Audit fatigue in the Turkish ready-to-wear sector: Cost and workforce burden on companies

Mustafa Paşahan, head of the Istanbul Apparel Exporters' Association (İHKİB), said Turkish garment manufacturers are being audited repeatedly by different customers on similar criteria at the same production facilities, creating what he called audit fatigue. He argued the duplicated social compliance inspections consume time and labor and add costs for firms. The comments matter because Türkiye's ready-to-wear exporters are already under pressure to stay competitive on price and delivery, and overlapping customer audits compound the operational burden. Watch for whether buyers move toward mutual recognition of audits or shared inspection standards, which would reduce duplication for suppliers.