Dear friends of FEMNET,

a supply chain law in Germany is feasible – for companies as well as for legislators. This shows a new Legal Opinion of the Supply Chain Act Initiative. 90 pages of concentrated legal expertise - now politics is in demand!

Our new country studies, travel reports and contributions give you insights. Do you want to be active yourself? From 2020, there will be interesting new offers in our projects for education and consulting. We look forward to seeing you!

Wishing you an interesting read

The FEMNET team

To the video statement by Kalpona Akter, BCWS, January 2020 © FEMNET

#MadeInFear - Bangladesh workers one year after protests

Your demands are clear: Drop the charges! No blacklists! Stop the dismantling of trade unions!

Although the suppression of wage protests in Bangladesh has already been a year, many of the affected workers are still waiting for justice. Thousands of them took to the streets in early 2019 and were then unlawfully released and prosecuted. Those who ended up on a blacklist have hardly found a new job in other factories since then. It was strikingly hard on trade union representatives.

The anti-union climate in Bangladesh's textile industry is fueled by fear - of life-threatening job losses or violence. Our partners of BCWS and NGWF continue to fight for the acquittal of innocent workers and the payment of higher wages.

To the video statement of Kalpona Akter, BCWS...

© Devi Adamo 2019

Fashion’s next trend: transparency

Slowly movement comes in: More and more companies have been disclosing information about their supply chains for several years. This is shown in Dec. Report published in 2019, on which there has been a short version translated by FEMNET since January 2020.

With its ‘Transparency Pledge“ an alliance of trade unions, human rights groups and labour rights initiatives has defined minimum standards for transparency in supply chains since 2016. Of the 74 companies they contacted, 39 have so far aligned or committed their practices to this standard. "An important step in the right direction, as transparency helps to identify and address labour rights violations in garment supply chains," says Gisela Burckhardt of FEMNET.

Read the transparency report now...

Project discussion between FEMNET and its partners. © FEMNET

Travel report with slideshow: Impressions from Bangladesh & India

In January 2020, Gisela Burckhardt and Sina Marx travelled to India and Bangladesh for FEMNET. We are regularly at our Local partner organisations, to plan the future together and convince us that your donations will arrive where they are needed. In the report, they share personal impressions in word and image.

Gisela Burckhardt: “Since 2006, I have been visiting Bangladesh on a regular basis, and every time I see the same picture: Many young people, everywhere bustling, patched streets. The capital Dhaka always seems half-finished, a jumble of houses, bad air and street noise. The textile industry shapes the country, a large part of the export revenue comes from this sector. We are talking to redundant workers and many who have participated in a training on gender-based violence in the workplace by our partner BCWS. Talking to each other and showing solidarity with the victims of sexual violence, however, still requires a lot of courage from women. Nevertheless, the trainings and examples show that women dare to defend themselves, even though there is a great risk of losing the job.”

To the travelogue...

© CIR - Christian Initiative Romero

The ‘golden exploiter’ goes to the Federal Government

In January 2020, FEMNET participated in a letter from various NGOs to the Federal Chancellery, activists organized an action in front of the Reichstag. We asked when the federal government will keep its promise to procure half of all textiles according to ecological and social criteria by 2020.

To the full report...

© ifeelstock - Depositphotos.com

Non-profit needs interference

FEMNET has been a member of the Alliance for Legal Security for Political Will-Making since 2019. The long-term goal of this alliance is a modern non-profit right, because those who deal with political education and make political demands are in danger of losing their non-profit status.

To the full report...

Free educational modules for a socially responsible fashion industry

Topics such as corporate responsibility, social and environmental standards or labour and human rights are discussed at universities. The FEMNET educational modules do this using the example of the clothing industry. With our toolkit, we now make our proven content and methods available online free of charge for use in educational work.

Each module consists of a teacher's guide, a presentation, and materials for group work that you can use, customize, and distribute. A literature list provides background information and additional sources.

Of course, you can also continue to request our professionally trained FEMNET speakers nationwide for seminars, workshops and events.

Request FEMNET-Referent...

Discover educational modules...

Student initiatives at the FEMNET Conference 2018 © FEMNET ⁇ Kathrin Brunnhofer

New offer for student initiatives

Many student initiatives are actively committed to greater sustainability at the university. Initiatives that want to become active on the topic of clothing and textiles can now get support from FEMNET. For one semester, we accompany the active participants in the design and practical implementation of their projects. We develop project ideas individually with a view to the wishes and needs of the respective initiative. From clothes exchange cabinets to film screenings to action theatre and specialist lectures, everything can be there.

Further information on our new offer for student initiatives will follow on femnet.de/hochschulen.

Interested stakeholders and initiatives are welcome to contact us now. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.!

Design and implement projects together! © FEMNET ⁇ Vanessa Püllen

Projects with Sustainability-AGs, Fairtrade-AGs and World Citizen-AGs...

Whatever they call themselves: In recent years, working groups of students and teachers have been formed at many schools, which are actively committed to structurally anchoring sustainability topics at their own school. From 2020, FEMNET will help student groups to carry out projects in the fields of clothing, consumption and sustainability. Together we develop a concept from our own ideas. Our FEMNET multipliers accompany the implementation and provide the necessary support needed to realize ideas. More information will follow on femnet.de/schulen.

Interested in inspiration? Get active for fair fashion - Action ideas for school and leisure

Reissue Fair Fashion Guide - order now!

New photo sections, extensive background information and practical tips: With the FEMNET Fair Fashion Guide, we already showed in 2017 how fashion can combine feeling and reason with fair and healthy manufacturing processes. Now there is a revised reissue. Because fashion is more than buying clothes, it is about the creative design of your own wardrobe: Style, combine old and new, fast and slow. It is about quality, appreciation and sustainability. Let yourself be inspired to live every day anew, fashion with a clear conscience.

Would you like to get to know the Fair Fashion Guide or recommend the booklet of your favourite practice or haircut for the waiting room? We look forward to receiving your order at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To the new Fair Fashion Guide...