On the surface, Patagonia, the brand known for its environmental activism and sustainability, seems to be doing everything right – for its employees, for garment workers and for the environment. However, a new report by investigative journalism platform Follow The Money (FTM) found that the company produces in the same factories where fast fashion brands source their clothes, potentially meaning workers work in the same poor conditions .
According to the report, Patagonia produces some of its clothing at the Regal Image factory in Sri Lanka, which also makes clothing from Primark and fast fashion brands. FTM visited the factory and spoke to various employees, including the factory’s manager, Kevin Fernando, who explained that he couldn’t tell any difference between working at Patagonia and working at fast fashion brands.
The Sri Lankan factory was recently approved as a Patagonia supplier, and the company says it “only works with factories that are ‘like-minded’ and share their ‘philosophy’.” In total, the fashion brand works with 61 factories, two of which are located in the USA, one in Portugal and the rest in 12 low-wage countries. Most products are made in Vietnam and Sri Lanka.
According to Follow The Money, Patagonia exploits garment workers
In order to be allowed to manufacture products for the brand, a supplier must meet various sustainability criteria that are set out in a code of conduct. This includes that no child or forced labor is used and that physical, sexual and verbal harassment is not tolerated. In addition, all national laws must be complied with. Managers must not ask employees to work overtime and must ensure healthy working conditions, with weekly working hours not exceeding 60 hours or more than six days at a time. According to FTM, Patagonia has the factory audited by an independent person at least once a year. In addition, two non-governmental organizations carry out controls. They also put a sustainability seal on Patagonia’s production process and clothing.
Some of these controls have been published in reports mentioning dozens of violations. One problem crops up in all of them, according to the FTM: Garment workers in factories that make clothes for Patagonia work up to 17 hours a day and more than 80 hours a week. This is far more than Patagonia allows in its Code of Conduct and what the law allows.
Fernando, who FTM spoke to, assured that his employees work a maximum of five days a week and 10 hours a day. However, a line manager on tour told FTM that he works a 14-hour shift. Fernando shrugged and said, “There’s a lot going on.” It should also not be forgotten that employees are not paid a living wage in any low-wage country and are therefore forced out of poverty to work overtime to make ends meet. However, discussions with a union, Stand Up Movement Lanka, revealed that some workers even appear to be using stimulant drugs to meet production targets and last the shift.
Patagonia cites production in fast fashion factories as an advantage
Patagonia called production in the same factories as other brands an advantage. “We are a fairly small player in the apparel industry. That’s why we’re always looking for ways to increase our impact and raise standards in the industry as a whole. It’s critical that we continue to participate in joint manufacturing facilities,” Patagonia told FTM.
The brand wants all workers to be paid a decent wage. For example, the company promised that all workers in its value chain would be paid a living wage within ten years. 1.5 years before the deadline, Patagonia itself declared that 40 percent of its factories are already paying a living wage. According to the FTM, Patagonia did not specify in which factories this was the case.
In response to the article, and in addition to two discussions held, Patagonia sent a further statement to FTM: “We are working with our supplier factories and labor experts to develop and test strategies that will enable the facility to serve its workers more to pay – from improving the efficiency of production lines and human resources systems to the actual costs. This is a complex task that we try to solve together with our suppliers.”
“One way Patagonia is trying to close the pay gap is through our Fair Trade USA program rewards. Patagonia has paid millions of dollars in fair trade awards in Sri Lanka alone, and those awards have gone to more than 75,000 employees in 10 countries worldwide. The bonuses can be used by the employees as they wish – they have chosen to pay them out, fund a daycare center and start a hygiene and health program. Once Patagonia pays the Fair Trade certification fee for the factory, other brands can join and contribute towards the bounty,” Patagonia continued.
This article originally appeared on FashionUnited.NL. Translated from English and edited by Simone Preuss.