A Lancaster University researcher co-hosts a new podcast series exploring the issues of modern slavery and human rights abuses in Leicester’s fashion factories.

Dr Divya Jyoti from Lancaster University Management School co-hosts the podcast mini-series entitled ‘ The Curious Case of Leicester’.

Drawing on her academic expertise in sustainability and ethics in fashion supply chains, as well as her personal experience of working in garment factories and ongoing professional support she offers to reform-oriented organisations within the sector, Dr Jyoti facilitates fascinating discussions with a series of guests who each offer their views on why human rights abuses in Leicester were able to continue, despite being in a city acclaimed for strong governance.

The thought-provoking mini-series is hosted on Manufactured, an established podcast by Kim van der Weerd that is designed to unpack the complexities of sustainability in the global fashion industry.

The Curious Case of Leicester consists of five episodes and raises critical questions about the efficacy of legislation and regulation as the ultimate solution to fashion’s sustainability challenges. You can access the episodes on the main streaming platforms here.

Each episode features in-depth discussions with individuals from a former garment worker to a human rights lawyer:

• Episode 1: Welcome to the Conundrum, featuring Jennifer Wascak, American lawyer and co-founder of Justice In Fashion.
• Episode 2: A Community Perspective, featuring Shaista Jakhura, former garment worker and former funding manager for the Garment and Textile Workers Trust.
• Episode 3: A Local Government Perspective, featuring Adam Clarke, former Deputy Mayor of Leicester City Council, and Dr. Martin Quinn, a political economist who is a Reader at Lancaster University Management School.
• Episode 4: A Manufacturer Perspective, featuring Sajjad Khan, founder of the Apparel & Textile Manufacturers Federation (ATMF).
• Episode 5: Can We Regulate Fashion Without Causing Harm?

Dr Jyoti said: “I started my career working on human rights violations in the factories in India. I designed projects and delivered trainings aimed at addressing the ‘governance gap’ – it was and is still believed that human rights abuses persist due to ‘weak’ laws and ‘poor’ law enforcement.

“The repeated media exposes about the Leicester's garment factories posed a challenge to these assumptions which underpin most of the current approaches to tackle supply chain exploitation. Given Leicester's location, its rich history and celebrated status as a European city for good ‘governance’, how is it that labour exploitation is rampant in Leicester? What is it that we do not fully understand about the phenomenon?

“This podcast mini-series is an effort in this direction – it is a quest to understand what is happening in Leicester and why. In five hours, with five guests who have spent decades working in the city or on the issues of human rights, we are given a thought-provoking picture of the complexity of 'governing' ethical supply chains in the fashion industry and beyond.”

The co-hosts of the podcast are keen to hear the views of listeners and the community who are interested in the series. They are hosting a live virtual conversation on 3 October at 3pm UK time to debrief and share thoughts and views. Spots are limited and are available on a first-come first-serve basis. Anyone interested can register here. Listeners are also encouraged to join the conversation by leaving the co-hosts voice memos or by posting on the Curious Case of Leicester ‘Community Wall’, to start conversations with fellow listeners.

The Curious Case of Leicester podcast series has been supported by Lancaster University Management School and the Pentland Centre for Sustainability in Business at Lancaster University.

Co-founded and hosted by Kim van der Weerd, Manufactured is a podcast that brings together voices from across the supply chain to explore the challenges and opportunities for creating a more ethical and sustainable fashion industry.