Country profile: Macedonia The country profile provides basic information on the clothing industry and wage situation in Macedonia. In terms of wages, average wages, minimum wages and subsistence wages are discussed. The country profile shows wage-related labour and human rights violations and formulates demands on brands and retailers. It summarizes the results of an on-site investigation and statements from interviews with workers and gives case studies. The country profile is linked to the study ‘Abandoned: Women workers’ poverty wages in garment factories in Eastern Europe and Turkey’ Mehr Details
The impact of COVID-induced Economic Crisis on Employment and Labour Market in Bangladesh – Analysis with particular Focus on informality and gender dimensions The COVID-19 pandemic has turned to a global economic crisis which affected the employment and labour market situations worldwide – as well in Bangladesh. The lockdown measures from March to May 2020 hit the economy hard and economic recovery is taking time. There are already visible signs of the impact of the economic crisis on employment and livelihoods of people. The study analyses the impact of the health and economic crisis on the employment and labour market situations of Bangladesh and provides recommendations on possible policy responses for the short and medium turn future. It deals with the employment as a whole but also focus on how the informal sector and women have been affected. Mehr Details
Advancing Gender Justice on Asian Fast Fashion Supply Chains post COVID-19 – Learning from ILO’s Convention 190 on its First Anniversary Low wage women workers are least likely to have access to limited social safety nets, and most earn wages too low to save. As economies contract and millions of workers are fired, older women are among the first to lose their jobs. The impacts of COVID-19 are deep and far-reaching, affecting the health and livelihoods of more than 150 million workers in global supply chains and 40 million workers in fast fashion supply chains—a workforce made up of women. Government and corporate responses to COVID-19 have exposed vast structural inequalities created by supply chain production models. This report reviews the gendered impact of COVID-19—and the need for a transformational approach to prevent and end GBVH using guidance from C190*—in the context of Asian fast fashion supply chains which produce primarily consumer apparel and footwear. The report highlights the persistent risk factors for violence that both predate and are exacerbated by COVID-19. It provides detailed guidance for fast fashion lead firms on steps they can take to uphold C190 obligations to address violence on garment supply chains in context of the global public health crisis and the economic shocks caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While this report focuses on fast fashion supply chains, the guidance for corporate accountability to achieve violence-free workplaces provides an important roadmap across global supply chain sectors.* C190 is the first international labor standard to lay out a gender-inclusive approach to addressing violence in the world of work and measures to end GBVH, including addressing risks associated with discrimination, unequal relationships of power and occupational health and safety Mehr Details
Sourcing Textiles and Garments in Ethiopia – A new sourcing destination Ethiopia is a promising country for the future of apparel manufacture, looking at its youthful population of 110 million, its rapid development with an estimated continued annual GDP growth rate of 8%, low labour costs and preferential conditions in trade with the U.S. and the EU. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the textile and garment sector is growing and so is its export. However, the country also offers challenges, both commercial and in terms of environmental sustainability and ethical business behaviour. Cotton, fabrics and accessories need to be imported. Import/export regulations are complicated and time consuming. Workers are relatively untrained and unskilled and efficiency is very low. In addition, there is worry among stakeholders and (potential) buyers about issues such as living wage and the freedom of association in Ethiopia.The overall objective of the report is to describe the comparative benefits and risks (SCP and commercial) of sourcing textile garments from Ethiopia. The aim is to inform potential buyers of the current status of the industry; It does not aim for scientific precision. Mehr Details
Dirty fashion: How pollution in the global textiles supply chain is making viscose toxic This report shines a spotlight on the environmental and human health impacts caused by the rapidly expanding viscose industry. It presents evidence from the top three viscose producing countries in Asia, showing how the environment, lives and livelihoods are being ruined by the dangerous chemicals and noxious gases its production generates. The report tracks the supply chain and channels direct links between major European and North American brands and the polluting factories based. Brands can play a key role in this process by demanding that viscose companies clean up their act and by offering them support in transitioning towards more sustainable production processes. The good news is that new viscose production methods already exist, which do not rely on the abundant use of toxic chemicals and bring manufacturing into a ‘closed loop’ so that the chemicals which are used do not escape into the environment. Mehr Details
