Creative Industry Sub-sector

The report highlights the achievements of Better Work, a program by the ILO and IFC, tackles challenges in the garment industry. It aims for good working conditions and business growth together. They work in 12 countries, helping factories follow labor laws and improve competitiveness. Their methods include assessments, training, and encouraging communication between workers,employers, and governments. Better Work's research shows positive impacts on workers' lives, businesses, and garment industry as a whole.

This Short Note aimed to develop a more comprehensive UN approach, tackling issues like human rights and ethical labor practices within the fashion sector. Essentially, the event focused on how the UN can work together to create a more sustainable future for fashion.

To analyze SSCM in the fast fashion industry, this study compares the sustainability reports of H&M and Everlane, industry leaders with strong sustainability messaging. This comparison reveals that fast fashion has failed to sufficiently engage upstream and downstream stakeholders in their SSCM strategies. Moving forward, fast fashion companies should incentivize collaboration towards more comprehensive SSCM policies throughout the supply chain. 

The main goal of this paper is to review the state of the apparel and footwear industry as it relates to automation, employment and gender issues in context of the ILO-EU project “Building Partnerships on the Future of Work” project.

Battered by COVID-19 lockdowns, the fashion industry showed signs of revival in mid-2021. While luxury brands and comfort wear thrived, many companies faced bankruptcy and leadership shifts. China's domestic market, boosted by local shopping and luxury spending, recovered faster. Overall, the industry is expected to reach pre-pandemic sales levels by 2022, driven by the US and China, but the recovery will be uneven with some companies faring better than others.

This report aims to inspire and inform a conversation about how we might reimagine and intentionally design a truly just and sustainable fashion system. The circular fashion industry offers environmental benefits, but also has the potential to negatively impact jobs. While some jobs might disappear due to automation, new opportunities will emerge in areas like repair and resale. These new jobs will require different skillsets compared to traditional garment industry jobs.

This paper is the first sector-specific quantitative study on the employment effects of the EU transition on a global scale, including ethical dimensions of those effects, as far as we are aware. Overall, this paper contributes to the broader discussion of CE-induced social effects of sustainability transitions. Its results indicate that employment could significantly decrease in low- to upper-middle-income countries outside the EU, in particular in labour-intense apparel production.

The Jeans Redesign (2019-2023) aimed to revolutionize jeans production for a circular fashion economy. Partnering with industry experts, the project created guidelines for brands to design jeans that are durable, recyclable, and made with minimal environmental impact. Launched in 2021, these guidelines have been adopted by over 100 organizations, leading to the creation of more sustainable jeans and a significant step towards a more responsible fashion industry.

The H&M Foundation's Saamuhika Shakti project (2020-2026) tackles social inclusion in India's textile recycling industry. This initiative empowers informal waste pickers, a marginalized group, by integrating them into the recycling value chain. By treating waste as a valuable resource, Saamuhika Shakti aims to create a more sustainable and equitable circular economy in India's textile sector.

This report highlights the Better Work strategy (2018-2022), a collaborative effort by the ILO and IFC to promote gender equality in the global garment industry. It highlights the importance of decent work conditions, including fair treatment, social protections, and work-life balance, for empowering women and fostering a thriving garment industry.