About a year ago, I wrote about how the consequences of COVID-19 on India’s garment industry had the potential to be catastrophic. Unfortunately, that has come to pass – their industry is in crisis. The workers who make up the backbone of this global supply chain need our help, desperately.

India’s recent surge in COVID-19 cases (at least 22 million confirmed infections as at early June) means the country’s apparel manufacturers could see another round of cancelled or delayed orders - leaving millions of factory workers and artisans in India and other third-world countries out of jobs.

Some 60 million workers in India are dependent on the textile and clothing industry for their livelihood. A 2020 study by the Worker Rights Consortium found that nearly 40% of workers had permanently or temporarily lost their jobs, often without receiving any sort of severance pay. 60% still had jobs, but had experienced a 21% decrease in income between March and August 2020.

In turn, this has led to widespread hunger among factory workers and their families as they are increasingly unable to obtain adequate food and nutrition.

That was last year: 2021 is shaping up to be even more devastating for factory workers and artisans. According to the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India, 72% of the Indian garment industry’s micro, small and medium enterprise manufacturers received less than 25% of the payments due in April. And the worst is yet to come.

Supply is down, yet demand is increasing

At the same time as India’s crisis is deepening, consumer spending in the US and European countries is starting to boom due to a decline in COVID-19 cases. In fact, consumer spending in the US increased by 10.7 percent in the first quarter alone, according to the Commerce Department – and it’s expected to keep rising.

Which is leading to a new crisis: demand for fashion is increasing as consumers return to a ‘normal life’, while sadly, Indian factories may not be able to meet this growing demand, due shortages of fabric and shipping delays.

And, even as consumer spending rebounds in the West, brands aren’t placing orders on the scale they used to. Many are scaling back their collections, while others are moving production elsewhere, and that trickles down to the factory workers and artisans.

We can’t even begin to imagine the effect of this in a country so reliant on its textile industry, and where most of its citizens already live well below the poverty line.

What you can do to help

We know it’s a big call to support India’s fashion industry right now. But we do encourage our customers – and their customers - to consider supporting workers in the supply chain as much as possible.

Your orders will have a lasting, life-changing impact on the lives of vulnerable factory and artisan workers. You’ll help to protect vulnerable workers and their families from the very real threats of poverty, unemployment, eviction and starvation. You’ll help save lives.

We’ll continue to #supportsupplychain and we hope you will too.