Skip to main content
Cornell University mobile logo
Dignity factory workers producing shirts for overseas clients, in Accra, Ghana

Hot Air: How will fashion adapt to accelerating climate change?

Impacts of Climate Change on Global Apparel Production

How have weather conditions already changed in major apparel production centers? In this follow-up to our Higher Ground? reports, we looked at the past twenty years of weather data in our 23 focus cities to try and find that out, as well as ask how workers, brands and retailers, manufacturers and their governments should react and adapt to our warming future in a world of corporate due diligence. Read our findings here.

A flooded area near to Phnom Penh, Cambodia
/global-labor-institute/research-0/gli-hot-air

Measuring Supply Chain Due Diligence

Labor Outcomes Metrics

Read about the Global Labor Institute's new quantitative metrics that measure labor outcomes—actual impacts for workers.

Workers in Bangladesh
Read more about Measuring Supply Chain Due Diligence

Latest Events

Fair Fashion Think Tank COVID-19 Podcast

NCP Executive Director Jason Judd participates in COVID-19 podcast with the Fair Fashion Think Tank
Fair Fashion Think Tank
Fair Fashion Think Tank COVID-19 Podcast

The Conversation - Why apparel brands' efforts to police their supply chains aren't working

In The Conversation, NCP Executive Director Jason Judd and Academic Director Sarosh Kuruvilla share new research on private regulation in the global apparel trade and the COVID-19 crisis.
Red speech bubble, logo for The Conversation
The Conversation - Why apparel brands' efforts to police their supply chains aren't working

In the News

Samira Rafaela in UK's Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Handbook on How To Legislate Against Modern Slavery and Exploitation in Supply Chains

Visiting Fellow Samira Rafaela writes, “While a coalition of likeminded countries is striving to reform global labour governance, it is impossible to ignore the influence of the current geopolitical agenda. Europe seeks to protect its international labour reputation and aims to reduce dependency on systemic rivals like China.”
Samira Rafaela in UK's Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s Handbook on How To Legislate Against Modern Slavery and Exploitation in Supply Chains

Context: 'Q&A: How can fashion workers adapt to climate change?'

Executive Director Jason Judd is in Thomson Reuters’ Context, with a Q&A on how to help apparel workers as climate change accelerates. His three recommendations: set workplace temperature standards, annual wage adjustments and pay workers more money. As he puts it, “Arguably the most important adaptation technology is cash.”
Context: 'Q&A: How can fashion workers adapt to climate change?'

Just Style: 'Cornell researchers call for annual wage review process in Bangladesh'

Our recent Waiting Game report is discussed by Just Style, where they go over our findings and our recommendations for the Bangladeshi wage setting system.
Just Style: 'Cornell researchers call for annual wage review process in Bangladesh'

To Eliminate Gender Based Violence and Harassment

Dindigul Agreement

This is GLI’s year two assessment of the processes and outcomes of an innovative agreement regarding freedom of association and the elimination of gender based violence at a South Indian apparel factory that could be a model for other factories around the world.

Busy factory floor with rows of sewing stations
Read the report

Higher Ground? Fashion’s Climate Breakdown

Impacts of climate change on global apparel production

In partnership with Schroders, we report the impacts of climate change on global apparel production. In our first report, we track climate change impacts at the global, national, and factory levels. We map fashion's climate vulnerabilities across production centers, and estimate future economic damages from extreme heat and flooding. Our second report examines company-level climate risk, cost, and financing for adaption and just resilience.

Textile workers in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Read the reports

Change or Groundhog Day? What new research tells us about what works in global labor governance

2024 GLI Conference Highlights

Samira Rafaela
View more information

Stay Connected

Join the Global Labor Institute mailing list.