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A Thai worker holds up a sign saying 'Otto - Help us to get our wages back'

"I want to say to OTTO that we have been making clothes for ten years," says Hnin Hnin*, a worker from Myanmar who made clothes for OTTO brands in the Thai Royal Knitting factory. “We have been harmed and feel hopeless, but we want help to get the money we deserve.”

In April 2020, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the management of the Royal Knitting Factory in Thailand dismissed Hnin Hnin and a further 208 employees without notice. More than 90 percent of those affected are women from Myanmar. Their employer unlawfully refused them wages for work done and severance pay. Almost five years later, and despite the Thai court ruling against Royal Knitting, the 209 workers are still waiting for over $1,000,000 in unpaid wages and severance payments.

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© Initiative Supply Chain Act

Bonn. Friedrich Merz has torn down a firewall when, at the end of January, he brought about a majority in the Bundestag with the votes of the far-right AfD, instead of finding a response to the terrible murders together with the democratic parties. It's a dangerous caesura. What decisions will Merz decide as a possible chancellor together with the AfD? Right-wing extremism and anti-feminism are closely linked, according to scientific research. The AfD represents a reactionary image of women, and one of its leaders (Maximilian Krah) claims that ‘feminism is cancer’. Even though the AfD has Alice Weidel as its top candidate, the proportion of women in the AfD parliamentary group is just over 13 percent.

The shift to the right strengthens the danger of sexism, racism, misogyny. Almost every day there is a femicide in Germany. Every day, more than 140 women and girls in Germany are victims of a sexual offense.

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© GNF

The Global Nature Fund (GNF) and the Traditionsclub 1. FC Nürnberg have started a cooperation as part of the Fair Wear Works project. Together, they are committed to sustainable textiles in sports and merchandise as well as fair textile supply chains. The cooperation aims not only to promote ecological standards in purchasing, but also to strengthen social justice in the global textile industry.

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© FEMNET

How consciously do you consume? The poster invites you to question your own clothing consumption and try out new ways. It encourages us to think about alternatives: Does it always have to be new, or are there sustainable alternatives such as secondhand, loan or exchange?

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Universities can use their market power through a conscious procurement practice to achieve great things: The demand for ecologically and socially sustainable textiles and food promotes positive changes along global supply chains. For this reason, this guide supports administrative employees at universities in effectively anchoring sustainability criteria in the award process.

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© GNF

The International German Gymnastics Festival 2025 cooperates with the Global Nature Fund as part of the ‘Fair Wear Works’ project. The aim of the cooperation is to provide clubs with practical information and assistance for responsible purchasing of sports textiles. During the gymnastics festival, there will be numerous information and workshops on sustainable sports textiles and the volunteers will receive GOTS-certified gymnastics bags.

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© Julia Merkel ⁇ BMZ

The Textile Alliance celebrated its tenth anniversary on 28 November 2024 with a high-level event at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In addition to Minister Svenja Schulze, FEMNET CEO Dr. Gisela Burckhardt also participated in the panel discussion and contributed key points from a civil society perspective. Another highlight of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

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© FEMNET

On the 10th. December, the Day of Human Rights, is a special episode of Kleiderei Radio. Hosts Anna and Amelie discuss an often overlooked topic with Anthony Raju V. of Cividep (India) and Danardianingtyas Nitya S. of TURC (Indonesia): the health of women workers in the clothing and footwear industry.

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