Global fashion brands give the impression they provide workers with living wages but don’t.

Living wage commitments don’t always necessarily result in positive action. Even clothing companies which have declared themselves committed to providing workers in the supply chain with living wages fall short of their promises. As such, consumers purchase products they believe are made by workers earning a living wage, when in reality, low wages continue to be the status quo across the global garment industry.

Most corporations outsource their living wage commitments to multi-stakeholder initiatives and external initiatives. By outsourcing their living wage commitments to external initiatives, this means that some companies have conflicting definitions and approaches to living wages, causing their commitments to lack clarity.

Since fashion corporations within the garment industry do not take action, workers will continue to receive low wages that do not meet the basic needs of food, housing, medical care, clothing and transportation for themselves and their families. Key obstacles standing in the way of garment companies providing workers in their supply chains with living wages include inconsistency and confusion among firms over what constitutes a living wage; lack of transparency among companies with regards to the wages they pay their workers; and companies’ lack of a roadmap signaling how they will go about providing living wages in future.