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Joint press release by FEMNET and ECCHR

Logos of FEMNET and ECCHR

Bonn / Berlin. Today, 24 November 2022, marks the tenth anniversary of the Tazreen fire, which killed more than 110 textile workers in Bangladesh. Exactly six months later, more than 1,100 people sewing clothes for international fashion companies died in the rubble of Rana Plaza. The ‘Bangladesh Building Safety and Fire Protection Agreement’ (Bangladesh Accord) It was a response to these tragedies and has successfully helped prevent such avoidable disasters in the apparel industry, where all other programs have failed. The Accord in Bangladesh is considered to be the most successful mechanism for improving workplace safety in the world. Nevertheless, to date, some of the leading companies producing in Bangladesh have not signed either the Bangladesh Accord or its successor, the International Accord, which provides for the extension of the agreement to other countries such as Pakistan.

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© CIVIDEP

With the outbreak of the global COVID-19 pandemic, textile companies reduced their orders and suppliers in the producing countries stopped paying wages and dismissed workers. Two years later, most countries have relaxed or repealed measures to combat the coronavirus. How has the pandemic changed the labour and human rights situation in the Indian clothing industry?

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The report of the ARD magazine Monitor clearly shows how behind the scenes economic and political actors are influencing and trying to dilute the proposal for an EU supply chain law. A loophole for businesses. Because if they join certain industry initiatives, such as the Textile Alliance, or use state-approved certifications of due diligence, they should only be liable for damages that they have committed intentionally or grossly negligently.

"Such a dilution of the EU draft would render the law toothless and must under no circumstances exist", says Gisela Burckhardt, CEO of FEMNET. The Supply Chain Act initiative, in which FEMNET is a member together with 130 NGOs, comments on the report of the ARD policy magazine and the Federal Government's attempt to influence the EU Supply Chain Act.

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© Small tricks

It's time: To date, too little attention has been paid to the potential of sustainable public procurement in practice and also in the media. A new initiative wants to change that. More than 60 public figures in Germany, Austria and Switzerland have already joined, including Rosa Grabe on behalf of FEMNET.

The initiative wants to give a face to the common cause and communicate this commitment in all areas. Your vision: By 2030, sustainable procurement will become the standard in around 30,000 public procurement agencies in Germany. In their daily work, they then contribute to achieving the 1.5-degree climate target and to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Germany.

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© Studierendenwerk Bonn

In front of the canteen Campo in Bonn Poppelsdorf, a long queue of students formed at 5:30 p.m., who wanted to exchange old treasures for new favorite parts.

Around 400 guests gathered on 20.10.22 under the motto ‘Swap, don’t shop’. The event was organized by the Studierendenwerk and the student radio bonn.fm in cooperation with FEMNET.

More information about this first clothes exchange, which will certainly not be the last, is on the homepage of the Studierendenwerk Bonn to find.

© FEMNET

With popcorn and living room atmosphere, we brought the feature film ‘Made in Bangladesh’ to the screen in the motoki living room in Cologne-Ehrenfeld on 14 September 2022. During the subsequent reality check, Sina Marx from the Clean Clothes Campaign and Ruth Helmingdirks from FEMNET showed how film and reality match.

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As the supporting organisation of the Supply Chain Act initiative, FEMNET joins the call Justice is Everybody’s Business to. The campaign is supported by numerous civil society and trade union organisations from across Europe and beyond. It is committed to using laws to hold companies to account that violate workers' rights and destroy the livelihoods of communities.

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© Somo ⁇ Maartje Theuws

With the executions of the four activists at the end of July, the violence of the military regime in Myanmar has reached a new, sad climax. De facto head of government Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to another six years in prison. The situation of Myanmar's textile workers is also becoming increasingly threatening. Raids and arrests in the factories are on the rise. At the same time, labour rights are curtailed, wages are cut and unrealistic production targets are set.

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© andresr - istock.com

Joint press release by the Global Nature Fund (GNF), FEMNET and the Schäder Foundation

Bonn. Workwear, bedding or fabric bags – companies are wholesalers of textiles. At the same time, textiles are at the heart of the sustainability debate. How can the purchasing of this product group be made socially and ecologically sustainable and make its contribution as part of a company-wide sustainability strategy?

In order to raise public awareness of the relevance and feasibility of this lever for more global justice, Global Nature Fund and FEMNET, in cooperation with the Schäder Foundation, invite representatives from business, science and politics to Darmstadt. The conference discusses the challenges and opportunities of sustainable textile procurement, examines detection systems, presents best practice examples of previous companies and offers practical support for its own implementation. Be there too!

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Under the new Minister Svenja Schulze, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has presented its future guideline ‘For a feminist development policy’ and promises a paradigm shift. ‘The BMZ takes care in all development projects to address gender equality and, in particular, to specifically promote women, girls and other marginalised groups and to involve them on an equal footing’, the new guideline states.

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© FEMNET

In recent months, we have already been able to implement a number of workshops on climate and clothing in schools: From Bonn to Koblenz, from grades 7 to 11, we were active in AGs, project groups and in the class association. In the new school year, too, we are pleased to hold numerous educational workshops with students, to raise their awareness of the climate impact of the textile industry and to hold inspiring discussions with them on the importance and future of clothing and fashion.

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Wages that come to life – this is what the EU citizens’ initiative calls for with its campaign ‘Good Clothes and Fair Pay” Currently, the majority of textile workers in the global apparel industry cannot afford to live in a decent home, eat a healthy diet or go to the doctor. The national minimum wage is often insufficient to cover the cost of living.

A living wage is not a luxury, it is a basic human right!

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