Modern Slavery In The UK Fashion Industry

Sweatshops aren’t just endemic to developing countries. Modern slavery in the fast fashion industry occurs in the UK too. Here’s the low down on this shocking truth.

Behind the glossy veneer of fast fashion retailers’ advertising, and the rails upon rails of ‘must-have’ cheap clothing in brightly lit stores lies an uncomfortable truth. That truth? Sweatshops, where garment workers toil away making these clothes whilst often working in unsafe conditions and earning poverty wages.

We may associate sweatshops with countries in the Global South, such as Bangladesh, where labour laws and regulations are poorly enforced. As a result, we may feel that clothes made in the UK are a more ethical choice, due to our stance on minimum wages and labour rights.

Sadly a made-in-the-UK label might mean that your clothes aren’t as ethical as they initially seem. Here’s why modern slavery is still rife in the UK, and what you can do about it.

Table Of Contents

• What Is Modern Slavery?
• Does Modern Slavery Exist In The UK?
• Boohoo’s Case Is Not An Isolated One
• Why Does Modern Slavery Exist In The UK?
• What Can We Do

What Is Modern Slavery?

First up, it’s important to understand what modern slavery is exactly.

Whilst there are hundreds of definitions of modern slavery – involving aspects of control, involuntary actions and exploitation – the most encompassing one I’ve found is by Anti-Slavery, a human rights organisation.

Here it defines modern slavery as “When an individual is exploited by others, for personal or commercial gain. Whether tricked, coerced, or forced, they lose their freedom. This includes but is not limited to human trafficking, forced labour and debt bondage.”

Does Modern Slavery Exist In The UK?

Back in July 2020, an undercover reporter for the Sunday Times published an article about a garment factory in Leicester. Here it claimed the factory was paying workers £3.50 an hour, as they made clothes for ultra-fast fashion brand Boohoo.

For context, the national minimum wage in the UK at this point was:

• £4.55 an hour for 16 – 17 years olds,
• £6.45 an hour for workers aged 18 – 20
• £8.20 an hour for workers aged 21 to 24
• £8.72 an hour for workers aged 25 and over

As well as uncovering a blatant disregard for paying workers the minimum wage, the reporter witnessed other human rights abuses. This included failing to uphold a safe working environment, exploitation of staff, and a lack of social distancing measures during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These allegations were later verified in September 2020 in an independent review by barrister Alison Levitt KC. Here, Alison found that Boohoo was aware of the “endemic” problems in the factories of its Leicester suppliers. This included paying well below the minimum wage and locked fire doors that endangered the safety of workers. However, Boohoo did “too little too late” to fix them.

These findings led to allegations of modern slavery. And in October 2023 it was reported that Boohoo was facing a potential £100m lawsuit from investors after these allegations wiped more than £1bn from the company’s value.

Boohoo’s Case Is Not An Isolated One

Boohoo’s story isn’t an isolated one. News reports from 2010 show that some clothes factories in Leicester that were making clothes for River Island were underpaying staff, and not ensuring staff were working in safe conditions. It’s not a new problem, and it shows that poor employment practices will exist wherever enforcement authorities ignore known problems.

Why Does Modern Slavery Exist In The UK?

In order for small UK factories to compete with larger factories in countries with lower labour costs some may choose to exploit undocumented migrants. These people often accept the low pay and precarious working conditions simply to have some form of income.

It is estimated that 674,000 undocumented migrants live in the UK, many of whom were born in the UK. However, they will not be treated as British citizens when it comes to employment. This means they are denied the opportunity of a secure future. This desperate situation has been described by some as a “national disgrace“.

This hostile environment policy forces people into such exploitative work due to being deemed ‘illegal’. Plus staff know that if they raise issues with pay or conditions with the authorities, then they are likely to be deported. This makes it inevitable that exploited workers remain silent, allowing such modern slavery practices to thrive.

What Can We Do?

Modern slavery or any other act of mistreating garment workers – whether that’s underpaying them or failing to provide safe working conditions – isn’t ok, wherever it occurs. Just because it has been occurring in the UK shouldn’t make it more shocking than when it occurs in other countries.

As such, fast-fashion retailers should take full accountability for those working to provide the very items they reap profit from – no matter which country their garment workers operate in. This means questioning their garment suppliers and investigating the conditions that their workers toil under, in every part of their supply chain.

But this change also requires pressure from consumers. As well as asking brands who made their clothes exactly, and shopping from ethical and sustainable clothing brands, you can support campaigns that push for labour rights within the fashion industry.

Campaigns that you can support include Labour Behind The Label. This is an anti-sweatshop campaign working to improve conditions across the globe. Fashion Revolution is another key organisation to support. Working to end human and environmental exploitation in the global fashion industry, it aims to achieve safe, dignified working conditions and living wages for all people in the supply chain.

This post was originally written for Moral Fibres by Paul McShane of the Immigration Advice Service, and published here on 26th August 2020. The post was significantly rewritten and updated by Wendy on 21st May 2024 to provide more up-to-date information for readers.