U-turn of the FDP in the EU supply chain law puts credibility of Germany at risk Berlin. In today's Bureau decision, the FDP announced its intention to stop the EU Supply Chain Act. The FDP is thus positioning itself against the compromise reached by the EU Council and the European Parliament in December 2023. Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) had significantly shaped the negotiating position of the Federal Government and supported it until the end. Johannes Heeg, spokesperson of the civil society alliance “Initiative Supply Chain Law”, commented. Details Category: Lieferkettengesetz Published: 15 January 2024 Read more …
© Eva Beyer Supply Chain Act has an impact: Fashion brands respond to indications of labour rights violations Joint press release by FEMNET , ECCHR and Rosa Luxemburg Foundation. Berlin, Bonn, Karachi. New research by Pakistani trade unions National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) and HomeBased Women Worker’s Federation (HBWWF) and the German human rights organisations FEMNET and ECCHR show that even the minimum wage is often not paid in the supply chains of German companies: The report: "No contracts, no rights: How the fashion industry is cheating its workers on minimum wages Exposes alarming labour rights violations in textile factories in Pakistan that have been ongoing for years and calls for immediate action by fashion brands. The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG), which entered into force on 1 January 2023, requires companies to ensure compliance with labour rights in their value chains. For this reason, the authors of the study informed those companies named by the workers surveyed, which are covered by the new law, about the labour rights violations committed by their producers in Pakistan. While many of the brands have not yet taken effective action, the law has been instrumental in ensuring that some companies now take responsibility for their due diligence obligations. Details Category: Lieferkettengesetz Published: 07 December 2023 Read more …
© Scukrov - iStockphotos.com Sustainable textile purchasing as the key to a climate-neutral health sector Joint press release from FEMNET and Global Nature Fund (GNF) Bonn. The German health sector contributes significantly to the environmental impact and is responsible for a considerable 5 percent of national greenhouse gas emissions. A critical analysis shows that about 60 percent of these emissions are caused by the prescription of drugs and another 23 percent by the purchasing sector. This also includes work clothes and bed linen. The Fair Wear Works project by FEMNET and the Global Nature Fund (GNF) starts right here and offers demand-oriented workshops for healthcare institutions. Details Category: Nachhaltiger Textileinkauf für den Privatsektor Published: 30 November 2023 Read more …
© NGWF Ongoing violence in Bangladesh - Companies in the Textiles Partnership must finally show their colours Joint press release by FEMNET, SÜDWIND Institute, INKOTA network and HEJSupport The recently set minimum wage in Bangladesh for garment workers at 12,500 taka per month (106 euros) continues to lead to protests and riots. Workers are deliberately injured, abducted, wrongfully charged, imprisoned, imprisoned or even killed. However, there has been no concrete support for the trade unions' demands for a higher minimum wage from purchasing companies so far. Until 26.11.2023 is now the last opportunity to take an effective position. Details Category: Existenzlohn jetzt! Faire Löhne für Textilarbeiter*innen Published: 21 November 2023 Read more …
© Anastasia Shuraeva - Pexels.com Fair Friday instead of Black Friday: "Fair Wear Works" and "Sport Handel Fair" call for commitment from sports clubs Joint press release from Global Nature Fund and FEMNET Fair Wear Works and Sporthandel Fair call on sports clubs to turn Black Friday into Fair Friday and to discount only sustainably produced fan articles. FC St. Pauli leads by example and participates in Fair Friday. The ‘Fair Wear Works’ project supports sports clubs and regional sports associations in making their textile purchases sustainable. Details Category: Nachhaltiger Textileinkauf für den Privatsektor Published: 21 November 2023 Read more …
© CCC New minimum wage in Bangladesh equals starvation wage Joint press release by FEMNET and the Clean Clothes Campaign Bonn/Berlin. The government of Bangladesh on Tuesday set the new minimum wage for the country's 4.4 million garment workers at 12,500 taka per month (106 euros). The amount is far below the 23,000 taka demanded by trade unions. According to studies, this amount is necessary for a decent life in Bangladesh. Although many fashion brands say they are committed to living wages, few support the unions' demand. For workers in the garment sector, the new minimum wage means that they will continue to struggle to survive and will be forced to work excessive overtime, take out loans, skip meals or even send their children to work instead of school. Details Category: Existenzlohn jetzt! Faire Löhne für Textilarbeiter*innen Published: 09 November 2023 Read more …
© Friends of the Earth Europe European Parliament votes in favour of supply chain law: Milestone for human rights, environment and climate protection In February 2022, the European Commission presented its proposal for the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) to protect human rights and the environment. The position of the Council of Ministers followed in December 2022. In months of negotiations, the committees of the European Parliament have formulated a compromise, which was put to the vote and adopted on 1 June. Details Category: Lieferkettengesetz Published: 01 June 2023 Read more …
First complaint case filed under German Supply Chain Act Joint press release by FEMNET, NGWF and ECCHR "10 years after Rana Plaza, there are still factories in Bangladesh that produce clothing for international companies such as Amazon, IKEA or Tom Tailor, where there are hardly any security controls. We can no longer accept that," says Amirul Haque Amin, President and Co-Founder of the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF). FEMNET, ECCHR and NGWF submit the first complaint against Amazon and IKEA to a German authority, the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA), on the basis of the Supply Chain Act, which entered into force in January 2023. This is based on a research carried out by the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) in Bangladesh in March 2023, which identified safety deficiencies such as lack of inspections, but also other labour rights violations such as lack of trade union freedom. Details Category: Lieferkettengesetz Published: 24 April 2023 Read more …
© SOUTH WIND Focus on gender-responsive health: One year multi-stakeholder initiative in the apparel and footwear sector Joint press release by FEMNET and SÜDWIND Occupational safety and health is more than just the maintenance of machinery. This is one of the first messages highlighted by the project team of the Multi-Actor Initiative on Gender Equality in Occupational Health and Safety. Details Category: Gendergerechter Gesundheitsschutz Published: 18 January 2023 Read more …
© Initiative Supply Chain Act Handing over of petitions: 90,000 people call for strong EU supply chain law - NGO alliance criticises German government's position 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. Details Category: Lieferkettengesetz Published: 06 December 2022 Read more …
Supply Chain Act – now German companies must deliver: Human rights organizations threaten to complain about textile companies neglecting safety in factories Joint press release by 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. Details Category: Lieferkettengesetz Published: 24 November 2022 Read more …
© andresr - istock.com Sustainable textile procurement for companies? Conference of the Global Nature Fund, FEMNET and Schäder Foundation Joint press release by the Global Nature Fund (GNF), FEMNET and the Schäder Foundation Bonn. Workwear, bedding or fabric bags – companies are wholesalers of textiles. At the same time, textiles are at the heart of the sustainability debate. How can the purchasing of this product group be made socially and ecologically sustainable and make its contribution as part of a company-wide sustainability strategy? In order to raise public awareness of the relevance and feasibility of this lever for more global justice, Global Nature Fund and FEMNET, in cooperation with the Schäder Foundation, invite representatives from business, science and politics to Darmstadt. The conference discusses the challenges and opportunities of sustainable textile procurement, examines detection systems, presents best practice examples of previous companies and offers practical support for its own implementation. Be there too! Details Category: Nachhaltiger Textileinkauf für den Privatsektor Published: 30 August 2022 Read more …
