Brands called on to stop deadly heat in fashion workplaces
In a position paper on heat and garment workers’ rights launched today [1], Clean Clothes Campaign calls on fashion brands, suppliers and governments to act now to prevent the inevitable and dangerous consequences that rising temperatures will have on garment workers globally.
As global temperatures rise, so do the risks of illness, harassment and wage theft faced by fashion’s 72 million workers [2] – many of them women, migrants and homeworkers.
Workers across garment supply chains, in countries as far apart as Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Uganda and Serbia, are already feeling the strain of rising temperatures at work, whether in factories or at home.
Gayani Gomes, Womens’ Center Sri Lanka, says, “Sometimes, women in factories are forced to work long hours in extreme heat, often until they faint. In workplaces with metal roofs and little to no ventilation, they are made to continue without adequate breaks. As temperatures rise, incidents of gender-based violence and harassment also increase, adding to the daily struggles and risks women face at work."
Action is needed to not only make dangerous workplaces safe, but also to safeguard workers’ wages when heat disrupts supply chains.
Emelia Yanti, union leader from Gabungan Serikat Buruh Indonesia, says, “We must make sure that workers don’t pay the price when factories get too hot to work by being forced to work extra hours to fulfil orders for no extra pay. Brands need to take responsibility and make workplaces safe, and adjust their orders when temperatures make it unsafe to work”.
Whilst brands and suppliers make profits, the people who have done very little to contribute to climate and environmental degradation and who can least afford to bear the related financial costs are facing dangerous homes and workplaces.
Fashion brands and suppliers need to take action to address the lost income that is caused by high workplace temperatures, as well as health and safety. The 2025 research from Business Human Rights Resource Centre[3] shows that it is rare for any brand to have a published policy on dealing with heat.
As temperatures rise, governments need to do their part by introducing standards on heat in the workplace, and provide social security for the health and income impacts high temperatures can have on workers.
Giuseppe Cioffo, Clean Clothes Campaign International Office, says, “Governments must take workplace heat seriously and act now to protect workers. Action includes binding standards to monitor heat in workplaces, protect workers from the threat of heat and reduce harm when temperatures make workers ill. They also need to foresee and address the impact this will have on employment in the future.”
Clean Clothes Campaign calls on suppliers, brands and governments to reduce the industry’s role in driving climate and environmental breakdown and underlines the importance of protecting all workers' rights.
Notes to editor:
[1] Position paper - “Heat And Garment Workers’ Rights - Fashioning A Just Transition”, CCC, 2025
https://cleanclothes.org/file-repository/2025-heat-and-garment-workers-rights.pdf
[2] “Global Garment Workers Count: Estimating The Size & Composition Of The Global Garment Workforce”, Katalyst Initiative, 2024
https://katalystinitiative.org/working-paper-4/
[3] “The Missing Thread: Workers Absent From Fashion Companies’ Climate Plans”, BHRRC, 2025
https://media.business-humanrights.org/media/documents/BHRRC_The_Missing_thread_report_June_2025.pdf