This week marks the eighth anniversary of the worst factory accident in the history of the textile industry, the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh. On 24 April 2013, 1135 textile workers were killed and over 2438 injured. Many workers still suffer from the consequences of their injuries and were unable to find work due to their disabilities. The compensation paid to victims and survivors is disproportionate to the suffering that people have experienced.
Climate neutrality, climate protection and the 1.5 degree target determine national and international policy. However, the effects of the fast fashion industry on the environment and climate are rarely criticized in this context. In the new educational modules for schools and universities, FEMNET wants to shed light on the climate impacts of the textile industry and develop climate-friendly alternatives for action in solidarity.
Further training for multipliers, hiking coaches and speakers
Multipliers, hiking coaches or speakers from Network n are active at various colleges and universities. They shape, set something in motion and thus transform the university landscape. And they continue to educate themselves!
In a technical statement, FEMNET and the Christian Initiative Romero (CIR) commented on the recently published ‘Guide of the Federal Government for Sustainable Textile Procurement of the Federal Administration’ and pointed out shortcomings.
© payyourworkers.org
Press release of the Clean Clothes Campaign
With extensive demands on fashion companies, the #PayYourWorkers #RespectLabourRights campaign of numerous well-known NGOs and trade unions from 37 countries started today on 15.03.2021. The alliance calls on companies such as Amazon, Nike and Next to support workers who have fallen into distress through no fault of their own during the pandemic and the associated loss of income.
© FEMNET I Stefan Klübert
The city of Karlsruhe has long been committed to sustainability. After first steps, nails with heads were now made with advice from FEMNET - suppliers who could not prove sustainable supply chain management were not admitted to the last tender for workwear and safety shoes.
© FEMNET I Stefan Klübert
The city of Karlsruhe has long been committed to sustainability. After first steps, nails with heads were now made with advice from FEMNET - suppliers who could not prove sustainable supply chain management were not admitted to the last tender for workwear and safety shoes.
© Saskia Wulfinghoff
The links between gender-based violence and the health consequences have so far received little attention from the actors in the textile industry. FEMNET will focus more on this topic. Dr. Gisela Burckhardt, Chair of FEMNET and project coordinator Sina Marx give an insight into why health plays an important role in the context of FEMNET's campaign and project work.
"Service Learning Digital - Social Commitment despite Social Distance" is the motto under which students of the University of Cologne support non-profit organisations in interdisciplinary teams for one semester. FEMNET implemented a project both in the summer semester 2020 and in the winter semester 2020/21 – in the summer, the students supported the campaign work around the Fashion checker on the issues of fair wages and transparency. In the winter, a group worked on educational materials on the topic of climate and clothing, which should show the connection between climate damage and the clothing industry with participatory methods.
© FEMNET
According to estimates by the business association BGMEA, around 400,000 jobs were lost in Bangladesh's textile industry in 2020. Even after resuming production, many factories are still not working at full capacity. Granted financial aid from the EU and Germany for affected seamstresses has not yet flowed completely. In India, too, the situation remains critical.
