The textile industry celebrates the arrival of robots that lower costs and speed up production. However, the news deliberately omits that this efficiency comes at the cost of destroying jobs in developing countries and making local workers more precarious. While Inditex boasts about social responsibility, it funds machines that replace people.
Robots that sew, but don't pay taxes 🤖
The new automated lines integrate robotic arms with artificial vision capable of cutting, sewing, and packaging garments without human intervention. Manufacturers promise a 40% reduction in production times. But this technology, funded by public subsidies, does not generate a single stable job. The key is not to stop innovation, but to condition subsidies on the creation of quality employment and the training of displaced workers. Without that link, efficiency is just a euphemism for mass layoffs.
Social responsibility goes on sale 🛒
It's heartwarming to see big brands posing with their sustainability plans while installing robots that work 24/7 without sick leave or strikes. Perhaps next, algorithms will sign CSR reports and donate a percentage of their energy to charity. Meanwhile, displaced workers can train to become repairers of the robots that took their jobs. Ironies of low-cost progress.