One of the report’s co-authors,Baptist World Aid corporate advocacy lead Sarah Knop,said while companies showed some improvement in several areas of clothing production,“for garment workers,earning a living wage has been a lifelong struggle we are failing to make progress on”.
A living wage,which varies by region and is measured by a number of internationally recognised standards,covers what a worker needs for food,housing,healthcare and clothing,as well as some discretionary income. It is not a minimum wage,which Knop said can be as little as half of “what a worker actually needs to survive”.
“Calls by shoppers for greater transparency around this issue are increasing ... but,unfortunately,it’s just not on the agenda for some companies,” Knop said.
Workers earning a living wage were more productive,were less likely to leave for better-paying work and were healthier,while those who earn less are under greater pressure to work overtime or pull their children out of school to work,Knop said.
The report,which awarded scores out of 100,assessed companies on issues such as workers’ rights,environmental sustainability,and corporate governance.
The top-scoring brand was underwear companyMighty Good Basics,followed by outdoor brand and sustainability champion Patagonia,whose billionaire founder,Yvon Chouinard,recently announced he was redirecting all the company’s profits towards fighting climate change.