Femnet e.V.

FEMNET launches the first Crowndfunding campaign for the FairSchnitt project

In the video you will learn how we use the money for educational work. Photo: © FEMNET

Let's get started: Thanks to a large number of fans, our crowdfunding campaign ‘FairSchnitt: studying fashion – taking responsibility’ will start in May. The aim is to finance sixteen educational events, including ten workshops for students, three lectures by textile workers from Bangladesh and the supervision of three semester projects.

Please support us in reaching the donation target of 7,500 euros and in bringing new impetus for good and worthy work to the universities!

Click here for the campaign: Become a fan, be informed, donate and share!

Accord for Building Safety in Bangladesh - IKEA is not included

At Fashion Revolution Week, the Clean Clothes Campaign called for public action. Photo: © Campaign for Clean Clothes

“Rana Plaza was not an accident. This was a man-made catastrophe and would have been avoidable. It was only the Accord agreement that made our factories much safer and saved lives." Kalpona Akter, one of Bangladesh's best-known activists and FEMNET's cooperation partner, visited us and spoke clearly to the press. She is in favour of a follow-up agreement, because some big brands are still stealing from responsibility.

In addition to clothing, home textiles will also be covered in the future, but IKEA, as one of the largest manufacturers, has so far refused to support it. FEMNET and the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) are calling on all Bangladeshi-producing fashion and textile companies to sign the agreement!

Ask the companies to act!

CCC video with fashion companies' most popular excuses

Strikes to raise the legal minimum wage in Bangladesh

Although the security situation in many factories has improved significantly as a result of the Accord agreement, working conditions have not. Trade unions in Bangladesh are fighting for a tripling of the legal minimum wage to 16,000 Taka (about 157 euros). For five years there has been no increase, so that wages have actually fallen as a result of inflation. Current wages are hardly enough to survive, even with countless overtime hours. The result is a relentless spiral of poverty. In addition, we are committed to the introduction of statutory accident insurance.

FEMNET calls on local companies to insist more strongly on their suppliers' compliance with trade union rights. Because the climate in many factories is still anti-union, so that trade unionists regularly threaten violence, harassment and dismissal.

Read an analysis by Gisela Burckhardt on ZEIT Online, what has happened in five years since Rana Plaza

Here we continue to inform about the minimum wage demands...

In Bonn: Even more fair in the office for urban green

Employees of the Bonn Office for Urban Green are testing the new service clothing. Photo: © FEMNET

Fair public procurement has long been a foreign word in the Bonn Office for Urban Greenery. Social production criteria have already been included in the second major call for tenders for service and protective clothing. So successful that before Easter the employees literally had their hands full with the quality inspection of various cut protection pants, forest boots and work gloves. But only good workwear guarantees good work – at the Bonn gardeners AND at the sewers in Bangladesh! It remains to be hoped that further offices will be inspired by this.

To the detailed report on the FEMNET homepage...

Free courses: Fair public procurement in teaching and training

Students learn more about the manufacturing conditions of clothing. Photo: © Barbara Palusinska/FEMNET

With around 30,000 public procurement bodies in Germany, it is hardly surprising that experience with fair tendering procedures is not immediately known everywhere. However, only well-informed administrative staff can implement fair public procurement. Therefore, from 2018 we offer workshops for students and apprentices at vocational schools, administrative colleges and further education academies, free of charge. We successfully held two first events at the Berlin Administrative Academy in March. Please contact us!

A short report about the Berlin workshops as well as our offer flyer....

FairQuatschen regulars' table – the open FEMNET meeting place

Lots of choice at the dress swap party in April. Photo: © Julia Krojer

The FairQuatschen regulars' table had an active April. This time, the program included a visit to the streetwear label REDNIB in Bonn. The REDNIB brothers look back on four years of experience in offering eco-fair T-shirts and sweaters and have shared many anecdotes with the FEMNETists. In addition, the group together with Greenpeace organized the second dress exchange party of the year in the Ermekeilkaserne in Bonn. Many exchange-minded people have come by and were even able to have new and old parts repaired and changed. We thank everyone who made these events possible!

Want more?
The next regulars' tables will take place on 8 May and 12 June 2018.

15. Rellinger Kleidermarkt donates proceeds to FEMNET

The concept of the clothing market has proven itself: First, the dedicated women sorted donated garments in order to sell them cheaply and at uniform prices. The organizers are satisfied, with 580 visitors they have reached a new record in 2018. As every year, a fashion show was also part of the program.

Of the proceeds, the Rellinger Frauengruppe donated 7,000 euros to FEMNET, with which they supported the Solidarity Fund and educational work at universities in particular. We thank you for this great commitment!

Impressions of the clothing market