New Fair Fashion Guide: All backgrounds on sustainable fashion and how it is made eco-fair Bonn. Sustainable fashion is attractive. This proves the Fair fashion guide (PDF file), which will be published on 22.4.2017, shortly before the day of remembrance of Rana Plaza. In the factory collapse in Bangladesh on 24 April 2013, more than 1,100 textile workers died and 2,000 were severely injured. "The Fair Fashion Guide is a plea for the wardrobe of the future and wants to encourage fashion to live with a clear conscience. With interviews, fashion routes and tips for restyle, in a visual language familiar to the young target group from magazines without using them without criticism," says Friederike von Wedel, editor-in-chief. On 34 pages, professional models show fair fashion, which was produced under human rights responsible conditions. There are also tips for sustainable consumption: from clothing care to sharing and swapping to up-cycling. Details Published: 21 April 2017 Read more …
Protest by Indonesian trade unions: s.Oliver and Gerry Weber must compensate laid-off workers On March 30, 2017, the Indonesian trade unions GSBI and FSPMI organized a protest in front of the German embassy in Jakarta to draw attention to the fate of 4,000 workers who worked for a supplier of the German companies s.Oliver and Gerry Weber. In April 2015, the insolvent textile factory Jaba Garmindo in Indonesia closed. To date, thousands of predominantly female employees, who were laid off at the time, are waiting in vain for four outstanding monthly salaries as well as severance payments totaling almost $11 million. The Clean Clothes Campaign calls on s.Oliver and Gerry Weber to participate in the compensation payments. Details Published: 31 March 2017 Read more …
Trade union rights in the textile sector: Trade, Industry, Trade Unions and Clean Clothes Campaign Join Forces to Appeal to Government in Bangladesh In a written appeal to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, and the local Association of Textile Companies (BGMEA), the Handelsverband Deutschland (HDE), the Gesamtverband textile+mode, the Campaign for Clean Clothes (CCC) and the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) are committed to upholding international human rights standards in the textile sector. Details Published: 22 February 2017 Read more …
The Clean Clothes Campaign calls for a review of the EU-Bangladesh Tariff Preference System (GSP) following massive labour rights violations #EveryDayCounts Textile trade unionists on strike on 10.02.2017. Photo: © NGWFBonn/Berlin. Since December 2016, many trade unionists and workers in Bangladesh have been arrested and trade union offices have been closed for participating in a peaceful strike to triple wages. In addition, hundreds of workers have been reported as unidentified and over 1,500 workers have been dismissed from factories producing clothing for H&M, Inditex (Zara/Bershka), VF (North Face) and Gap. Bangladesh's textile industry has one of the lowest wages in the region, which hasn't risen in three years despite inflation. Bangladesh benefits from the EU’s ‘Everything But Arms’ trade agreement, which is part of the International Tariff Preference System (GSP) and guarantees duty-free access to the European market for all goods except arms and ammunition for 49 least developed countries, including Bangladesh. But can this tariff relief be granted in the case of a massive violation of elementary rights such as the core labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO)? As Bangladesh is keen to benefit soon from the GSP+, which explicitly links the granting of duty-free status to compliance with social standards, the CCC considers it necessary for the EU to launch a review of Bangladesh's compliance with human rights and the cessation of trade facilitation if labour rights continue to be violated. Details Published: 16 February 2017 Read more …
The Clean Clothes Campaign calls for a review of the EU-Bangladesh Tariff Preference System (GSP) following massive labour rights violations #EveryDayCounts Textile trade unionists on strike on 10.02.2017. Photo: © NGWFBonn/Berlin. Since December 2016, many trade unionists and workers in Bangladesh have been arrested and trade union offices have been closed for participating in a peaceful strike to triple wages. In addition, hundreds of workers have been reported as unidentified and over 1,500 workers have been dismissed from factories producing clothing for H&M, Inditex (Zara/Bershka), VF (North Face) and Gap. Bangladesh's textile industry has one of the lowest wages in the region, which hasn't risen in three years despite inflation. Bangladesh benefits from the EU’s ‘Everything But Arms’ trade agreement, which is part of the International Tariff Preference System (GSP) and guarantees duty-free access to the European market for all goods except arms and ammunition for 49 least developed countries, including Bangladesh. But can this tariff relief be granted in the case of a massive violation of elementary rights such as the core labour standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO)? As Bangladesh is keen to benefit soon from the GSP+, which explicitly links the granting of duty-free status to compliance with social standards, the CCC considers it necessary for the EU to launch a review of Bangladesh's compliance with human rights and the cessation of trade facilitation if labour rights continue to be violated. Details Published: 16 February 2017 Read more …
Far from fair: Clothing industry of Myanmar Amsterdam. After years of sanctions, trade with Myanmar (formerly Burma) is flourishing again. Low wages and favourable economic conditions are attracting garment production to Myanmar. Numerous European brands, including well-known brands such as H&M, C&A and Primark, are taking part in this race to the bottom. in a new report (PDF file of the English summary) detailing the miserable working conditions: Low salaries, massive overtime and child labour are therefore no exception. In the expansion of industry, land rights were also disregarded. SOMO employee Maartje Theuws: “Clothing brands should think twice about whether they really want to produce in Myanmar. The risk of labour rights violations is very high. Companies should make an accurate analysis of all potential problems. Together with their suppliers, they need to identify and manage the risks before placing orders there. However, our research shows that companies do not.” Details Published: 05 February 2017 Read more …
Support the petition – Free Bangladeshi activists from detention! Photo: © Rich LI, lLRFFEMNET supports the petition the International Labour Rights Forum (ILRF), which calls on companies such as H&M, C&A and Inditex to stand up for illegally arrested workers. Workers have been protesting in Bangladesh since December for raising the minimum wage. The strikers organized peaceful marches. But instead of making concessions, the factory owners filed criminal charges against trade unionists and workers. At least 24 activists and workers were arrested. A bail release was refused. Details Published: 26 January 2017 Read more …
Fair Wear Foundation presents innovative guide to living wages: Living Wages: An Explorer’s Notebook Can't we just raise the price of every piece of clothing to make workers earn a little more...? In response to this question, the Fair Wear Foundation is presenting a new publication aimed, among other things, at clothing brands. They often do not quite know where to start and how to introduce living wages. For this reason, FWF has compiled the Explorer's Notebook, which contains a variety of useful tips and examples to help brands take appropriate steps to pay higher wages for workers. Based on case studies, the guide is the first publication of its kind to raise as many questions as it answers about the realisation of living wages. The full Explorer’s Notebook is available as a free download from the Fair Wear Foundation: Living Wages: an Explorer's Notebook (PDF file) Details Published: 06 December 2016
The next phase begins in the Textile Alliance - Our expectations for the members Statement by civil society in the Sustainable Textiles Alliance on the 2016 General Assembly At the end of October, after long, not always easy negotiations, the steering committee gave the starting signal for the next phase of the textile alliance. Civil society in the Textile Alliance welcomes this agreement and sees it as an important first step towards improving working conditions in the value chain. All members now have to create their own implementation targets, so-called roadmaps, by the end of January 2017. The roadmaps will identify the areas where members will gradually commit their suppliers to better working conditions. The roadmaps are therefore central guidelines on what and how much members, especially companies, but also the public sector, are willing to contribute to the textile alliance in the coming period. Details Published: 22 November 2016 Read more …
Critical conference on fashion studies and the apparel industry: Youngsters focus on sustainability, textile alliance is on the brink Düsseldorf. While the fashion managers of tomorrow are increasingly interested in sustainable business, the Alliance for Sustainable Textiles is making slow progress. This was demonstrated by the conference ‘Fair Fashion Works? Corporate Responsibility in Fashion Studies’ in Düsseldorf yesterday and today, organised by the women’s rights organisation FEMNET, itself a member of the Textile Alliance. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) launched the alliance of companies, politics and civil society more than two years ago in order to improve the inhumane production conditions in the textile industry. FairSchnitt Conference 2016 Panel: From left to right: Dr Bernhard Felmberg, BMZ, Niema Movassat (MdB, DIE LINKE), Dr Uwe Mazura (Gesamtverband textile+mode), NGO representative Tim Zahn. Photo:© FEMNET e.V. Details Published: 14 October 2016 Read more …
