What’s the Fabric Act and Why Hasn’t This Been in Conversation?

On May 12th, garment workers were finally granted the chance at a fair wage and good working conditions. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand decided to pass the Fashioning Accountability and Building Real Institutional Change (FABRIC) Act, re-igniting a conversation we’ve been having for decades — who made my clothes and how were they treated? Here’s what we know about the Fabric Act. 

From documentaries like The True Cost to our beloved fashion Youtubers telling us that they stopped buying fast fashion, the working conditions that people are under in the garment-making industry have always been a concern for sustainable fashion lovers. 

What The Fabric Act will actually be doing: it will be attempting to end the piece rate, an unfortunate pay rate that garment workers earn a few cents by piece — and instead, make pay a fair and hourly rate. It will be holding brands and manufacturers accountable for what type of labor practices they are enforcing and initiating new ways to document those practices with the Department of Labor national registry. 

A push for supporting manufacturers in the U.S. will be made with a 30 percent tax credit incentive on top of a fund facilitated by a federal agency, and lastly, grants will be given to support manufacturers to ensure the working conditions like the safety of facilities and equipment are up to par. 

This is a huge win for sustainability lovers everywhere but most importantly for the immigrant workers who are the ones usually making the clothing.

For years these conditions and low pay were overlooked and even ignored by consumers, employers, and lawmakers, but this is a big first step. 

Some other important legislation to look out for is the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act! Every time something like this passes it’s a huge improvement and should give us all some hope for the future of sustainable fashion being spread everywhere!