Denim Production in Türkiye
2026, field research report
Do you own a pair of denim jeans, or know someone who does?
Denim is one of the most widely worn garments in the world today. Yet behind this everyday familiarity lies a production system shaped by hidden labour costs, exploitation, environmental damage and global inequalities. This report investigates denim production not only as a matter of textile manufacturing, but as an intensified form of contemporary capitalist production. Tracing the transformation of jeans from durable workwear in the nineteenth century to global fast fashion commodity, its story reveals how functionality has been replaced by aeshetics, and how labour has become increasingly invisible in the production regime.
Türkiye occupies a unique and central position in this story. As one of the world’s leading denim producers, it forms a critical link in the supply chains of global brands. Based on a combination of desk research and fieldwork, the research resulted in two complementary reports. The first part of the report focuses on the historical and social dimensions of denim production with a particular focus on Türkiye, while the second part of the report presents findings from field research, particularly concerning social and ecological sustainability practices, workers’ health and blind spots. By combining desk and field research, the report examine how denim production operates across different levels of the supply chain, using a multi-stakeholder approach that spans certification programmes, large-scale factories, small workshops, and workers’ lived experiences.
The findings reveal how the multi-layered and largely invisible structure of the supply chain disperses and obscures responsibility. The shrinking sector, barriers to unionisation, the precarious position of labor, and how cost pressures are passed down to the lowest levels of the chain are interlinked components of this picture. The report highlights that sustainability cannot be confined predominantly to environmental indicators – labour justice and climate justice are inseparable.
The field research and writing of the report were conducted in collaboration with Pelin İpek Boyacı, on commission from WSM – We Social Movements (BE).
PDFs available here:
1) DENIM PRODUCTION IN TÜRKIYE: FROM WORKERS’ WEAR TO WORKER’S HARM
examines the historical and social dimensions of denim production
2) DENIM PRODUCTION IN TÜRKIYE: SUSTAINABILITY IN PRACTICE? BETWEEN CODES OF CONDUCT AND PRODUCTION REALITY
presents field research findings on social and ecological sustainability practices, workers’ health, and persistent blind spots
editorial and layout: WSM, Atelier Création Graphique.
This publication was co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of WSM.
