Imports from major garment-exporting countries in Asia drop 70%

The International Labor Organization is urging the apparel industry to do more to protect garment factory workers.

The coronavirus pandemic has slammed the apparel industry, leaving many of the 65 million Asian garment factory workers struggling as factories close or cut back on wages, the ILO said.

The ILO issued a report noting that imports from major garment-exporting countries in Asia plunged by up to 70 percent in the first half of 2020 and are still well below levels before the crisis hit, costing many workers their jobs as factories closed or cut back on production.

While that has had dire consequences for those working in the industry, most of them women, the pandemic is an opportunity for fashion brands to make their supply chains more resilient, sustainable and “human centered,” said Christian Viegelahn, a senior economist at the ILO’s regional office in Bangkok.

A full recovery for the industry will likely depend on overcoming the pandemic and may not come until 2022, he said, according to The Associated Press.

Ensuring a better safety net for garment factory workers who have scant support to fall back on when they lose their jobs in countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia and Myanmar is vital, the ILO researchers said.