta, comparamos las previsiones de futuras temperaturas e inundaciones en 30 centros de producción textil de todo el mundo. En segundo lugar, examinamos detenidamente las repercusiones para los trabajadores de la industria textil en cuatro países: Bangladesh, Camboya, Pakistán y Vietnam. Y examinamos cómo el colapso climático ya está afectando a los trabajadores de la industria textil. A continuación, comparamos las leyes y normativas en materia de calor, licencias por enfermedad y protección social de estos cuatro países. Por último, sugerimos cambios que los sindicatos, los empleadores, los gobiernos, los inversores y los compradores de indumentaria deberían hacer ahora para proteger a los trabajadores y a la industria textil del calor elevado y las inundaciones intensas.

Nắng nóng gia tăng và lũ lụt dữ dội có mối liên hệ với biến đổi khí hậu trên toàn thế giới, trong đó có Việt Nam. Các hiện tượng này làm gián đoạn cuộc sống của công nhân may mặc và có thể gây ra bệnh tật. Chúng cũng làm gián đoạn hoặc làm chậm tiến độ công việc ở các nhà máy may mặc. Nắng nóng và lũ lụt sẽ khiến người sử dụng lao động và công nhân thiệt hại hàng trăm tỷ đô la thu nhập cũng như làm mất hàng triệu việc làm vào năm 2030 và 2050.

Trong báo cáo này của Viện Lao Động Toàn Cầu thuộc Đại Học Cornell và công ty đầu tư toàn cầu Schroders, câu hỏi hàng đầu của chúng tôi là: Biến đổi khí hậu sẽ gây ra những rủi ro nào đối với công nhân may mặc và thiệt hại về kinh tế do tình trạng này gây ra sẽ là bao nhiêu?

Để trả lời câu hỏi này, chúng tôi so sánh các số liệu ước tính về nhiệt độ và lũ lụt trong tương lai ở 30 trung tâm sản xuất hàng may mặc trên khắp thế giới. Thứ hai, chúng tôi xem xét kỹ lưỡng các tác động đối với công nhân may mặc ở bốn quốc gia: Bangladesh, Campuchia, Pakistan và Việt Nam. Tiếp theo, chúng tôi xem xét tình trạng suy thoái khí hậu đã và đang ảnh hưởng như thế nào đến công nhân may mặc. Sau đó chúng tôi so sánh các luật và quy định về nắng nóng, nghỉ ốm và bảo trợ xã hội ở bốn quốc gia này. Cuối cùng, chúng tôi đề xuất những thay đổi mà các công đoàn, người sử dụng lao động, chính quyền, người mua sắm hàng may mặc và nhà đầu tư nên thực hiện ngay bây giờ để bảo vệ công nhân và ngành sản xuất hàng may mặc khỏi nắng nóng và lũ lụt dữ dội.

ការតកើនត ើខកតតតនិខេឹកជំនន់ខ្លំខប្ត្ូវបានផ្ារភាាប់ជាមួយនឹខការប្ប្បប្បួ អាកាសធាត្ុពាសតពញពិភពតោករួមទំខតៅប្បតេសកមពុជា ។ ពួកវារំខ្នការរស់តៅរបស់កមមករកាត្់តេរ ត ើយអាចបខកឲ្យមានជំខឺ ។ ពួកវាក៏រំខ្ន ឬបនថយត បឿនការងារតៅកនុខតោខចប្កកាត្់តេរផ្ខប្េរ។ កតតត និខេឹកជំនន់ខ្ពស់នឹខត្វើឲ្យនិតោជក និខកមមករប្ត្ូវបាត្់បខ់ប្បាក់ចំណូ ោប់រយពាន់ោនេុោលរ និខការងារោប់ោនកប្នលខប្ត្ឹមឆ្នំ 2030 និខ 2050 ។

តៅកនុខរបាយការណ៍តន៉ះពើវិេាស្ថថនការងារសក ននសក វិេា ័យ Cornell និខ Schroders ប្កុម ុនវិនិតោគសក មួយ — សំណួរចមបខរបស់តយើខគឺ៖ តត្ើមានហានិភ័យអវើខ្ល៉ះ សប្មាប់កមមករកាត្់តេរសតមលៀកបំពាក់ពើការប្ប្បប្បួ អាកាសធាត្ុ ត ើយតត្ើវានឹខត្វើឲ្យខ្ូចខ្ត្តសេឋកិចចេ ់កប្មិត្ណា

តេើមបើត្លើយនឹខសំណួរតន៉ះ តយើខតប្បៀបត្ៀបពើការបា ន់ស្ថមនសប្មាប់សើត្ុណហភាព និខេឹកជំនន់នាតព អនាគត្តៅកនុខមជឈមណឌ ផ្ ិត្កមមសតមលៀកបំពាក់ចំនួន 30 តៅជុំវិញពិភពតោក ។ បនាាប់មក តយើខពិនិត្យតមើ ោ ខេិត្េ ់នូវផ្ ប ៉ះពា ់សប្មាប់កមមករកាត្់តេរសតមលៀកបំពាក់តៅកនុខប្បតេសចំនួន 4 គឺ បខ់កាលប្េស កមពុជា បា គើស្ថថន និខតវៀត្ណាម ។ ត ើយតយើខប្កត កតមើ ពើរតបៀបប្េ ការបំផ្លិចបំផ្លលញតោយអាកាសធាត្ុ ប្េ កំពុខជ៉ះឥេធិព េ ់កមមករកាត្់តេរសតមលៀកបំពាក់។

􀆠মবধর্মান তাপ এবং 􀆵বল বনয্ার সে􀇩 বাংলােদশ সহ সারা িব􀋞বয্াপী জলবায়ু পিরবতর্েনর স􀉑কর্ রেয়েছ। এগ‍েলা েপাশাক 􀆽িমকেদর জীবনেক 􀆵ভািবত কের এবং 􀋰া􀊆য্গত ঝুঁিক সৃি􀉳 কের। এছাড়াও এগ‍েলা েপাশাক কারখানাগ‍েলার কােজ িব􀇡 ঘটায় অথবা কােজর গিত ধীর কের েদয়। ২০৩০ এবং ২০৫০ সােলর মেধয্ উ􀇮 তাপ ও বনয্ার কারেণ িনেয়াগকতর্া এবং 􀆽িমকরা কেয়কশ িবিলয়ন ডলােরর আয় এবং কেয়ক িমিলয়ন কমর্সং􀊆ান হারােত যাে􀇱।

কেনর্ল িব􀋞িবদয্ালেয়র ে􀇠াবাল েলবার ইনি􀊁িটউট এবং একিট ে􀇠াবাল ইনেভ􀊁েম􀈥 ফামর্, ে􀆽াডাসর্ কতৃর্ক 􀆵􀋥তকৃত এই িরেপােটর্ আমােদর শীষর্ 􀆵􀉬 হেলা: জলবায়ু পিরবতর্েনর ফেল েপাশাক 􀆽িমকেদর জনয্ ঝুঁিকসমূহ কী কী এবং এর ফেল কী পিরমাণ অথর্ৈনিতক 􀇘য়􀇘িত হেব?

এই 􀆵ে􀉬র উত্তর েদওয়ার জনয্, আমরা িব􀋞জুেড় ৩০িট েপাশাক উৎপাদনকারী 􀆵িত􀉵ােনর ভিবষয্ত তাপমা􀆯া এবং বনয্ার আনুমািনক অব􀊆া তুলনা কেরিছ। ি􀊸তীয়ত, আমরা চারিট েদেশ েপাশাক 􀆽িমকেদর উপর 􀆵ভাবসমূহ িনিবড়ভােব পযর্েব􀇘ণ কেরিছ: বাংলােদশ, কে􀋘ািডয়া, পািক􀊅ান ও িভেয়তনাম। এবং জলবায়ু সংকট িকভােব ইেতামেধয্ েপাশাক 􀆽িমকেদর 􀇘িত􀆣􀊅 করেছ েস িবষয়িট আমরা পযর্েব􀇘ণ কেরিছ। এরপর আমরা এই চারিট েদেশ তাপ, অসু􀊆তাজিনত ছুিট, এবং সামািজক সুর􀇘া স􀉑িকর্ত আইন ও িবিধমালা তুলনা কের েদেখিছ। সবেশেষ, আমরা 􀆽িমকেদর এবং েপাশাক উৎপাদন খাতেক উ􀇮 তাপ এবং 􀆵বল বনয্ার ফেল 􀇘িত􀆣􀊅 হওয়া েথেক সুরি􀇘ত রাখেত ইউিনয়ন, িনেয়াগকতর্া, সরকার, েপাশাক ে􀆠তা এবং িবিনেয়াগকারীেদর েযসব পিরবতর্ন িনেয় আসা উিচত েসগ‍েলার বয্াপাের পরামশর্ িদেয়িছ।

Rising heat and intense flooding are connected with climate change all over the world, including in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Vietnam. They interrupt apparel [garment] workers’ lives and can cause illness. They also interrupt or slow down work in apparel factories. High heat and flooding will cost employers and workers hundreds of billions of dollars in lost earnings and millions of jobs by 2030 and 2050.

In this report from Cornell University Global Labor Institute and Schroders—a global investment firm—our top question is: What are the risks for apparel workers from climate change and how much economic damage will it do?

To answer this, we compare estimates for future temperatures and flooding in 30 apparel production centers around the world. Second, we look closely at the impacts for apparel workers in four countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Pakistan and Vietnam. And we look at how climate breakdown is already affecting garment workers. Then we compare laws and regulations about heat, sick leave, and social protections in these four countries. Finally, we suggest changes that unions, employers, governments, apparel buyers and investors should make now to protect workers and apparel manufacturing from high heat and intense floods.

[Excerpt] The Covid-19 pandemic has brought to center stage the precarity that apparel workers face currently and have faced for decades. The COVID crisis has prompted some degree of soul-searching nationally as well as globally amongst all stakeholders in the global apparel industry. This moment may well give rise to a sustainable method of alleviating the precarity that global apparel workers face. The proposal regarding a global severance fund to compensate apparel workers who have lost their jobs and income—the subject of this paper—is a first step in this direction.

The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 triggered disruptions across the apparel industry’s global supply chains. Operations halted in countries supplying material inputs, and retail demand plummeted. Apparel orders—some of them completed and already en route to brands and retailers—were cancelled. The fallout from these events included closures of thousands of retail stores and apparel factories, resulting in layoffs and furloughs affecting millions of workers. Labor force survey data in 2020 confirmed that apparel and footwear production in Asia was among the manufacturing sectors most harshly impacted by working hour and employment losses (ILO, 2021). The shocks tested the capacity of policymakers and regulation, both public and private, to support livelihoods and then recovery in the industry.

These effects of the pandemic on apparel and footwear workers have attracted significant attention. The focus of much of this research has been to examine the immediate effect of the pandemic on suppliers and workers. Emblematic of this stream of research is Mark Anner’s survey of Bangladeshi suppliers (Anner, 2022) which highlights how the extreme power asymmetries between global buyers and their manufacturers caused some of the factories to shutter and workers to go without pay in countries with limited social protection systems. A 2020 ILO/Cornell Research brief (ILO, 2020c) painted a similar picture across most Asian garment-producing countries. A follow-up paper (Judd & Jackson, 2021) tracked longer-term changes in the global apparel industry with a view to assessing future trajectories. The authors articulate different scenarios: a ‘Repeat’ scenario in which long-evident patterns of industry governance, structure, and sourcing continue; a ‘Regain’ scenario, involving shifts in structure and sourcing but not governance; and a ‘Renegotiate’ scenario, in which industry actors negotiate changes to all three aspects of the industry.

This paper builds on these prior efforts. We ask two research questions here. First, what have industry actors learned during the pandemic for remediating its impacts and mitigating the effect of future crises on apparel suppliers and workers? And second, what policies and actions can advance sustainability and inclusivity in the global apparel sector? Answering these questions required obtaining the perspectives of apparel buyers, manufacturers, governments, unions and labor rights organizations in some of Asia’s leading apparel-producing countries. In order to do this the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Global Labor Institute at Cornell University (formerly the New Conversations Project) convened focus group discussions organized by constituency in May 2022. Participants in the discussions were representatives of four governments, six apparel brands and retailers, six manufacturers and manufacturers associations, seven unions, and six labor rights organizations. These participants come from Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The countries represent substantial shares of world apparel exports and imports, and the thirty participants have decades of experience working in global apparel supply chains. (Annex 1 lists the questions to which participants responded).

Fashion focuses its climate change efforts on goals such as increasing use of recycled fabrics, reducing water usage, and cutting down its very high greenhouse gas emissions—fashion ranks third on greenhouse gases behind global food production and construction.

But fashion’s mitigation efforts largely ignore the effects of climate breakdown on the workers, communities and industries who produce the world’s garments. This is the problem of adaptation and it is not part of fashion’s plan.

In these two “Higher Ground?” reports from the Global Labor Institute at Cornell University and Schroders, we measure the present and future risks of exposure to extreme heat and flooding in some of the world’s most climate-vulnerable countries for apparel workers, suppliers, fashion brands and investors.

The aim of these two reports is, first, to understand the industry’s exposure to climate risks and the costs of climate adaptation for workers, manufacturers, buyers and investors, and governments. And, second, to inspire industry actors to formulate adaptation strategies that are large-scale and fit for purpose. We want to see these new measures and costs written into the business plans of the fashion industry, into collective agreements, and into budgets and objectives of regulators.