Burning Garment Waste From GAP, Walmart, Adidas Harming Cambodian Brick Workers: Report

Workers are exposed to excessive, prolonged heat together with dust, smoke, ash, and potential toxins by burning the waste.

Cambodian laborers working at a brick factory on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, on Dec. 11, 2018. Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP via Getty Images

Garment waste from major global brands are being used to fuel Cambodian brick factories, leading to dangerous health hazards for workers, according to a recent report.

The Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) visited 21 brick factories in the country between April and September this year. Seven of these factories used garment waste from 19 international brands, including Reebok, Under Armour, Lululemon, GAP, Old Navy, Primark, and Walmart to fuel their brick kilns, stated a Nov. 20 report from the organization. Brick kilns are furnaces in which bricks are baked or burned.