Global Labor Institute

A report co-created by ILR’s Global Labor Institute, “The Heat is On: How heat stress impacts the apparel industry, jobs, and worker health,” is referenced in this article about problems and solutions related to high temperatures in the garment manufacturing workplace. [Syndicated from Bloomberg]

A report, “The Dindigul Agreement to End Gender-based Violence and Harassment Has It Worked?”, by Sarosh Kuruvilla, ILR professor and academic director of the Global Labor Institute, is referenced in this article.

“You could start easily just by having cheap thermometers and logging to see what your indoor air temperatures and humidity levels are throughout a day and throughout a year,” observes Sarah Krasley, visiting fellow at ILR’s Global Labor Institute, pointing out that inexpensive equipment can provide data about conditions.

A 2023 study by ILR’s Global Labor Institute is referenced in this article about problems and solutions for cooling garment workers on hot days; the study estimates significant job and income losses for the apparel industry if heat risks are not addressed. [Syndicated from Reuters]

A 2026 report from ILR’s Global Labor Institute, “Cooling Before It Got Cool: Case Studies in Heat Adaptation in Southeast Asian Factories,” is cited in this article about climate change in Southeast Asia.

Research from ILR’s Global Labor Institute says that without basic climate adaptation measures, extreme heat and humidity could significantly disrupt garment production, and cost key manufacturing countries several percentage points of GDP.

Binding agreements, near-term collection of heat-stress data and collaboration over enforcement could make new heat stress guidance from the American Apparel & Footwear Association even more effective at helping garment industry workers cope with heat, says Jason Judd, executive director of ILR’s Global Labor Institute. [Syndicated from Sourcing Journal]

“The factories that have invested proactively are seeing an ROI beyond straight-up ‘we’re more productive,’” said Sarah Krasley, visiting fellow at ILR’s Global Labor Institute, sharing observations from a recent research trip to Cambodia and Vietnam of garment industry cooling methods for hot weather. [Syndicated from Sourcing Journal]

Jason Judd, executive director of ILR’s Global Labor Institute, criticizes Nike’s living wage pledge for falling short on achieving a living wage for workers.

Sarosh Kuruvilla, ILR professor and academic director of the Global Labor Institute, comments on how recent increases in U.S. tariffs have affected progress in improving labor rights for workers. [Syndicated from Sourcing Journal]

“The technology to cool workers is not complicated, and the costs are manageable in most countries,” said Jason Judd, executive director of ILR’s Global Labor Institute, sharing his expertise about how the garment industry is addressing climate change and heat stress in factories.

Sarosh Kuruvilla, academic director of the Global Labor Institute, provides an analysis of the Dindigul labor agreement and comments on why Natchi Apparels may be having difficulty finding new clients.

“Workers toiling in 35 or 40 degrees Celsius and high humidity is the return of the literal sweatshop,” says this article about the garment industry and climate change, co-written by Jason Judd, executive director of the Global Labor Institute. The article cites the institute’s “Higher Ground?” report and offers solutions.

“This is not a technical problem but a political one” said Jason Judd, executive director of the Global Labor Institute, about the fashion industry’s progress with adapting to climate change.

Jason Judd, executive director of the Global Labor Institute, recommends that the fashion industry should “get their act together” with regard to heat and climate change, “because workers are suffering from heat stress and, in turn, so are margins.”

Kelly Fay Rodriguez, visiting lecturer at ILR’s Global Labor Institute and former special representative for international affairs at the Department of State, analyzes the importance of labor provisions in trade agreements and discusses how these provisions can best be enforced.

A study by ILR’s Global Labor Institute is cited in a discussion about climate change causing problems for the cotton supply chain used by Asia’s fashion sector.

The garment industry can mitigate health problems and production slowdowns caused by heat stress, but will it? In this podcast episode, Jason Judd, executive director of the ILR Global Labor Institute, shares a nuanced look at climate change adaptation in the garment industry.

Jason Judd, executive director of the Global Labor Institute, explains that Chinese companies are avoiding Trump tariffs because they are increasingly building their own production facilities outside of China.

Once current inventories are gone, the rest of 2025 could be rocky. “Our perspective in terms of how this will affect manufacturers and workers is that we’ll see a replay of the initial COVID shock,” said Jason Judd, executive director of the Global Labor Institute.

Sarosh Kuruvilla and Jason Judd, of the ILR School’s Global Labor Institute, have secured a grant from the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability to study apparel factories in Bangladesh and assess how they can adjust to the threat of climate change.

Brands increasing their orders from Cambodia while raising concerns about labor rights are “obviously mixed messages,” Jason Judd said. “And one message, the purchase order, has a lot more weight than the other. Until those are credibly threatened, the government has no reason to act.”

Jason Judd, executive director of the Global Labor Institute, discusses the impact of tariffs on Nike's workers.

“Companies have enormous leeway in what they report. It’s enormously difficult to compare within firms across years. Between firms, impossible. Companies are able to pick and choose how they tell their story,” says Jason Judd, executive director of the Global Labor Institute.

This piece references new research published by the Global Labor Institute.

"There is a clear need and room — both political and economic — for an annual wage-setting process in Bangladesh. It's long overdue," says Jason Judd, executive director of ILR's Global Labor Institute.

This piece summarizes a study conducted by Jason Judd and ILR's Global Labor Institute that found that, given current inflation rates, garment workers in Bangladesh paid the minimum wage are losing income year after year.

Q&A featuring Jason Judd, the executive director of the Cornell’s Global Labor Institute, discussing international workers' rights, President Lula, and being "less fox, more hedgehog."