The coronavirus pandemic has crushed global supply chains and wreaked havoc for millions of workers at both ends. The U.S. is one of the world’s top importers of clothing. At the beginning of the pandemic in March, U.S. retailers canceled or failed to pay for existing orders worth billions of dollars, the effects quickly rippled down the supply chain. Thousands of garment factories around the world closed leading to widespread lay-offs and suspensions of employees, most of them women. From January to June of this year, imports of garments in the U.S. dropped by 26%, a loss of $17 billion for factories around the world.
Pandemic crushes global supply chains, workers at both ends
