Lead supervisor:
Dr Maryam Lotfi 
Other supervisor(s):
- Prof Jean Jenkins
Start date: October 2023 (Full time)
Award: General
Subject Pathway:
Management and Business
Thematic Cluster:
Economy, Enterprise, and Productivity Cluster
Climate Change and Gender Inequality in the Fashion Supply Chain: An Eco-Feminism Perspective
Climate change is no longer a distant risk — it is disrupting lives, livelihoods, and industries now. In the garment sector, two-thirds of workers already report disruptions from heatwaves, flooding, and storms. By 2030, across Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, and Cambodia, an estimated $65 billion in apparel exports and nearly one million jobs could be at risk, making Cambodia a critical case for understanding how climate risks intersect with global supply chains.
Yet, supply chain resilience research remains narrowly framed. Dominated by an engineering resilience perspective, it prioritises efficiency and rapid recovery — a return to “business as usual” — while neglecting the social realities of those most exposed. This capitalist logic centres economic continuity over worker wellbeing and overlooks the lived experiences of marginalised actors such as garment workers.
My research seeks to disrupt this dominant narrative by reimagining resilience to centre social and ecological wellbeing. Guided by ecofeminist theory, I pursue three objectives:
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Map vulnerabilities by examining how climate risks create and shape resilience across the garment supply chain, with a focus on those most exposed.
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Analyse stakeholder strategies, exploring how workers, suppliers, brands, and labour organisations contribute to resilience and how workers themselves can shape just and practical responses.
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Develop a conceptual framework and practical roadmap for socially just and ecologically sustainable resilience, placing workers’ voices at the heart of decision-making.
Two core questions guide this work:
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How do climate-related risks affect vulnerabilities for different stakeholders in the fashion supply chain?
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How do stakeholders respond to climate risks through resilience strategies?