Deadly Heat, Empty Promises: How Global Brands Are Suffocating Pakistani Workers

Nearly a quarter of Pakistan’s 259 million people work in factories supplying major brands like H&M, Zara, Gap, and IKEA, most of which are bound by legal agreements to protect workers. Despite this, many businesses fail to address rising heat and humidity inside their facilities that create conditions health experts call a “silent killer." Heat stress can rapidly cause heatstroke, organ failure, swelling, and extreme exhaustion.

Workers report suffocating environments that slow productivity, increase illness, and result in lost wages, creating physical and emotional hardships that threaten their livelihoods. Although practical solutions exist, companies often forgo them to protect profit margins. Some governments have introduced legal measures to enforce safe conditions and supply-chain labor rights, but these protections now face significant weakening proposals from private businesses, lobbying groups, and governments—including the United States—that could dismantle worker safeguards.