Femnet e.V.

A significant contributor tIndonesia’s large economy, the garment industry is an important employer of women in both the formal and informal sector. Conditions at factories vary greatly, and are generally much worse in medium and small enterprises, which dnot attract the kinds of scrutiny that large suppliers tinternational brands are subjected to. The garment industry in Indonesia has received a great deal of attention from international and local NGOs and trade union, but much remains tbe done before the standards embedded in FWF Code of Labour Practice are fully met even in the more compliant segments of the sector. In legal terms, Indonesia is highly compliant with ILcore conventions and other important human and labour rights instruments including CEDAW. Like many countries in the region, however, it continues texperience serious problems in terms of implementation of its legal framework. This has led tissues with freedom of association and the right tcollective bargaining; working hours and conditions, including the right of women tbe free of sexual harassment in the workplace; occupational health and safety; and the right ta living wage.

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For this study, 62 pairs of leather shoes purchased in EU countries and Switzerland were tested for hexavalent chromium (chromium VI). Chromium VI is a highly toxic, allergenic and mutagenic carcinogenic substance. Allergic contact dermatitis can be caused by contact with the skin. EU legislation therefore provides for an upper limit of 3mg/kg of chromium VI in leather goods. In order to test for exceeding the limit value for chromium VI in leather shoes, samples were taken from 22 different companies from 12 European countries. In none of the pairs of shoes tested was the limit value of 3mg/kg
exceeded. The test therefore shows that the introduction of the legal upper limit for hexavalent chromium in leather goods has had a positive effect on consumers. However, companies should not be content to guarantee their consumers safe products. It is imperative that they also ensure standards for the health and safety of all workers who make their shoes.

editorial: Kistler, Daniela; Pieper, Anton; Kreisler, Eva; Aronsson, Charlie

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The fashion market is characterized by the rapidity with which a product becomes outmoded.
Enterprises producing clothes, shoes, bags and other accessories generate wastes at a fast rhythm, due to the continuous change of collections. They must store notable quantities of textiles and components no longer used for production. Furthermore, the percentage of scraps of fabrics, leather and other materials, is often significant. Recycling can be applied to the fashion sector in order to recuperate wastes and create original items, which can be particularly successful in a market where customers are increasing their sensitivity towards sustainability.
We describe the case of a prestigious Italian brand, manufacturing high luxury leather and fabric accessories where Eco Design and Recycling have been applied. A Life Cycle Assessment of a traditional product of the company is also presented to enhance the significant aspects of sustainability in fashion.

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Using life cycle assessment, the study compares the global warming potential (GWP) of five ownership and end-of-life scenarios for creating and using a pair of jeans. The scenarios are as follows: (a) BASE, i.e. basic use with waste disposal; (b) REDUCE, i.e. extended use; (c) REUSE, i.e. reselling; (d) RECYCLE, i.e. industrial processing into new raw materials; and (e) SHARE, i.e. a rental service. Our results show that the lowest global warming impacts are achieved in the REDUCE scenario, and the second lowest are achieved in the REUSE scenario. The RECYCLE scenario leads to relatively high overall emissions because the replaced emissions from cotton production are relatively low. The use of rental services is likely to increase customers’ mobility, and if that happens in a large scale, then the SHARE scenario has the highest GWP. It was found that many new CE innovations come with a high rebound risk, and existing practices carry similar, yet smaller risks.

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The guidelines are meant to provide non-binding practical orientation to Governments and social partners with some specific options on how to formulate, implement and monitor the policy framework, in accordance with national circumstances and priorities.

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