Heat waves cut productivity, pressure India's $39B apparel exports
India's recent heat waves have hit garment factories hard, leading to up to 10% drop in productivity for suppliers of brands like Uniqlo, Tesco, and Marks & Spencer.
According to a new NYU Stern report, these disruptions are putting serious pressure on the country's $39 billion apparel export industry, which supports 45 million workers, most of them women.
Temperatures above 45C disrupt factory operations
Temperatures soared past 45 degrees Celsius this year (even hitting 48.2 degrees Celsius in Uttar Pradesh), causing more workers to call in sick, shipment delays, and quality problems on factory floors.
Only about one-third of global buyers even ask factories to monitor temperatures, so many risks go unchecked.
Researchers say that unless factories get better cooling systems and enforceable heat-management rules soon, India could lose billions.
Workers will keep bearing the brunt as climate change heats things up.