Inside the Overheated Factories Producing Clothes for the World

According to Cornell University’s Global Labor Institute, climate change is disrupting the $1.77 trillion global apparel industry and the lives of its 90 million workers in countries including Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.

Temperatures above 32 degrees Celsius (90 degrees Fahrenheit) are considered causes of stress and exhaustion. But days over 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) have more than tripled in Phnom Penh from 34 days a year in 2005-2009 to 112 days a year in 2020-2024.

Labor rights defenders criticize the lack of standards and regulations around extreme heat in Cambodia’s garment industry. As stakeholders push for reforms, female workers record the temperatures they experience inside their factories, and show what day-to-day life is like for those who produce clothes for brands from all over the world.