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Globally, supply chains are collapsing due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the face of factory closures, wage losses, rising food prices and strict curfews, the situation for precariously employed textile workers is becoming increasingly severe. FEMNET has set up an emergency fund to protect themselves and their families and ensure their existence. In India, FEMNET's partner organizations have started distributing food.

Details: Category: FEMNET-Pressemitteilungen; Published: 11 April 2020

Press release of the Supply Chain Act initiative, an alliance of which FEMNET is a member

Berlin. Time and again, German companies are involved in human rights violations and environmental destruction along their supply chains. In order to prevent this, Federal Development Minister Müller and Federal Labour Minister Heil had already promised in December to publish key points for a supply chain law. According to the editorial network Germany (RND), the Federal Chancellery has prevented the publication of the key points planned for today. The Supply Chain Act initiative calls on the federal government to fulfil its obligations under the coalition agreement and finally to advance the legislative process for a supply chain law.

Details: Category: Lieferkettengesetz; Published: 10 March 2020

Workers' organisation protests against sexual harassment and violence in the workplace on 7 February 2020 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. © Taslima Akter

Bonn, Germany and Dhaka, Bangladesh, 8 March 2020. From economic exploitation to domestic violence, from sexual harassment by supervisors and prerogatives to rape in the workplace, violence and harassment are brutal everyday life for many women in Bangladesh. States and companies are not using their options to protect women from assault. FEMNET and its partner organisations call for the immediate ratification and effective implementation of international conventions for the protection of women in global supply chains.

Details: Category: Gegen Gewalt an Textilarbeiterinnen; Published: 08 March 2020

FEMNET publishes studies on working conditions in India and Tunisia

Extremely low wages, fixed-term contracts and the suppression of trade unions: Occupational clothing is intended to protect employees, but in manufacturing the working conditions are as precarious as in the fashion industry. Research commissioned by FEMNET in Indian and Tunisian factories shows: European brands accept that national labour laws and international core labour standards are trampled on in their suppliers.

Details: Category: FEMNET-Pressemitteilungen; Published: 20 February 2020

Joint PRESS RELEASE by Initiative Supply Chain Act, CorA Network, ECCHR, BUND

Berlin. A supply chain law in Germany is feasible – for companies as well as for legislators. This is shown by a legal opinion of the Initiative Supply Chain Act, prepared by legal experts of the alliance with the support of lawyer Robert Grabosch. Such a law is intended to oblige companies in Germany to better protect people and the environment in their global business.

Details: Category: Lieferkettengesetz; Published: 12 February 2020

FEMNET has published the most important results of a new study in German

Textile companies have made great progress in recent years in disclosing information about their supply chains. This is shown in a report published in December 2019 by an alliance of trade unions, human rights groups and labour rights initiatives, including the Clean Clothes Campaign.
The short version has been translated into German by FEMNET. The report is an update of the 2017 company survey.

Details: Category: Unternehmensverantwortung; Published: 13 January 2020

Social audits are designed to monitor and ensure compliance with human rights at work. However, as a control tool, this approach has failed. This is documented in the report ‘FIG LEAF FOR FASHION - How social auditing protects brands and fails workers’ of the Clean Clothes Campaign: The multi-billion-dollar, private-sector certification and audit industry systematically protects the reputation and profits of the contracting companies instead of the rights of workers.

Details: Category: Unternehmensverantwortung; Published: 12 November 2019

Fair fashion show on Bonn's Münsterplatz at the Rundum Fair. © Tam Tran

Bonn. "All-round fair" will take place on Saturday, September 28, at Münsterplatz: As part of Fair Week 2019, an alliance of initiatives and associations invites you to a public fair breakfast from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fairly traded coffee, tea, spreads and many other delicacies await visitors, as well as the presentation of fair-produced clothing at a fashion show as a highlight.

Details: Category: FEMNET-Pressemitteilungen; Published: 23 September 2019

Berlin / Bonn. Today's presentation of the new ‘Green Button’ textile label by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) uses civil society in the Textile Alliance to determine a critical location. The members of the civil society alliance criticise the fact that the Green Button, like the Textile Alliance, is only a voluntary measure. However, there is an urgent need for a law that makes human rights, environmental and anti-corruption due diligence mandatory for all companies. This law must form the basis for social, ecological and economic sustainability. Voluntary measures such as the Green Button and an improved textile alliance could build on this.

Details: Category: Unternehmensverantwortung; Published: 09 September 2019

Details: Category: Unternehmensverantwortung; Published: 09 September 2019

Bonn / Berlin. The civil society organisations in the Textile Alliance criticise the roadmaps and progress reports of the member companies in the alliance. In its current form, these are not meaningful and poorly comparable. The roadmaps also showed that many companies are still at the very beginning when it comes to living wages. In addition, better working conditions in supply chains could be achieved if companies cooperate more frequently. On Monday, the Textile Alliance published roadmaps and progress reports of its members. In it, they show what measures they want to take in the field of human rights and ecology in textile production for the next year and whether planned measures were implemented in the previous year.

Details: Category: Unternehmensverantwortung; Published: 13 August 2019

Bonn. The Fair Trade Town Bonn is richer by one consumer temple. On 13.08. the fashion giant Primark opens in front of the main station with cheap clothes on 8000m2. But really cheap here is only the business model: What the commodity actually costs people and the environment, the prices do not reflect. FEMNET and Bonn im Wandel call on the day of the opening to talk about mass consumption and the future of the city. More than 20 organisations are already supporting the campaign ‘Better living without Primark’.

The Alliance's appeal is against waste, pollution and human rights violations. With information stands and changing clothes, FEMNET and Bonn are showing that things can be different. From 10 a.m., visitors can expect a colourful program in Poststraße. Politicians, organisations and citizens are invited to join the “Live better without Primark-Talk” and talk about better concepts of urban development.

Details: Category: FEMNET-Pressemitteilungen; Published: 08 August 2019

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Press Center

Corona Emergency Fund: Quick help for seamstresses in India and Bangladesh

Merkel and Altmaier stop push for supply chain law - human rights and environmental protection can no longer wait

Study on sexual harassment of seamstresses in textile factories: Legislation needed to protect women in the workplace

Well protected? Exploitation for European workwear

FEMNET publishes studies on working conditions in India and Tunisia

Business and human rights: Legal experts present requirements for supply chain law

Transparency in the clothing sector is growing – but many companies in the textile alliance continue to refuse

The failure of TÜV and Co: Social audits protect companies and leave workers in the lurch

Fair breakfast, fair fashion and change of clothes at Münsterplatz

Civil society in the Textile Alliance: Green button just another voluntary measure alongside a weak textile alliance

Civil society in the Textile Alliance: Green button just another voluntary measure alongside a weak textile alliance

Civil society in the textile alliance criticizes companies' roadmaps as uninformative

Live better without Primark - Creative promotions and dress swap party for the opening of the fashion giant

More Articles …