Tariffs push garment workers into crisis

LONDON — Apparel brands' responses to the 2025 US tariff shock exposed suppliers to sudden commercial disruption and triggered widespread labour rights violations across global garment supply chains, according to new research from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC).

The findings show that brands rapidly adjusted sourcing locations, pricing and order volumes in reaction to tariff-driven cost pressures — pushing financial risk down supply chains and onto the workers least able to absorb it.