Global supply chains, which arguably make our contemporary lifestyles possible are an amalgamation of people and products. Yet, the people who are engaged in manufacturing and delivering the products we aspire for and consume remain unheard and unseen and often trapped in situations of unfree work. The global fashion supply chain is a case in point. Millions of workers globally, often women, are engaged in production and delivery of garments which are a source of joy, protection and a sense of identity for the wearer. And yet, as policy and academic research has repeatedly highlighted, across several countries, these workers in fast fashion supply chains remain trapped in cycles of poverty, debt and exploitation.
Drawing attention to the everyday lived experiences of workers engaged in garment production and delivery, this presentation aims to offer a provocation to the current dominant 'top-down' approaches for a just transition. While aspirations and commitments for a climate change adaptation and resilience and eradication of unfree work abound in policy and practice, the approaches and styles adopted are top-down, doing little to change practices and often leaving those at the economic periphery of society even more marginalized and worse-off. Understanding the perspectives and experiences of workers and the deeply interconnected vulnerabilities which shape their lives raises critical questions for climate equity and justice and the economic and ideological systems in which the global fashion supply chains are embedded