Dhaka, May 24 -- Top global apparel brands source the highest volume of cotton T-shirts for the European Union from Bangladesh while paying the lowest prices, keeping manufacturing costs at unsustainably low levels, according to a latest study.

Taking global inflation into account, companies now buy a cotton T-shirt at nearly half the value they paid 25 years ago, the study by human rights NGOs Public Eye and Clean Clothes Campaign revealed on Thursday.

The research found that many buyers source standard cotton T-shirts at around US$2.0 to US$3.0 per piece, while prices below US$1.0 still persist in some segments of the market.

Despite making sweeping commitments on sustainability and workers' rights, many global brands continue to pre...