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© Initiative Supply Chain Act

Extended press release of the Supply Chain Act initiative of 6 December 2022

Berlin, 06/12/2022. The European Union wants to oblige companies to protect human rights and the environment in their value chains. However, it is not clear how effective the so-called EU Supply Chain Act is. The relevant EU Council of Ministers agreed last Thursday in Brussels on a position that goes beyond the German supply chain law, but still contains numerous loopholes. Several EU governments, including Germany, continue to try to weaken the project. On the other hand, activists from the Supply Chain Act Initiative protested in Berlin today and handed over a petition addressed to Chancellor Olaf Scholz with 90,248 signatures.

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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 Two years later, most countries have relaxed or repealed measures to combat the coronavirus.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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