The impact of social compliance audits on workers' rights in the fast fashion industry

With the process of globalization, the weakening of the power of nation- states and the widespread implementation of neoliberal economic policies have led to the increasing dominance of multinational corporations in labor markets. As multinational corporations gained more power in the labor markets, the textile labor process also underwent transformations. The strengthening of multinational corporations has resulted in the reduction of social standards in production facilities within the supply chain, leading to an increase in informal work forms and the proliferation of indecent employment practices in the fast fashion industry. As globalization weakened the power of nation-states, social compliance audits began to replace state inspections. This research analyzes the effects of social compliance audits on the labor market. The role of ethical codes of conduct in shaping the labor process in the fast fashion industry and the impact of audits conducted within the framework of ethical codes of conduct on workers' rights were investigated. The research findings are examined under two headings: the barriers to effective and objective social compliance audits and the effects of social compliance audits on working conditions. Social compliance audits serve as effective control mechanisms for identifying and improving the current situation. However, entrusting the control of the labor market to multinational corporations or independent auditing organizations driven by commercial interests rather than the public poses obstacles to establishing an objective and effective auditing mechanism. Moreover, ethical codes of conduct primarily serve to maintain production continuity and improve the corporate social responsibility image of multinational corporations, rather than eliminating informal labor structures in the workplace.