Embellished Textiles

Table of Contents

Textile supply chains often include a significant presence of undisclosed and/or unauthorized subcontracting.¹ This opacity is a barrier to traceability and due diligence efforts, so robust supply chain mapping and analysis of potential blind spots are useful initial strategies that companies can employ to understand the full scope of upstream supply chains. Some subcontracting in textile production is for home-based work, which is where much of the risk of child labor in the production of embellished textiles exists.² To enable prioritization of social risks in supply chains, traceability systems should provide insight into the types of worksites present in a company’s upstream supply chain.

Forced Labor or Trafficking in Persons cited by U.S. Government

Child Labor cited by U.S. Government

Risk of Forced Labor or Trafficking in Persons cited by other source

Risk of Child Labor cited by other source

Documented presence of migrant workers

Documented presence of other vulnerable workers

Documented presence or significant likelihood of third-party labor recruiters

The U.S. Department of Labor notes the presence of forced labor in the production of embellished textiles in India and Nepal.³ The U.S. Department of State has identified the trafficking of adults and children for the purpose of exploitation in the production of textiles in India.⁴
The U.S. Department of Labor reports child labor in the production of embellished textiles in India and Nepal.⁵
Human rights groups have reported risks of forced labor in India in informal, home-based work settings, where embellished textiles are often produced.⁶
Supply chain observers have identified the widespread use of child labor in the embellished textile industry in Nepal⁷ and India.⁸
Migrant workers are present in small to medium-sized factories in peri-urban or rural areas in India.⁹
Home-based garment workers in India are almost all women and girls from historically oppressed groups.¹⁰ Child labor is reportedly most prevalent among girls, the Muslim community, Scheduled Castes, and other marginalized groups.¹¹
Sources have found that garment factories are increasingly subcontracting their hiring, usually through third-party labor brokers or private employment agencies. Recruiters can also play a role in recruiting home workers, where they function as middlemen between households and subcontracting manufacturing units.¹²

Large numbers of dispersed, unorganized, or informal small producers or other worksites

Multiple points of aggregation, co-mingling, and/or transformation across supply chain

Complex/opaque supply chains and/or lack of vertical integration

High degree of flexibility in procurement practices of downstream entities

The embellishment of textiles often takes place in small and unorganized workshops and home sites. These units are subcontracted by small and large manufacturers lacking this specific in-house processing capacity.¹³ In many cases, subcontracting may be unauthorized and undisclosed.¹⁴
Garments and textiles generally undergo multiple transformations along the supply chain. Embellishment is a value-added process that occurs downstream in manufacturing activities.¹⁵ Factories may outsource these value-added processes to a wide variety of worksites.¹⁶
Supply chains in the global garment and textiles industry are long, complex, fragmented, continuously evolving, and notoriously opaque.¹⁷ Companies may be both horizontally and vertically integrated. Vertically integrated firms may provide a combination of various processes in their plants. Horizontally integrated firms have multiple production facilities which all focus on one single process.¹⁸ These facilities may all operate under different names and, despite common ownership, may be registered as separate units. Therefore, it is sometimes unclear how many and which units belong to the same company.¹⁹
The vast and informal embellishment network is, in part, a response to global market pressures for flexible and infinitely expandable and contractible production capacity.²⁰ Multi-national brands increasingly require flexibility and quick turnaround times.²¹

Scale or nature of risk varies significantly based on geographic area of production

Scale or nature of risk is strongly associated with certain types of suppliers/entities

Scale or nature of risk is present across multiple tiers or nodes of supply chain (including in associated downstream or upstream goods)

Textiles supply chains are notoriously complex, characterized by extensive outsourcing, and can generally take a variety of forms.²⁶ Textile and garment companies may be horizontally or vertically integrated. Vertically integrated firms may perform some or all production processes, while horizontally integrated firms focus on the same type of production process across many different production units. Some companies are both vertically and horizontally integrated.²⁷

Embellished textiles can be made from a variety of materials including cotton and synthetic fabrics which are then decorated with embroidery, sequins, or other ornamentation. Garment and textile manufacturing factories, also called cut-make-trim (CMT) factories, may bleach and dye fabrics and then manufacture the garments/textiles through cutting, stitching, and other processes.²⁸ Value-added processing such as embellishment or embroidery may take place at the CMT factories, as well, but it is most often outsourced to small, informal workshops or home-based workshops. ²⁹ Embellishment includes many different processes, such as adding adornments with yarn and mesh. Sometimes, these adornments include the addition of accessories such as beads and sequins made of glass, plastic, or other natural resources.³⁰ The finished garments and textiles are then sent back to the factory for labeling and packing and are sold as clothing and household textiles to mostly European and American markets. From there, brands sell them in retail.³¹

Fabric Weaving

Garment/Textile Manufacturing (Cut-make-trim)

Value-added Processing & Embellishment (in particular subcontracted work)

Wholesale/ Retail

Embellished textiles are produced with cotton and cottonseed.

Embellished textiles are produced with thread/yarn.

Embellished textiles are produced with textiles, including jute.

Embellished textiles are produced with beads, sequins and other accessories made of plastic or glass.

Textiles Apparel and Luxury Goods

Embellished textiles are used in the production of garments and accessories.

Household Goods

Embellished Textiles are used in the production of household items such as linens, curtains, and carpets.

Woven fabrics of metal thread and woven fabrics of metallized yarn

Woven fabrics of synthetic filament yarn

Since many labor risks associated with the production of embellished textiles occur in home-based subcontracted work settings, it is crucial for traceability efforts to be able to identity those types of informal work locations and include them in larger due diligene and sourcing processes. The Finding Hidden Homeworkers in Apparel & Footwear Supply Chains Toolkit, offers a helpful starting point and notes that Supply Chain Mapping is a key step of a larger 8-step journey to implementing transparency in homeworker chains. Embellished textiles are part of larger garment supply chains and the apparel industry more broadly. Efforts focused specifically on identifying and including homeworkers can be part of larger traceability initiatives; visit the Garment or Textiles profiles for a list of relevant traceability methods and solutions for the apparel industry more broadly.

1
Business Process Analysis for Sustainability and Circularity in Textile Value Chains. UNECE, May 2022, p. 78, unece.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/E320_BPA-SVC-textile.pdf.
2
Kara, Siddharth. Tainted Garments. The Exploitation of Women and Girls in India’s Home-Based Garment Sector. Blum Center for Developing Economies University of California, Berkely, January 2019, pp.5, https://blumcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Tainted-Garments-1.pdf.
3
List of Goods Produced by Child or Forced Labor. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 28 September 2022, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods?tid=All&field_exp_good_target_id=5785&field_exp_exploitation_type_target_id_1=All&items_per_page=10.
4
Trafficking in Persons Report. United States Department of State, June 2021, p. 287, https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/TIPR-GPA-upload-07222021.pdf.
5
List of Goods Produced by Child or Forced Labor. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 28 September 2022, https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods?tid=All&field_exp_good_target_id=5785&field_exp_exploitation_type_target_id_1=All&items_per_page=10.
6
Kara, Siddharth. Tainted Garments. The Exploitation of Women and Girls in India’s Home-Based Garment Sector. Blum Center for developing Economies University of California, Berkely, January 2019, pp. 6, blumcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Tainted-Garments-1.pdf.
7
Combatting Child Labor through Capacity Development. World Education, 10 June 2022, worlded.org/combatting-child-labor-through-capacity-development.
8
Mukhopadhyay, Abhijit, et al., Retired at Eighteen: Political Economy of Child Labour in the Textiles and Allied Industries in India. Observer Research Foundation, 2020, pp. 5, https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ORF_Child_Labour_Report1.pdf.
9
Kara, Siddharth. Tainted Garments. The Exploitation of Women and Girls in India’s Home-Based Garment Sector. Blum Center for developing Economies University of California, Berkeley, January 2019, pp. 51, blumcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Tainted-Garments-1.pdf.
10
Kara, Siddharth. Tainted Garments. The Exploitation of Women and Girls in India’s Home-Based Garment Sector. Blum Center for developing Economies University of California, Berkeley, January 2019, pp. 5, blumcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Tainted-Garments-1.pdf.
11
Mukhopadhyay, Abhijit, et al., Retired at Eighteen: Political Economy of Child Labour in the Textiles and Allied Industries in India. Observer Research Foundation, 2020, pp. 5, https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ORF_Child_Labour_Report1.pdf.
12
Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal and Corporate Supply Chains. Verité, 2017, pp. 129, http://verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EO-and-Commodity-Reports-Combined-FINAL-2017.pdf.
13
Moulds, Josephine. Child labour in the fashion supply chain. The Guardian, 19 January 2015, labs.theguardian.com/unicef-child-labour/ Brief Guide to Garment Manufacturing and Child Labour in Garment Sector in India. Global March, September 2017, pp. 2, http://globalmarch.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Brief-Guide-GarmentManufacturingChildLabour-in-GarmentSector-in-India.pdf.
14
Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal and Corporate Supply Chains. Verité, 2017, http://verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EO-and-Commodity-Reports-Combined-FINAL-2017.pdf. p. 130.
15
Follow the Thread. The Need for Supply Chain Transparency in the Garment and Footwear Industry. Human Rights Watch, 20 April 2017, pp. 1, https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/wrdtransparency0417_brochure_web_spreads_3.pdf.
16
Theuws, Martje, and Pauline Overeem. Flawed Fabrics. The abuse of girls and women workers in the South Indian textile industry. SOMO and ICN, October 2014, pp. 15, www.indianet.nl/pdf/FlawedFabrics.pdf.
17
Ditty, Sarah, et al., Out of Sight: A call for transparency from field to fabric. Fashion Revolution, 2020, pp. 4, https://www.fashionrevolution.org/transparency-beyond-tier-one.
18
Overeem, Pauline, et al. Spinning around workers’ rights. International companies linked to forced labour in Tamil Nadu Spinning mills. SOMO and Arisa, May 2021, pp. 18, https://arisa.nl/wp-content/uploads/SpinningAroundWorkersRights.pdf.
19
Overeem, Pauline, et al. Spinning around workers’ rights. International companies linked to forced labour in Tamil Nadu Spinning mills. SOMO and Arisa, May 2021, pp. 18, https://arisa.nl/wp-content/uploads/SpinningAroundWorkersRights.pdf.
20
Help Wanted: Hiring, Human Trafficking and Modern-Day Slavery in the Global Economy. Verité, 2010, pp. 18, http://verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Help_Wanted_2010.pdf.
21
Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal and Corporate Supply Chains. Verité, 2017, pp. 130, http://verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EO-and-Commodity-Reports-Combined-FINAL-2017.pdf.
22
Mukhopadhyay, Abhijit, et al., Retired at Eighteen: Political Economy of Child Labour in the Textiles and Allied Industries in India. Observer Research Foundation, 2020, pp. 22, https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ORF_Child_Labour_Report1.pdf.
23
Nepal Child Labour Report 2021. International Labour Organization, 2021, pp. 23-24, www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—ilo-kathmandu/documents/publication/wcms_784225.pdf.
24
Mukhopadhyay, Abhijit, et al., Retired at Eighteen: Political Economy of Child Labour in the Textiles and Allied Industries in India. Observer Research Foundation, 2020, https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ORF_Child_Labour_Report1.pdf. p. 5 ; Nepal Child Labour Report 2021. International Labour Organization, 2021, pp. 23-24, www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—ilo-kathmandu/documents/publication/wcms_784225.pdf
25
Mukhopadhyay, Abhijit, et al., Retired at Eighteen: Political Economy of Child Labour in the Textiles and Allied Industries in India. Observer Research Foundation, 2020, pp. 16, https://www.orfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/ORF_Child_Labour_Report1.pdf ; Strengthening Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal and Corporate Supply Chains. Verité, 2017, pp. 128, http://verite.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/EO-and-Commodity-Reports-Combined-FINAL-2017.pdf.
26
Business Process Analysis for Sustainability and Circularity in Textile Value Chains. UNECE, May 2022, pp. 71, 79, 83-84, unece.org/sites/default/files/2022-05/E320_BPA-SVC-textile.pdf.
27
Theuws, Martje, and Pauline Overeem. Flawed Fabrics. The abuse of girls and women workers in the South Indian textile industry. SOMO and ICN, October 2014, p. 15, www.indianet.nl/pdf/FlawedFabrics.pdf.
28
Follow the Thread. The Need for Supply Chain Transparency in the Garment and Footwear Industry. Human Rights Watch, 20 April 2017, p. 1, https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/wrdtransparency0417_brochure_web_spreads_3.pdf.
29
Kara, Siddharth. Tainted Garments. The Exploitation of Women and Girls in India’s Home-Based Garment Sector. Blum Center for developing Economies University of California, Berkely, January 2019, p. 51, blumcenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Tainted-Garments-1.pdf.
30
Elnashar, Elsayed Ahmed. Design and Production of Beads Woven Fabric in Fashion Trends for Garments of Egyptian Origin. Journal of Textile Science & Fashion Technology, 2019, pp. 2-3, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337716575_Design_and_Production_of_Beads_Woven_Fabric_in_Fashion_Trends_for_Garments_of_Egyptian_Origin.
31
Follow the Thread. The Need for Supply Chain Transparency in the Garment and Footwear Industry. Human Rights Watch, 20 April 2017, p. 1, https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/wrdtransparency0417_brochure_web_spreads_3.pdf.
32
List of exporters for the selected product in 2021. Product: 5809 Woven fabrics of metal thread and woven fabrics of metallised yarn of heading 5605, of a kind used in apparel, as furnishing fabrics or for similar purposes, n.e.s. ITC Trade Map, 2021, https://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProduct.aspx?nvpm=1%7c%7c%7c%7c%7c5809%7c%7c%7c4%7c1%7c1%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c1
33
List of exporters for the selected product in 2021 Product : 5407 Woven fabrics of synthetic filament yarn, incl. monofilament of >= 67 decitex and with a cross sectional dimension of <= 1 mm. ITC Trade Map, https://www.trademap.org/Country_SelProduct.aspx?nvpm=1%7c%7c%7c%7c%7c5407%7c%7c%7c4%7c1%7c1%7c2%7c1%7c%7c2%7c1%7c1%7c1.

Funding is provided by the United States Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL‐35805. 100 percent of the total costs of the project or program is financed with federal funds, for a total of USD 4,000,000. This material does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the United States Department of Labor, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the United States Government

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Embellished Textiles

Supply Chain Characteristics that Impact Traceability

Traceability Takeaways

Nature of Labor Rights Risk/Vulnerable Workers

Features of Production and Supply Chain

Distribution of Labor Risk in Various Production Areas

Linked Upstream and Downstream Risks

Risk in Nodes in Embellished Textiles Production

Associated Upstream Goods with Labor Risk

Associated Downstream Goods and Consumer Sectors

Top Global Countries

Woven fabrics of metal thread and woven fabrics of metallized yarn

Woven fabrics of synthetic filament yarn

Examples & Resources: Traceability Efforts Associated With Embellished Textiles

Footnotes