Unethical Outsourcing and Marketing of International Clothing, Fashion Brands, and Global Supply Chains

Abstract

The exploitation of workers in global supply chains (GSCs) has been strengthened over the past 40 years, mainly since the emergence of globalization and neoliberalism. A primary ethical concern of outsourcing and marketing is labour exploitation in developing countries. In Bangladesh's RMG industry, workers are often paid low wages and forced to work long hours in unsafe conditions. Many international clothing brands have been criticized for outsourcing their production to factories that violate labor rights. As a result, unethical outsourcing and marketing of the global supply chains from Bangladesh's RMG industry has left millions of RMG workers in dire straits. Furthermore, this chapter focuses on theoretical interpretations and finds that globalization and neoliberalism exposed modern slavery in the global supply chain networks. Hence, this chapter suggests that international clothing and fashion brands must ethically outsource from a country like Bangladesh.