The KiK Story - Documentary, Panorama - The Reporters Virtually every week, new KiK stores open in Germany. Christoph Lütgert's film shows how low prices come about - and how people have to pay expensively for them. Read more …
Making people hungry cheap – human rights must be respected in cotton and textile production - Focal point 1/2015 The fashion carousel is turning faster and faster, we buy clothes and sample them. Valuable raw materials are wasted and – in a global value chain geared towards maximising profits – human rights are repeatedly violated. Mehr Details
Corporate Liability for Violations of the Right to Just Conditions of Work in Extraterritorial Operations When 250 workers die in a fire at a Pakistani factory producing jeans for a German discount chain, when the work day lasts twelve hours in Cambodia’s garment industry or when workers commit suicide in Chinese factories producing electronics for international brands, should only the corporations in Pakistan, Cambodia, and China be held liable? What about the liability of their parent and subcontracting companies abroad? The United Nations recommends that states ensure that enterprises domiciled in their territory respect human rights throughout their extraterritorial operations. Furthermore, the United Nations and the OECD recommend that parent and subcontracting companies conduct human rights due diligence. Both developments are reflected in General Comment 23, which was recently adopted by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and refers to the right to just conditions of work. To date, however, there is no domestic law that specifically addresses the liability of parent or subcontracting companies for violations of the right to just working conditions of employees of foreign stocks or suppliers. Although case law is emerging, much uncertainty remains about criteria establishing such liability. France and Switzerland are discussing legislative steps for clarifying corporate liability beyond disclosure requirements to ensure compliance with international recommendations. Mehr Details
India country study 2019 This country study provides a clear and concise picture of the textile and garment industry, labour laws, and working conditions within the industry. The study was prepared through gathering information on national laws as well as local stakeholders’ views on the labour issues facing India’s garment industry India. Mehr Details
Purchasing practices and low wages in global supply chains: Empirical cases from the garment industry This paper attempts to explain why brands and retailers do not implement better wages on a larger scale. It analyzes the hurdles buyers face when trying to implement higher wages in their supply chains, and assesses how they try to raise wages. It specifically examines how lead firms’ purchasing practices affect wages, and how they improve working conditions in their supply chains. The three main research questions are: 1. What root causes do low wages in the supply chain have? 2. How do buyers try to raise wages in their supply chain? 3. How do purchasing practices enable suppliers to implement, or prevent them from implementing higher wages and decent working conditions? The paper has an empirical focus. It examines 14 brands and retailers, most of which are small and medium enterprises (SME), and most of which have a policy to implement a ‘living wage’ at their supply factories. Mehr Details
