Major fashion sourcing region Asia is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average with the impact being felt on the garment factory floor. Credit: Algi Febri Sugita/Shutterstock.com.
A new University of Sydney study has revealed the risk from extreme heat stress in garment factories caused by climate change continues to rise.
This is not surprising, given that the majority of garment factories are based in countries that are already suffering the worst effects of climate change.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) reported in June that Asia, a major fashion sourcing region, is currently warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, fuelling more extreme weather and wreaking havoc on the region’s economies, ecosystems and societies.
Garment worker union organisation Clean Clothes Campaign agrees and published a report earlier this month that points out heat in the workplace must be recognised as a fundamental and urgent labour and human rights issue across the sector.
For Fashion Revolution, clean heat is one of the quickest ways to cut emissions, and it presents an adaptation opportunity that is crucial for the people who make our clothes and are already experiencing unsafe heat in factories.
While the University of Sydney researchers assert there are several simple and affordable interventions that could offer critical protection to garment workers operating in dangerously hot conditions, from making garment factory roofs insulated and reflective to having electric fans directed at workers and giving free access to drinking water.
In a recent interview, Epic Group’s sustainability lead, Dr Vidhura Ralapanawe, shared that the Asia garment manufacturer is one step ahead with its eco factories for the future that are designed to mitigate heat stress for workers.
But, he admitted there are gaps in the way the sector looks at heat overall.
So, perhaps now is the time to switch focus from future sustainability targets to reducing the extreme heat that garment workers already face daily due to climate change and will only get worse!
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