Promoting Decent Work in Global Retail Supply Chains: Food and Apparel Supply chains refer, step by step, to the activities following from conception to final use to bring a product to market. Supply chains play a vital role in the commerce sector in bringing the products wanted by customers to retailers’ shelves. The commerce sector fuels an important part of the world economy and is highly globalized. Read more …
How much money does a Myanmar garment worker have left at the end of the month? Although there are initiatives in Myanmar to improve working conditions, wages here are among the lowest in the world. Meet Thet Thet Zon, she has been working as a sewing operator for two years, 6 days per week, 11 hours a day. She earns $125 per month. What does she have left at the end of the month? Mehr Details
Country profile: Czech Republic The country profile gives an overview of the clothing industry in the Czech Republic. It deals with the historical development of the clothing industry as well as labour rights violations. In particular, wages and trade union organisation are discussed on the basis of interviews with workers. In particular, the wages of the clothing industry are compared with living wages. Case studies are described and demands are formulated to improve the situation. Mehr Details
Case study textile factory: For fashion without victims. Supply Chain Act initiative We need a supply chain law, which the textile company KiK has not been legally condemned to this day for its co-responsibility for the lack of fire protection and thus the death of 258 people in Pakistan. The flyer informs about the tragedy in the textile factory Ali Enterprises in Pakistan, which burned down in September 2012. 258 people died and dozens were injured. Barred windows, broken fire extinguishers, only a narrow staircase and emergency exits that led to nothingness made the factory a deadly trap for the workers. The German textile company KiK had production in the factory as the main client and did not ensure safe working conditions. The flyer explains how a supply chain law can remedy this. Mehr Details
King Cotton: A History of Global Capitalism More than 250 years ago, the kingdom of King Cotton was established. War, slavery and exploitation were at its cradle. While foreign cultures were ruthlessly smashed, merchants accumulated enormous fortunes in conjunction with state power. A new economic principle began its triumphal march. Sven Beckert describes the history of capitalism in the mirror of a product that we all wear today – cotton.The history of capitalism is one of the most exciting topics in contemporary history. However, it is almost always about individual epochs or regions. In his brilliant book, Sven Beckert dares for the first time to make an overarching presentation that uses a single commodity to show in a highly vivid way how capitalism arises, exercises itself as it were, and gradually subjects the living conditions and working conditions, indeed the fate of people all over the world, to its laws of motion. The result is a disturbing and enlightening book about how our global world of today came into being. Mehr Details
