Consumption without child labor:
Fashion and home textiles
Child labor is widespread in the production of clothing and home textiles: children pick cotton , for example in India, Uzbekistan, and Egypt. In cotton mills in Tamil Nadu, southern India, young girls are kept like slaves and forced to work day and night for starvation wages. The cotton yarn produced there is used to make clothing and home textiles (bed linens, curtains, tablecloths). Other home textiles made by children include hand-knotted carpets from Nepal, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Turkey, and Morocco.
Progress has been made in garment manufacturing since the 1990s, with a significant global decline in the use of child labor. Following intense public campaigns by children's rights organizations, fashion brands and retailers have required their suppliers not to employ children and continue to monitor compliance with this commitment. The implementation of compulsory education, for example in Thailand and India, has also significantly reduced the number of child laborers in factories.
The textile industry is synonymous with massive violations of fundamental human and labor rights : starvation wages and a lack of or inadequate social security for workers in the textile supply chain; unsafe and overcrowded buildings without fire protection or escape routes; degrading treatment and sexual harassment by supervisors and colleagues; excessive and regular overtime; contact with toxic substances (pesticides, fungicides, and chemicals used for dyeing and finishing fabrics) and dust (in spinning mills and sewing factories); working in extreme heat and noise; and forced labor in prisons and camps.
For many developing and emerging countries, the textile industry is a vital economic sector because it is labor-intensive, meaning it creates many jobs, including for unskilled workers. Worldwide, 60 million people work in the textile and garment industry . For unskilled women, jobs in sewing factories are often the only way to earn an independent income. Because the textile and clothing industry is so important to the economy in developing and emerging countries, its lobby is strong: often there is little or no state regulation and supervision for the companies, but obstruction of trade unions and intimidation of workers.
Half of the world's textiles are made from cotton. Its cultivation causes significant environmental damage because cotton consumes a great deal of water, depletes soils, and is susceptible to pests. Cotton grows on 2.5 percent of the world's arable land but consumes 25 percent of the world's pesticides. Conventionally grown cotton is sprayed up to 20 times per season. Almost all conventionally grown cotton is genetically modified. The high water demand is also problematic: one kilogram of cotton requires between 7,000 and 29,000 liters of water, depending on the variety and growing region.
Dyeing and finishing fabrics are responsible for one-fifth of global water pollution. The textile industry emits about eight percent of greenhouse gases – more than air travel and shipping combined. According to the science magazine Quarks , producing ten pairs of jeans generates as much CO2 as a flight from Berlin to Munich. And yet, people in Germany never wear 20 percent of their clothes. On average, consumers in Germany buy 60 items of clothing per year.
In 2020, Germany imported textiles and clothing worth €50.11 billion, with China, Bangladesh, and Turkey leading the list of importing countries . The Otto Group, H&M, and C&A generated the most revenue in Germany.
Alternatives for consumers
If you want to avoid child labor, buy textiles and home textiles that are certified with a reputable label. A high price or brand name says nothing about the production conditions: even the cotton in an expensive brand-name T-shirt may have been picked by children. Sustainable consumption means buying less: when shopping, pay attention to durability and quality. Buy second-hand, join a swap meet, or upcycle used items.
These seals exclude child labor:
Since 2005, Fairtrade has certified clothing and home textiles made from cotton and blended fabrics, auditing the entire supply chain from the cotton field to the garment factory. The focus is primarily on fair prices and compliance with labor rights, but also on fundamental environmental standards. The website offers a product and retailer finder and detailed information on individual product groups.
The Fair Wear Foundation has developed a high standard for textiles and supports its members in the gradual implementation of this standard in their supplier factories. Fair Wear doesn't extend to the cotton field, but focuses on living wages, good working conditions, and social security in textile factories. 128 companies are members. Information about the standard and a company locator can be found on the website .
Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS)
The GOTS label identifies products that contain at least 70 percent organically produced natural fibers according to EU organic regulations. All processing facilities must also meet minimum social criteria throughout the entire supply chain, such as the prohibition of child labor, and take concrete steps to pay living wages. According to its own figures, GOTS reaches three million workers in 10,388 businesses in 72 countries.
The Green Button is a government-backed label for textiles, launched in 2019 by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. It assesses both the production conditions of individual products and the trading company with regard to environmental and social standards, such as the prohibition of child labor. Currently, 61 companies offer products bearing the Green Button. The Green Button is a so-called meta-label, meaning it recognizes other social and environmental labels. The Green Button also plays a role in public procurement: for example, the Free State of Bavaria and the church-affiliated organizations Diakonie and Caritas have committed to procuring only textiles certified with the Green Button (e.g., for retirement and nursing homes). Ten Bundesliga clubs offer fan apparel bearing the Green Button.
The Cotton Initiative promotes more sustainable cultivation and thus advocates for better working and living conditions for smallholder farmers and workers in ginning factories. CMiA thereby reaches smallholder farmers who are otherwise rarely reached by certification initiatives. CMiA trains farmers, supports women's cooperatives, and assists communities in building basic infrastructure such as schools and providing safe drinking water. According to its own figures, CMiA reaches 900,000 smallholder farmers in various African countries.
Goodweave certifies hand-knotted carpets from India, Nepal, and Afghanistan. The companies commit to not employing children under 14 and to paying at least the legal minimum wage. Goodweave funds primary schools and health clinics in the carpet weavers' communities. According to its own figures, Goodweave reaches 93,339 workers in 350 companies and has rescued 7,906 children from exploitative labor.
The STEP seal is awarded to retailers and manufacturers who produce all their hand-knotted carpets according to STEP's Fair Trade standard. STEP operates in India, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, and Morocco. The Fair Trade premium allows the carpet weavers' communities to finance essential infrastructure, such as schools or health centers.
