Countries

The majority of FWF’s work focuses on eleven priority countries: Bangladesh, Bulgaria, China, India, Indonesia, North Macedonia, Myanmar, Romania, Tunisia, Turkey, and Vietnam. This is because most FWF member production occurs in these countries, with members sourcing from a great number of factories here. View detailed information about these 11 production countries.

All FWF countries

Bangladesh

The Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry in Bangladesh has experienced rapid growth since the 1980s. The garment export industry is the biggest earner for Bangladesh, which accounts for 81% of total export earnings. It is estimated that over 7,000 factories are linked to the export market. There is ... Read more

Bulgaria

The predominant part of the apparel producing companies in Bulgaria are small and medium-sized enterprises with not more than 250 employees. The two main exporting centers are the southeast region and central southern region. The most important exporting markets of the Bulgarian textile productio... Read more

China

China is, still, the largest exporter of garment products. 2014 witnessed a gradual economic global recovery as well as an increase of labour costs domestically. Therefore, as an industry that relies on intensive labour, the garment industry suffered more than other Chinese industries. Despite th... Read more

India

The textile and garment industry plays an important role in India’s economic growth, contributing 4% to the country’s GDP and employing about 45 million workers. Labour conditions are characterised by high production pressure resulting in excessive, often unpaid overtime. In addition, a la... Read more

Indonesia

Indonesia’s manufacturing sector generates around a fifth of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The garment and textile industries represent just 5.8% of the value derived from the sector. However, textiles and textile products are the third largest contributor to export figures of a... Read more

Myanmar

While Myanmar has demonstrated significant progress on civil and political rights, FWF continues to see it as a high-risk country, facing specific challenges regarding implementation of labour standards. Serious challenges remain to adhere to FWF’s eight labour standards in Myanmar. Garment fac... Read more

North Macedonia

FWF began working in North Macedonia in 2003. The garment industry is a vital part of Macedonia’s economy, but on a global scale they cover less than 1% of the global garment exports. The textile industry in North Macedonia is unfortunately still decreasing. With an unemployment rate of 25%,... Read more

Romania

The textile and garment industry is one of the most important sectors of Romanian industry and one of the main employers in Romania, with women being the majority of workers. Because Romania has been a member of the European Union (EU) since 2007, the country’s labour legislation meets all E... Read more

Tunisia

Tunisia is among the world’s leading suppliers of clothing, an industry that supplies trousers, jeans, T-shirts, work attire, and swimwear mostly for those living in the European Union (EU). Employing more than 250,000 individuals, the textile/garment industry is key in economic growth. The ... Read more

Turkey

Turkey is the fifth biggest supplier country for FWF members. Production mostly takes place in and around Istanbul, Izmir and Denizli. The lack of social dialogue, functioning industrial relations and the obstruction of the right to organise and bargain collectively in the garment industry are th... Read more

Vietnam

In 2018 Fair Wear Foundation had 29 member companies sourcing from approximately 155 factories in Vietnam. Most of these factories are located in or around Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City producing clothing, shoes and outdoor goods. FWF has a local audit team in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi and a com... Read more

Share this on