Abasebenzi benza ijean eluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka kumzi-mveliso wempahla eyolukiweyo yaseCongshin ngoFebruwari 9, 2012, eXintang, kwiphondo laseGuangdong, China.Ifoto: Lucas Schifres / Getty Izithombe Kwangoko kulenyanga, umthengisi okwi-Intanethi uNasty Gal wothuse abalandeli ngokugcwalisa njengobhengezo njengongenamali. I-e-commerce darling, eyayithengisa uyilo lwantlandlolo, iziqwenga zeediliya kunye nezinto ezivela kwezinye iimveliso, yaba yinto yemithombo yeendaba kwezentlalo ngenxa yomqondiso omtsha. Ukupheliswa kwe-Apparel yaseMelika eyiminyaka eliwaka kwakungothusi kangako, kudala kukhwaza imbiza ngaphandle kokuthandwa ngophawu. Ngelixa zombini ezi nkampani zikhankanye izizathu ezininzi kubandakanya iingxaki zomthetho kunye nolawulo gwenxa ngokwenzakala kwabo kwezemali, eyona nto ibalulekileyo, nengxaki yayikukubaluleka-bagcina uninzi lwemveliso yabo ngaphakathi eUnited States.
Imirhumo ephezulu kunye neendleko zolawulo zeelensi ezenziwe eMelika, nangona zinokuziphatha, ziza ngexabiso elibiza kakhulu. Iimpawu zaphakathi kweMidrange ezizama ukugcina loo meko idibene nezithintelo ezinokuthi abo bakhuphisana ngefashoni bakhawuleze ngokunika uyilo olufanayo ngobunzima obuncinci bezemali.
Intengiso yefashoni yehlabathi ngoku iphantse ibe yi- $ 3 trillion kumzi mveliso wonyaka. Ngelixa umntu anokucinga ukuba abaqulunqi beziphelo eziphezulu ngexabiso labo lamaxabiso aphezulu ngabona banegalelo eliphambili, uninzi lweenzuzo lunokubangelwa kukushishina ngefashoni ngokukhawuleza. Iinkampani ze-TJX, isaphulelo kunye nomthengisi wexabiso elisezantsi, umzekelo, uvelise phantse i-31 yezigidigidi zeerandi kwingeniso kunyaka-mali ka-2015 kuphela. Akumangalisi ke ukuba umntu omnye kwabathandathu abaphilayo emhlabeni namhlanje asebenze kwinxalenye ethile kushishino lwefashoni lwehlabathi. Oku kuyenza ibe lelona shishini lixhomekeke kakhulu kubasebenzi emhlabeni, uninzi lwayo luthunyelwe kumazwe asaphuhlayo, ngakumbi eAsia, apho amagama amakhaya aseNtshona elawula. Ngokwe-Workers Rights Consortium, umbutho ozimeleyo wamalungelo abasebenzi obeka iliso kwiimeko zokusebenza kwimizi-mveliso kwihlabathi liphela, i-H & M yeyona mveliso inkulu yokunxiba e-Bangladesh. 
Umzi-mveliso waseMumbai.Ifoto: UNicholas Adams / Getty Izithombe
Kuze kube ngama-1960, iMelika yayisenza iipesenti ezingama-95 zeengubo zayo. Ngo-2015, kuphela iipesenti ezi-3 zaveliswa eUnited States kwaye iipesenti ezingama-97 ezithintekayo zazikhutshelwa ngaphandle. Uninzi lwabathengisi abanemfashini ekhawulezayo babona ingqiqo enkulu ekususeni iinkqubo zabo zokuvelisa kumazwe afana neBangladesh, iIndiya, iCambodia, iChina neVietnam ngenxa yemivuzo yabo ephantsi, bayayekelela imithetho yabasebenzi kunye nezivumelwano zorhwebo olukhululekileyo.
Ixabiso elitshiphu, kokukhona inzuzo yokuphanda ikwabangelwa yinto yokuba uninzi lwabantu baseMelika abakhathali kwaphela ngendlela ezenziwa ngayo iimpahla okoko nje zingabizi. Ewe, uphononongo luka-2013 lweGallup lwatsho ukuba ngaphezulu kweepesenti ezingama-55 zabathengi baseMelika abenzi nzame zokufumanisa ukuba zenziwe phi iimpahla xa uthenga. Iimpawu ezintsha ziyayazi loo nto kwaye yiyo loo nto iphazamisayo malunga nokuthatha umngcipheko wezezimali kwimveliso yendawo. Umzi mveliso wonke ubuza amaxabiso aphantsi. Amanqaku aya kuthi esidlangalaleni ukuba akunjalo, kodwa, ngaphandle kwerekhodi, ukuba ubuza nayiphi na ifektri eyona ngxaki inkulu ngoku, andikhathali nokuba bakweliphi ilizwe, bazakuthi 'uxinzelelo olukhulu kubo abathengi ukunciphisa ixabiso, 'u-Edward Hertzman, umsunguli we-Sourcing Journal Online, ushicilelo lwezorhwebo olugubungela isinxibo kunye neempahla ezilukiweyo, uxelele i-Business of Fashion.
Ngento entsha eza ezivenkileni veki nganye, endaweni yamaxesha amabini, iimveliso ngoku zinamaxesha angama-52 ngonyaka. Ukuxhasa le mveliso ngobuninzi ngokufanelekileyo ngelixa kugcinwa amaxabiso asezantsi, babona i-sweatshops kunye nemizi-mveliso yefashoni kwilizwe lesithathu njengeyona ndlela inokwenzeka kwaye inenzuzo. Xa abathengisi baseNtshona behlisa amaxabiso abo, siyanyanzelwa ukuba siwathobele kwaye siwehlise amaxabiso kwaye oku kuchaphazela ngokuthe ngqo izinto ezenziwa ngabasebenzi bethu, umnini mveliso wempahla weengubo ongonwabanga e-Bangladesh uxelele u-Braganca ngemeko yokungaziwa.
Okwangoku, ngaphezulu kwezigidi ezi-4 zabantu abasebenza kwezi sweatshops kunye nomsebenzi ophakathi eBangladesh, wenza malunga ne-67 yeedola ngenyanga, yona efikelela ngaphezulu nje kancinci kweedola ezimbini ngosuku. Namhlanje, baphakathi kwabona bantu bafumana ezona mivuzo ziphantsi ehlabathini. Ukongeza, ngaphezulu kwama-85 eepesenti kwaba basebenzi ikakhulu ngabasetyhini abangenazibonelelo zempilo okanye naluphi na uhlobo lokhuseleko lwezezimali. Umanyano ngokungekho mthethweni kwaye iimeko zokusebenza azinyamezeleki. Kodwa le mivuzo iphantsi kunye neemeko zokusebenza ezingakhuselekanga zonke ziyaxolelwa ziinkampani ezinkulu ezininzi phantsi kwengcinga yokuba ekugqibeleni zibonelela ngemisebenzi kwabo bayifunayo. Ngelishwa, kwaneentlekele ezifana nokuwa kwe-sweatshop iRana Plaza eDhaka, eBangladesh, eyabulala abasebenzi abangaphezu kwe-1 000, ayenzanga kangako ukuguqula umbono wabo.
Amathuba aphosiwe ukuphinda avelise ubonelelo kwaye andinakuthetha ngokuzithemba ukuba ayizukuphinda iphindwe iRana Plaza ngokomlinganiso. Amakhulu abantu baphulukene nobomi babo, benzakala okanye impilo yabo yaphazamiseka ngokuvelisa iimpahla ukusukela oko iRana Plaza kunye nomzi mveliso wempahla uhlala uyingozi, ungcolisa kwaye unamandla ngamandla xa kungafuneki ukuba ibenye yezi zinto. Abathengisi bavunyelwe ukulawula kunye nokukhokela uthethathethwano emva kwento kwaye babengazinikeli ngokwaneleyo ngendlela ababesondela ngayo kubo, umbhali wase-Bhritane kunye nentatheli ngo-2015 Ixabiso lokwenyani U-Lucy Siegle uthe kudliwanondlebe.
Kodwa kunzima kangakanani kumzi mveliso wezigidigidi zeedola ukuqinisekisa umvuzo olungileyo wokuphila wabasebenzi babo kunye nokuqinisekisa olona lusisiseko lwamalungelo oluntu?
Uninzi lwethu luxelelwe ibali le sweatshop ngokusekwe kumyinge wobuxoki wenani elipheleleyo. Kuchazwa njengokuphucula iimeko okanye ukuthatha imisebenzi. Singakha iinkqubo ezingcono zokugcina le misebenzi ngelixa sisebenzisa iimeko ezihlonipha ezona mfanelo zisisiseko sabasebenzi kunye nempilo yexesha elide kulo mhlaba sonke esiwubiza ngokuba ngumzi, utshilo u-Andrew Morgan, imveliso yeposi- wayengumlawuli Ixabiso lokwenyani. Andikwazi ukucinga ukuba akukho nalinye ishishini namhlanje elisinyanzela ukuba sijongane nefuthe lehlabathi, amalungelo oluntu, amalungelo abasetyhini, kunye nenkqubo yokungqubana esingqongileyo esikuyo, wongeze watsho.
Imingcipheko yokuthengwa kwezinto ezineziphene ekugqibeleni ithwalwa ngabo basemngciphekweni kwaye abasezantsi, abangenayo enye indlela ngaphandle kokuba yinxalenye yayo. Ngabo bahlawula ixabiso lempahla yexabiso eliphantsi esiyithengayo. Nangona kunjalo, umzi-mveliso uyacotha kodwa ngokuqinisekileyo uyatshintsha, ukuqala phezulu. Kubekho into ebonakalayo, nangona icotha, kwiinzame zokutshintsha ezi ndlela zokwenza. UKering, inkampani ngasemva kwabaqulunqi abaphambili kubandakanya uStella McCartney benze indlela entsha kwilizwe lefashoni, kuzinzo. Kwangoko kulo nyaka, uBurberry wabhengeza izicwangciso zokutyala imali eyi- $ 50 yezigidi ukwandisa kunye nokuhambisa uninzi lwemveliso yayo kuMntla weNgilani. Abantu boMthi, uBrooks Brothers kunye noZady ziimpawu ezifumana inkokheli yecandelo loHlaziyo kugqatso lwesitayile oluzinzileyo.
U-Olaf Schmidt, usekela-mongameli weetheknoloji kunye neetekhnoloji ye-textile e-Messe Frankfurt, enye yeenkampani ezinkulu zorhwebo kwihlabathi, uququzelela i-Ethical Fashion Show eBerlin kwaye uyayincoma into yokuba uzinzo ngoku lube lilitye lembombo kwinani elikhulayo labathengi. Abathengi ngoku banoluhlu olubanzi lweemveliso zefashoni zangoku ezigxininiswe kuzinzo abanokukhetha kuzo. Umzekelo, kwimiboniso yethu yorhwebo, ngaphezulu kweelebheli ezili-160 zibonisa ingqokelela yazo rhoqo lonyaka kwaye zisebenza ngendlela ezinzileyo necacileyo.
Kungenxa yokuba elona nyathelo likhulu lokuzinza kunye nokuthenga okuphefumlelweyo kuluntu kunokuthathwa kuphela ngumthengi. Ilebheli eyenziwe e-USA inokuza ngexabiso eliphezulu, kodwa ngokuqinisekileyo yeyona inendlela yokuziphatha.
