171BacKground
A workshop outline is set out in which participants
explore working conditions in the garment industry,
global interdependencies and what consumers can do to
bring about change. The toolkit includes a role play and
necessary worksheets. All of the activities included in the
workshop are interactive and involve the participants in
the debate. The workshop is designed for high school and
college level students. The training set enables educators to
facilitate the workshop even if they do not have previous
experience of the issues.
In the first part of the workshop participants track the
production of a pair of jeans, think about how its cost is
split between different stages of production, and discuss
the realities of work in a garment factory and the role of
consumers in the garment supply chain.
The second part of this workshop is a role play called
“Global Interdependencies” involving different actors in
the global supply chain: ’garment workers’, ’the owner
of a garment factory’, ’international clothing company’
and ’consumers’. Each group discusses their situation
based on information on role cards and presents the
results of their discussions to the other groups. Then the
trainer announces that the factory is found to be using
child labour, and asks the “consumers” for their reaction.
“Consumers” come up with ideas about what they can
do (e.g. boycott, make demands for improvements in
working conditions, etc.). Then they wait for the response
of the brand and factory owner and, at the end, the
reaction of the workers. The role play highlights a chain of
interdependencies between consumers’ decisions and the
working conditions of the workers.
Participants respond to this exercise in many different
ways. More advanced groups, aware of working conditions
and garment supply chains, tend to react in more engaged
ways, which is why the first part of the role play is so
important to introduce less informed participants to the
situation of garment workers in the factory. The main goal
of this role play is to encourage participants to believe
that they can (as consumers) take action and influence
the big brands. You should keep this goal in mind when
facilitating the discussion between the groups. You can give
some additional examples of successful actions, to inspire
the participants. The discussion should give participants a
space to put forward their own ways of thinking, but they
shouldn’t forget that they have been given a “role”.rEsourcEs rEQuIrEd- One pair of jeans cut according to the photo diagram
contained in the worksheet - Map of the world
- 5 pieces of flipchart paper
- Marker pens
- Some leaflets with information about working conditions
in the garment industry such as those from the Polish
Humanitarian Organisation, the Dutch Clean Clothes
Campaign, Labour Behind the Label, Sudwind in Austria,
or similar organizations.
MatErIals proVIdEd In thIs pacK- Workshop outline
- Worksheet showing the stages of garment production
- Worksheet showing ‘who gets what from the final price
of a pair of jeans’ - 4 role cards for the role play
EthIcal FashIon Introductory worKshop outlInEObjectives:- To gain knowledge and understanding of the
consequences of globalisation on working conditions
in the garment industry. - To develop an understanding of the role of big brands
and consumers in a garment supply chain. - To encourage participants to be involved in actions to
improve working conditions in the garment industry.
rElEVant wEBsItEshttp://www.modnieietycznie.pl – Fashioning an Ethical Industry
project website in Polish
http://www.fashioninganethicalindustry.org – Fashioning an Ethical
Industry project website in EnglishIntEractIVE actIVItIEs