Genevieve LeBaron & Jane Lister "The hidden cost of global supply chain solutions": The literature on global supply chains often loses sight of the broader and more fundamental questions of whether private initiatives are actually solving the problems they are supposed to address - such as pollution, modern slavery, and global inequalities between North and South. In this linked introduction to the special edition of the Review of International Political Economy It analyses the main trends in the effectiveness of private governance solutions. The study argues that private supply chain initiatives not only fail on many of the key indicators, but also entail hidden costs - including unintended consequences, undesirable effects, and unperceived impacts.
Open Apparel Registry "from opaque to open - Untangling Apparel Supply Chains with Open Data": The open source tool Open Apparel Registry Captures global apparel businesses in a central, open-access map and assigns a unique ID number to each factory. The linked report reflects the organization's first two years of experience and how the data is used to drive meaningful change in apparel supply chains. The Textile Alliance also cooperates with the Open Apparel Registry as a strategic partner.
Water Witness How fair is fashion's water footprint? Tackling the global fashion industry's destructive impacts on Africa's water and workforce health (PDF file): The production of clothing for brands in Europe, the UK and the USA causes devastating pollution of African rivers through the discharge of untreated wastewater. The study also finds that companies do not provide factory workers, around 80% of whom are women, with access to clean water, washing facilities and toilets. The report highlights the positive impact of clothing production in Africa, which can create much-needed jobs and export revenues, and calls for action to ensure that the procurement and production of goods across the continent is based on sustainable use of resources, decent working conditions and fundamental principles of social justice.
TextileExchange "Preferred Fiber & Materials - Market Report 2021" (PDF file): The report outlines the market for plant fibers, animal fibers and materials, silk and leather, artificial cellulose fibers, and synthetic fibers. The report shows global fiber and material production, availability and trends. This is also shown for fibers and materials with improved social and environmental impact ("preferred" fibers/materials). The results show that between 2019 and 2020, the market share of preferred cotton increased from 24 to 30% and recycled polyester from 13.7 to 14.7%. The growing interest of brands in the use of preferred fibers is also reflected in the 75% increase in the total number of factories (to 30,000) worldwide that have been certified to TextileExchange standards by 2020. However, the report also notes that, despite the increase, preferred fibers account for less than one-fifth of the global fiber market. Less than 0.5 percent of the global fiber market came from pre- and post-consumer recycling textiles.
STAND.earth "Fossil-Free Fashion Scorecard": The scorecard evaluates 47 leading fashion and apparel companies for their efforts to avoid fossil fuels in the production, raw materials and shipping of their goods. The scorecard is based on the Filthy Fashion Climate Scorecard from 2019. It analyses not only the companies' climate protection commitments, but also the measures they have taken so far. The textile alliance companies were also examined. Puma (Rating C), Adidas (C-), H&M (C-), Vaude (D), C&A (D-), ESPRIT (F), Hugo Boss (F), and Primark (F).
ACCORD: On August 26th, clothing companies and trade unions gave a Agreement on a new international agreement on health and safety in the textile and clothing industry known (International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry), which preserves, extends and expands the model for the protection of seamstresses introduced by the Bangladesh ACCORD. This model, which has saved countless lives in Bangladesh, is now to be extended to other countries where the lives of workers continue to be at risk on a daily basis. The Association of Clothing Makers BGMEA published an Press release, in which they are critical of the new agreement because it was negotiated without their participation.
The link between the clothing industry and climate change has been established following the publication of the new IPCCThe report has been taken up many times: Vogue business The report of the IPCC looked at and formulated important findings for the fashion industry. Clothing companies need to drastically reduce their emissions over the next 5-10 years - especially along their value chains. Experts want the fashion industry to make more comprehensive, aggressive, and urgent efforts that focus on the full spectrum rather than point-by-point changes. This includes incentives for manufacturers to switch to renewable energy, taking into account the entire life cycle of a product, shortening the deadline for achieving the targets, and taking into account solutions for the entire workforce and supply chain. Cynthia CummisCo-founder of the Science based target initiative, declares that the new findings of the IPCC-Reports need to track their own benchmarking metrics in order for participating companies (e.g. Adidas, Puma, Hugo Boss and Vaude) halve emissions by 2030.
Also Fashion revolution took the new report as an opportunity to look at the value chain of the fashion industry, and to identify ways in which industry can reduce emissions. It is important that the industry works together to create synergies between the various actors within the supply chains. Above all, the industry needs to move from a culture of fast to slow fashion and from a linear to a circular business model. In addition, he speaks Fashion revolution legal regulations that force companies to take action.
Climate activist Greta Thunberg speaks in the course of her cover at the Scandinavian Vogue on the subject: The fashion industry is contributing greatly to the climate and environmental catastrophe, not to mention the impact on the countless workers and communities being exploited around the world for some to enjoy fast fashion, which many treat as disposable items. (...) The way the world is designed today, one can neither mass-produce fashion nor consume it "sustainably". That's one of the many reasons why we need a system change. The movement also Extinction rebellion recently drew attention to the climate impact of the fashion industry at a demonstration: Dei of the demonstration demonstrators glued themselves to the shop windows of the department store chain Selfridges They held up a banner reading, "Fashion is addicted to dirty oil."
Myanmar: The Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUMCalls for comprehensive economic sanctions against the country and isolation of the military regime by the international community. The CTUM is part of the 16-member trade union alliance that represents the entire trade union movement in the country. Trade union leader Khaing Zar, President of the Industrial Workers Federation of Myanmar (IMFM) and board member of the CTUM Global brands investing in Myanmar have not done enough to protect workers. The lives of the workers will not improve unless we abolish this regime. To achieve this, we must deny them access to all resources. If they don't have money, they can't buy weapons to shoot people, and they will lose control.
Vietnam: About A third of textile factories in Vietnam had to close in August due to rapidly increasing Covid-19 infection numbers.
