#05. How can the fashion industry support its suppliers in India amid the pandemic?
India is facing an unprecedented crisis. Citizens and frontline workers are fighting the second wave of COVID-19 directly and indirectly, by tackling the virus, and indirectly trying not to collapse under the immense pressure on an already fragile healthcare system.
As of Sunday evening, 270,284 people have died , with experts saying that the death count far exceeds official figures. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation that the total deaths (including those that go unreported) will reach one million by the end of May, with around 15,000 deaths in a single day.
Supply chains and garment workers' lives have been severely disrupted and are facing high risks, posing a threat not only for India, but for neighbouring countries too, and even on a global scale. According to a recent survey by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), 72% of the Indian garment industry’s micro, small and medium enterprise (MSME) have received less than 25% of their payments that were due in April, with 50% of orders cancelled. More than three quarters are contemplating reducing their staff by more than 25%.
Public health experts are concerned that the number of deaths might be exponentially more for the same level of infections in rural areas, where a lot of our community members and cotton farmers are. The situation is expected to get worse as the infection spreads to these small villages, where oxygen supplies, ambulance availability and ICU care capacities are almost non-existent. Add to this the influx of returning migrant workers in the face of the latest lockdown, which is likely to accelerate the spread and add to the demands from health infrastructure to meet daily needs.
With workers across the fashion supply chain from farm to finished garment caught up in the middle of the crisis, we consulted a number of Indian supply chain partners, researchers and advocacy groups to come up with a set of recommendations on how fashion can best support its suppliers during these times.
How can brands and retailers stand with your suppliers
Maintain an open dialogue with your supply chain partners about their needs
Keep your commitments, do not cancel any orders, ask for discounts or walk away from your suppliers
Clear pending payments and extend financial support
Do not penalise suppliers for late or incomplete fulfilment during lockdowns and national emergencies
Be patient and discuss the potential need for time extensions on deliveries
Be flexible with your certification schedules and mode (i.e. auditing from remote), until the emergency has cleared
How can brands and retailers support the workers in your supply chain
Ask your suppliers how to best support their own relief efforts. Many are already implementing actions to aid their workers, such as supporting hospital facilities access and buying equipment close to their factory, vaccination efforts, hygiene and information awareness-raising.
Encourage your suppliers to share ideas and best practice across potential joint relief efforts
Offer financial support, with the following aims in mind:
Implementing effective infection control practices and policies such as operating at a 50% capacity
Ensuring that workers are provided with their full regular wages even when required to stay home as a result of factories operating at a reduced capacity
Continuing to provide workers who reside in company-provided dormitories access to all regular facilities at no additional cost, where applicable
Providing workers whose employment is terminated with their full, legally owed severance pay
How everybody can help
1.Support the lifting of patent restrictions on vaccines by joining the People's Vaccine Alliance. Learn more in this article by Clean Clothes Campaign.
2.Donate to:
Gasping for Breath: India Oxygen SOS
The Gasping for Breath campaign is fundraising to support Swasth Digital Health Foundation, along with ACT Grants and 150 organisations forming the Swasth Alliance, procure 50,000 oxygen concentrators and other medical supplies to help fight the Covid-19 crisis.Give India
Give India has launched its second India COVID Response Fund to support gaps in healthcare and other critical needs. You can donate to a series of missions, from helping to provide for families of the deceased to funding food for those struggling.Hemkunt Foundation
Hemkunt Foundation is doing amazing work on the ground, with a temporary oxygen centres where it offers beds to critical patients as well as refilling and distributing oxygen cylinders.Oxygen For India
Oxygen For India is a volunteer-run campaign delivering lifesaving medical oxygen to those who need it the most, as quickly as possible.India Covid Resources
The India Covid Resources website is a project from the tech community to make it easier to donate to socially verified projects. Here you can find a list of approved organisations to support, helping Covid orphans and feeding families.Remake’s GoFundMe for garment workers
Alongside their brilliant #PayUp campaign, Remake have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money for garment workers in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the United States, and India, with donations going to Stand Up Movement Lanka, AWAJ Center, Garment Worker Center, and the Asia Floor Wage Alliance.Mission Oxygen
Mission Oxygen was founded to aid and assist hospitals running out of oxygen to treat Covid-19 patients. So far, it has already helped to procure 6,000 concentrators, and distribute 1,000 of them to public, private and charitable medical care facilities across India.Covid-19 Relief for Artisans
A collaborative fundraiser from Swara, KAARU, Social Vision India, and SUSS, this initiative aims to support 100 artisans in the states of Karnataka, Orissa, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh by providing them with financial support as well as ration kits and medical supplies.
3. Continue to spread the message by saving our assets to share on your own channels.