FEMNET NEWSLETTER No. 1/2016 - March

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Content:

• Political commitment
• Educational project Fairschnitt
• Projects and collaborations
• News from our partners
• FEMNET in the media
• Tips & dates
• Imprint

Dear friends of FEMNET,

In the first quarter, we had to refrigerate the champagne several times. For the New Year's reception, we welcomed old and new colleagues in our offices on the Rhine. The highlight, however, was the recognition of Gisela Burckhardt's commitment by the Heinrich Böll Foundation's Anne Klein Women's Prize.

We are taking the positive experiences with us for the New Year – and we can use this energy and confidence very well, because the prospects in the global textile industry are not at all rosy. International Women's Day, celebrated a few days ago, cannot hide the fact that it is still mostly women who find themselves in difficult working conditions and pay conditions and who are unequally exposed to harassment and degradation in the workplace. Violations of human and labour rights often hit women particularly hard – be it because they are forced to give up their jobs when children come, be it because they get into slave-like jobs (camp-labour system, formerly known as Sumangali) for starvation wages or the (actually banned) dowry. We will focus on these and other topics in 2016.

Cooperation in the steering committee of the Textile Alliance and in the working groups ‘Review’ and ‘Implementation’ also remains a major task. Our project for advising public clients on fair procurement in Bonn and other municipalities also targets the political level.

As you can see, there is still a lot to do! With our grown team, we are well positioned for this.

We wish you an exciting read.
See you soon,
Your FEMNET team

FEMNET Team 2016
Executive Board (V), Employees (M), Honorary Staff (H), Interns (P)
v. l. n. r.: Danny Wawrzyniak (H), Johanna Hergt (M), Julia Bühler (H), Christiane Kühnrich (V), Andrea Lindner (V), Gisela Burckhardt (V), Caterina Marcucci (P), Vanessa Püllen (V), Marie-Luise Lämmle (M), Kerstin Roberts (P), Sandra Poppe (M), Kristina Klecko (M), Anne Neumann (M) at the New Year's reception on 1 February 2016

Political commitment

Award for FEMNET Chairman

On Friday, 4 March 2016, FEMNET CEO Gisela Burckhardt was awarded the Anne Klein Women's Prize of the Heinrich Böll Foundation in Berlin. The award honors women from home and abroad "who are outstandingly committed to the realization of gender democracy, against discrimination on the basis of gender or gender identity".

Gisela Burckhardt received the award for her commitment to the rights of workers in the global textile industry and her role as a bridge builder between consumers in Europe and factory workers in India, Bangladesh and Cambodia.

More information about the price and the event...

from left to right Renate Künast, Dr. Gisela Burckhardt, Barbara Unmüßig, Thomas Herrendorf, Jutta Wagner Photo: © Stephan Röhl

from left to right Renate Künast, Dr Gisela Burckhardt, Barbara Unmüßig,
Thomas Herrendorf and Jutta Wagner
Photo: © Stephan Röhl

Educational project FairSchnitt

Brochure “Sustainable Sourcing. For human rights in fashion. Fair chain, fair providers’ published

Title of the brochure Sustainable Sourcing Again and again, students and graduates of fashion courses asked us what to look for in order to create an eco-fair collection and where to buy the materials for it.

Our answer is the brochure “Sustainable sourcing. For human rights in fashion. Fair chain, fair suppliers“. It provides a comprehensive overview of working and production conditions in the global apparel industry. Scientists, experts and fashion practitioners report on current developments and take a look into the future. The brochure is supplemented by an eleven-page business directory.

"Sustainable Sourcing" provides ideas and suggestions for a fair and sustainable clothing industry and is therefore just as interesting for fashion designers as it is for other (specialist) readers.

Order the brochure at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a nominal fee of 5,00 € plus shipping costs. Alternatively, you can use them as Download PDF.

Workshops at universities – more and more students interested in corporate responsibility

Graphic. ©FEMNET e.V. Three workshops have already been held at universities in January and February 2016. At the University of Osnabrück, the modules “Purchasing practices of large companies and their impact on working conditions” and “Working conditions in Eastern Europe – living wages” were developed by future teachers of the subject “Textile Design” together with our multipliers. The module “Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)” was discussed at the JAK Academy in Hamburg. A total of 60 students were reached.

As a positive trend, it can be seen that more and more students already come into the workshops with prior knowledge and the discussion rounds thus have a great added value for the students. Numerous workshops are already planned for the following months, including at AMD in Munich, Hochschule Niederrhein and FH in Reutlingen.

News on our blog: fashionfairarbeit.de

Introducing people, design ideas, innovations, forward-looking approaches and business models and providing inspiring impulses and motivation for fashion students - that is the goal of the FairSchnitt blog modefairabeiten.de. And a lot has happened in the last few weeks!

In one Interview reports the CR manager of the outdoor manufacturer Deuter The Challenges of Fair Wear Foundation Certification. Further contributions show marketing ideas for fair clothing, which are part of a Study project at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences in Mönchengladbach It was written, as well as an interview with two graduates of the Master's programme "Sustainability in Fashion" their studies and careers.

Are there also projects and ideas for fair production in your fashion course? Or is it just lacking? You can post your topics on our blog!

Write to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

To the blog...

Projects and Cooperations

Project “Good work fairbindet – fair public procurement”.

Since January 2016, the project on fair public procurement, in which FEMNET supports procurement managers of the city of Bonn in strengthening social criteria in the public procurement of occupational clothing, is in the second phase. In addition to the ongoing support of the tender of the Office for Urban Green, it is now about the involvement of other offices and municipalities in order to gradually convert further procurement projects to socially acceptable purchasing and to improve the market offer of fair professional clothing. The results of the tender of the Office for Urban Greenery, which have been available since mid-February, are currently being evaluated and measures developed to strengthen fair procurement are being prepared for use in the context of further procurement projects and occupational clothing markets.

More information on our project homepage...

Fashion show fair professional clothing.
Photo: © Bernadett Yehdou.

Project: Modern forms of slavery in South Indian spinning mills

As part of a joint project, our partner organisation CIVIDEP examined working conditions in spinning mills in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu last year. The study is currently being translated into German by FEMNET and will be available for download online on our website from April or can be ordered from us.

This study marks the start of a nationwide information campaign in which the results and demands of NGOs from South India will be presented to the general public as part of a Speakers Tour in May. In addition, the proposals of the Indian NGOs will be discussed at a symposium with representatives of the clothing industry and politics, members of the Textile Alliance.

More information...

Spinning mill in South India. Photo: © FEMNET e.V.

News from our partners

Project: Childcare at Indian producers of H&M and C&A

We have already presented this project in the last newsletter. In January, Spiegel reported on the difficult situation of qualified, child-friendly care for children of textile factory workers in Bangalore, South India (see press review below).

After the study by our partner CIVIDEP was available, FEMNET informed the companies C&A and H&M about the results and invited both companies to comment. While C&A was ready for talks and kindergarten staff wanted to have at least some training at its suppliers, H&M has so far shown no willingness to talk or act.

Our press release...

Kita children. Photo:© FEMNET e.V.
Nursery children in Bangalore. Photo: © FEMNET e.V.

Press release on International Women's Day: The Act on Combating Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, which entered into force in 2013, will not be implemented

Sexual assault remains the order of the day in India. Even two years after the adoption of the Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013, there is still no official statement. Neither the women’s commission nor the Ministry of Labour nor the district officials contribute to clarifying the causes of the lack of implementation of the law.

The Garment Labour Union (GLU), of which our partner organisation Munnade is a member, called on the Karnataka government to be more transparent and asked for information on whether and in what form the anti-sexual harm committees required by law are implemented in the workplace.

Factory gate meeting. Photo: © GLU 2016

The Women’s Commission and the Ministry of Labour are invited to submit an annual report.

Overview of Wages and Allowances for Textile Workers in Bangalore

Transparency is an important prerequisite for workers to be able to stand up for their rights. At the end of last year, a document with wages and allowances for the textile workers was published by GLU and Cividep. It offers all interested parties an overview of the current salary situation of seamstresses in the textile industry and presents the different salary classes. It also contains information on the ‘wage allowances’, such as the ‘dearness allowance’ paid to workers in the textile sector.