02.11.2022: News from KW 43

Studies and Co.

Business and Human Rights Resource Centre "Unpicked - Fashion & Freedom of Association" (PDF): This report highlights allegations of anti-unionism and related grievances in 13 factories. These factories supply (or have recently supplied) at least 15 global fashion brands, including the textile alliance companies. adidas, C&A, H&M, HUGO BOSS and Primark. 24 trade union leaders and 124 trade unionists were interviewed in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia and Sri Lanka. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of respondents said that the situation regarding freedom of association and collective bargaining has deteriorated since the pandemic. Nearly half (48%) of respondents reported an increase in discrimination, intimidation, threat and harassment of union members. The results show that due diligence beyond social audits, proactive brand engagement with suppliers to protect freedom of association and the introduction of a binding human rights due diligence framework are necessary. Brands and suppliers are encouraged to engage in honest dialogue with workers and their representatives through collective bargaining and binding agreements between key stakeholders.

INKOTA "Working paper: An effective system for complaint and redress within transnational supply chains - Focus: Leather, leather products and shoes": The working paper presents out-of-court complaint mechanisms and provides concrete recommendations for the establishment of effective and UN Guiding Principles compliant systems. In addition, it identifies industry-specific framework conditions and challenges. The working paper is intended to advance the discussion on the ambitious implementation of the due diligence approach in the context of the design of the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) with scientific expertise (more information on labour rights violations in supply chains of leather goods in News Update of KWs 38 and 42).

Textile exchange "Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report" (PDF) & "Organic Cotton Market report" (PDF): 1. Global fibre production has risen to a record 113 million tonnes. This figure has almost doubled in the last 20 years and is expected to increase to 149 million tonnes by 2030. Polyester still has the highest market share of all fibers, with 54%, of which only 14.8% are recycled. The market share of "preferred" cotton, which is Textile exchange Approved programs (e.g. Better Cotton) have dropped from 27% to 24% in '21. While the share of recycled fibres increased from 8.4% to 8.9% in 2021, this is mainly due to the use of bottle-based polyester fibres. Less than 1% of the global fiber market is made up of recycled textiles. 2. According to estimates of Textile exchange In harvest 20/21, 342,265 tonnes of organic cotton fibres were produced worldwide on 621,691 hectares of certified organic land. Similarly, 187,726 tonnes of fibres were produced in conversion to organic farming to 293,204 hectares. This means a 37% growth in organic fibers. The ones from ICAC Total reported cotton production for 20/21 out of a total of 24,380,507 tonnes suggests that 1.4% of total cotton comes from organic farming. The total number of countries growing 20/21 certified organic cotton remained at 21, but there were some changes in distribution: Thailand, Myanmar and Senegal did not produce certified organic cotton in 20/21 due to flooding, political instability and certification issues. However, two new countries - Spain and Kazakhstan - grew organic cotton for the first time, and Argentina returned to certification.

Yarn Ethically & Sustainably Sourced & Responsible sourcing network "YESS Standard for Spinning Mills" & "YESS Standard for Fabric Mills": The documents provide a specific, practical framework for assessing the operations and procurement procedures of cotton spinning mills and cotton weaving and knitting mills. They are a guide for factories to identify, assess and combat the risk of forced labour in cotton production. These documents have been developed with the participation of brands and retailers, spinning mills and fabric factories, industry associations, civil society organisations and labour experts and can be downloaded after entering your name and e-mail address.

News

SHEIN: A new investigation with a hidden camera of the British broadcaster Channel 4 Untold: Inside the SHEIN Machine has revealed the conditions under which workers work in some of the Chinese factories. Workers earn a maximum of €570 per month for the production of 500 garments per day. Others, on the other hand, do not receive a basic salary, but only 0.27 yuan (three cents) per piece of clothing produced. According to the report, employees are fined two-thirds of their daily wages if they make a mistake. In one of the factories, the female employees washed their hair during the lunch break because there was so little time left after work. SHEIN puts hundreds of new clothes on the website every day, which are often sold for a few euros. A spokesperson for the company said after the investigation was published: “Any non-compliance with this Code will be immediately penalised and we will end partnerships that do not meet our standards”. Published at the end of 21 Public eye Results of several months of research SHEIN and criticised the working conditions in the factories, citing labour rights violations such as working days of up to 12 hours – often seven days a week, no surcharges for overtime, non-contractual employment and massive breaches of safety standards. In a recent interview explains David Hachfeld from Public eye the DW Germany the results of the investigation.

EU Supply Chain Act: After the Federal Government announced at the beginning of September that it wanted to support the draft supply chain law at EU level (see News Update of KW 36), the MONITOR-broadcast of 27.10.22 Another picture: Internal documents from the relevant federal ministries and from the EU Council negotiations, which MONITOR Exclusively available: Germany seeks to soften the Commission's proposal at key points. The federal government now demands - just like the business associations - a "Save Harbour" regulation. This is about facilitating liability for companies. They can have their products or processes certified as supposedly flawless by external auditors. The consequences for civil liability are as follows: In the event of damage, companies shall only be liable in the event of gross negligence or intent. It is almost impossible for victims to prove this to the companies, says the Social Democrat René Repasi. The European Commission also wants to oblige companies to accurately identify the risks in their supply chain, especially those at risk of particularly serious and likely human rights violations. The Federal Government wants to limit this to those risks where the company has influence. In one Twitter-Thread presented MEP (Member of the European Parliament) Anna Cavazzini the State of play on the legislative process of the EU Supply Chain Act, which committees are involved and when the Council and Parliament could propose a final legislative text.

Facilty checker: The new search tool of Clean clothes campaign makes it possible to search for fashion companies and find information about the wages of workers, gaps in living wages and brands that supply these companies. The Facility checker was developed for organizations to provide detailed information about the farms, which are important for example for case studies and urgent appeals: the name of the institution; Number of employees; gender distribution of employees; average monthly net wage; the gap between wages and living wages; the name of the fashion brand(s) obtained from the factory; the year in which the fashion brand purchased from the factory; whether the fashion brand has publicly committed to paying a living wage in its supply chain. The tool was used as a supplement to Fashion checker It is designed to appeal to consumers. Both platforms are powered by the open data platform. WikiRate developed and operated.

Countries of production

Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Textile unions in Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt and Palestine have launched the campaign "Garment workers need safe factories" started, to fight for social protection and better health and safety standards in the region's textile, clothing, footwear and leather (TGSL) factories. The textile unions are thus joining the global demand for safe jobs. Acted in October 21 IndustriALL the International Agreement on Health and Safety in the Textile and Clothing Industry (ACCORD), which has now been signed by over 180 global brands and retailers.

Myanmar: The magazine Southeast Asia Reports on the Fight for Information Sovereignty in Myanmar. On the one hand there is the state media controlled by the military, on the other hand there are newspapers or media companies reporting from underground or abroad in the sense of the democratically elected but disempowered government. The military-controlled media and the opposition represent their own interests and report differently on battles between the army and resistance groups or militias. What actually happened is usually difficult to determine. The military is blocking social media and websites. Some reliable sources are international media such as channel News AsiaEnglish-language media outlets such as Frontier Myanmar or The Irrawaddy, which now report from the underground or from Thailand, or the BBCIt has a Burmese language service. If you want to know what is actually happening in Myanmar, you have to read both the state and opposition media and then collect small pieces of information from social media and local newspapers. A lot of people can't afford that. In addition, there is a lack of media literacy in the country, and many find it difficult to distinguish between facts and fiction. IndustriALL Reiterates its call for the immediate release of all political prisoners in Myanmar, in particular the more than 60 trade unionists, and reiterates the call to the United Nations to NUG (National Unity Government) as the only and true democratic government of Myanmar.