PERTH - Wealthy G20 countries collectively import US$148 billion worth of apparel and US$13 billion worth of textiles at risk of being produced by forced labour every year, according to a new report.
The Walk Free Foundation's latest Global Slavery Index, the most comprehensive report of its kind, claims that around 50 million people are living in modern slavery around the world.
It says the fashion and textiles industry is among the worst affected and gives it a special section in the report in which it says global fashion brands maximise their profits by producing in poorer countries with cheap labour costs.
