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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

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

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

Illustration: Assembly line with worker and technician

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

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

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

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

Bonn, Cologne, Berlin. Forced labour in China? Low wages in Ukraine? Lack of progress on climate protection? These and other questions must be asked by the fashion company Hugo Boss at its upcoming Annual General Meeting on May 24 by FEMNET, the umbrella association of critical shareholders and the campaign for clean clothing (CCC Germany).

Details: Category: Unternehmensverantwortung; Published: 20 May 2022

On the occasion of the upcoming Zalando Annual General Meeting on 18 May 2022, FEMNET is asking critical questions to the online retailer.

Details: Category: Unternehmensverantwortung; Published: 16 May 2022

The state elections in North Rhine-Westphalia will take place on 15 May 2022. Almost all political parties have defined climate protection, environmental protection and social justice as goals of their policies. An important lever for achieving these goals is sustainable public procurement in the country and especially in the cities and municipalities in North Rhine-Westphalia. By signing the call, we want to send a clear signal that it is time to take effective policy action to achieve these goals.

Details: Category: Öffentliche Beschaffung; Published: 04 May 2022

Joint press release

Bonn/Cologne. April 24th is the world's most important day of action for fair fashion and the conclusion of the global action week Fashion Revolution Week. It will take place on the anniversary of the collapse of the ‘Rana Plaza’ building with several textile factories in Bangladesh in 2013. The Bonn-based women's rights organisation FEMNET e.V. therefore invites you to the Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum (RJM) Cologne on Sunday, 24 April 2022 to conclude its solidarity and education campaign #eintshirtzumleben. At the same time, this marks the culmination of their cooperation in the context of the sustainability theme series ‘Rethink Fashion!’.

Details: Category: FEMNET-Pressemitteilungen; Published: 12 April 2022

Joint press release from Global Nature Fund (GNF) and FEMNET

Purchasing is an essential aspect of a company's sustainability strategy. A club of the German Ice Hockey League is currently showing how companies can align it in a contemporary way: On Sports Day, the DEL-Club Adler Mannheim, supported by the FAIR WEAR WORKS project with its decision for sustainable procurement, is setting an example for improving working conditions and reducing the environmental impact of textile production along the supply chain.

Details: Category: Nachhaltiger Textileinkauf für den Privatsektor; Published: 05 April 2022

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Press Center

New minimum wage in Bangladesh equals starvation wage

European Parliament votes in favour of supply chain law: Milestone for human rights, environment and climate protection

First complaint case filed under German Supply Chain Act

Focus on gender-responsive health: One year multi-stakeholder initiative in the apparel and footwear sector

Handing over of petitions: 90,000 people call for strong EU supply chain law - NGO alliance criticises German government's position

Supply Chain Act – now German companies must deliver: Human rights organizations threaten to complain about textile companies neglecting safety in factories

Sustainable textile procurement for companies? Conference of the Global Nature Fund, FEMNET and Schäder Foundation

Critical questions about Hugo Boss's shareholders' meeting: Does the company use cotton from Xinjiang despite forced labour?

As Zalando's profits rise, workers in producing countries lose their jobs without compensation

Call “Implementing sustainable public procurement in NRW!”

Highlight of Fashion Revolution Week and thematic series ‘Rethink Fashion!’: Invitation to the exhibition #eintshirtzumleben and Fairlosung of sustainable T-shirt art

Eagles fly on sustainability: Mannheim Ice Hockey Club is committed to eco-fair merchandising

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