© vanngo-ng - pexels.com
Jerseys, shorts and training jackets are rarely suspected of being a risk to the environment. But experts warn: Sports textiles contribute significantly to the loss of biodiversity through microplastics made from synthetic fibres, high pesticide and water consumption in cotton cultivation and the clearing of species-rich forests for viscose. We will talk about this in a webinar to which we cordially invite you.
© drip by drip ⁇ Saikat Barab Shil
“Toxic chemicals from the textile industry threaten not only the environment in Bangladesh, but also the health and livelihoods of millions of people. Through innovative community-based monitoring, those affected in our project are themselves committed to sustainable change in order to make demands on authorities and factories based on collected data. Your top priority: Clean drinking water.’
Daniela Bartsch, Head of Projects Abroad
© World shop Würzburg
Thousands of people have the FEMNET exhibition ‘I'll make your clothes! The strong women from Southeast Asia’ since 2015. For more than four years, the nine portraits of workers from Cambodia and Bangladesh toured all over Germany. With our exhibition project, the distribution of portrait prints ends.
© FEMNET
Just Transition describes a process of change that focuses on both environmental and social justice. For the textile and clothing industry, this means: Away from exploitative working conditions, towards decent work, fair wages and environmentally friendly production. What this change must look like in order to be feasible is the current topic of our educational work.
© newafrica - depositphotos.com
How can sustainable procurement be achieved at the municipal level? In Hamburg, FEMNET, together with Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH) and other stakeholders, has further developed strategies for anchoring eco-social criteria in purchasing. A workshop shows: The will is there – and the knowledge is growing.
Every year in June, many fashion brands are particularly colorful. But is there real solidarity behind the rainbow collections or just marketing?
In the so-called Pride Month, many fashion companies advertise with rainbow flags, ‘Love is Love’ slogans and queer designs. What looks like progress at first glance often turns out to be pinkwashing on closer inspection: The targeted marketing of queer symbols without assuming structural responsibility.
“Because each working day is stressful, I usually cry when I get home from work.” This is how a woman working in Indonesia’s footwear industry described her daily life. On the other side of Asia, a garment worker in Bangalore shared how intense production pressure affects not just her health, but her sleep and appetite.
© FEMNET
Doughnut Economy, Plural Economics, Earth4All – the fashion interACTION Action Meeting on 10 May 2025 was all about alternative economic models that combine social justice and environmental sustainability.
© FEMNET
From 30 April to 4 May 2025, we were able to attend the Evangelical Church Congress in Hanover – and the impressions are still having an impact. For three days, FEMNET was in the Centre of Youth represented with a stand.
The 2024 annual report is entitled 'Together we are strong'. In these challenging times, this commitment is important. It is to be feared that the shift to the right in Europe and Trump as US President will have a negative impact on women's rights. It is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve change as political and financial challenges increase. This makes it all the more important for us, as a civil society, to stick together and stand in solidarity against adversity.
