Comparative Analysis of US and International Apparel Labor Regulations: An Exploratory Study

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2017-01-01
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Clark, Elena
Bhaduri, Gargi
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International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) Annual Conference Proceedings
Iowa State University Conferences and Symposia

The first national meeting of textile and clothing professors took place in Madison, Wisconsin in June 1959. With a mission to advance excellence in education, scholarship and innovation, and their global applications, the International Textile and Apparel Association (ITAA) is a professional and educational association of scholars, educators, and students in the textile, apparel, and merchandising disciplines in higher education.

This site provides free, public access to the ITAA annual conference proceedings beginning in 2015. Previous proceedings can be found by following the "Additional ITAA Proceedings" link on the left sidebar of this page.

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Today's consumers prefer products from socially responsible brands (Nielson 2014) and are concerned about where and how their products are made. However, given that 97.3% of apparel consumed in the US is imported (AAFA, 2016), mostly from developing countries, it is difficult for US consumers to understand the social impact of their purchase choices, given that each supplier country has its own labor regulations.Today's consumers prefer products from socially responsible brands (Nielson 2014) and are concerned about where and how their products are made. However, given that 97.3% of apparel consumed in the US is imported (AAFA, 2016), mostly from developing countries, it is difficult for US consumers to understand the social impact of their purchase choices, given that each supplier country has its own labor regulations.Data analysis revealed similarities as well as differences in labor standards across the countries, particularly related to the following categories: minimum working age, wage and overtime pay, unionization rights, working environments, and worker benefits including maternity considerations. Results indicated that US compared to its supplier countries, offered shorter work week, better rights to unionize, and, stricter work environment regulations. However, foreign supplier countries often provided workers with better benefits such as universal health-care (China and Mexico), comparative wages (China), increased overtime pay (Vietnam and Mexico), as well as increased benefits for female workers (China, Mexico and Vietnam). Implications and contributions are also proposed.

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