Pressemeldungen - Unternehmensverantwortung & Lieferkettengesetz 09 January 2018 70,000 people ask Armani and Primark to reveal where they have their clothes made Handover of the protest signatures in Hong Kong to Armani representatives on 09.01.2018. Photo: © CCC Hong Kong70,000 people are appealing to major clothing brands and retailers Armani, Primark, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 and Walmart to make transparency their New Year's resolution and publish the factories that produce their clothes. Throughout January, activists from the luxury brand Armani and the low-cost manufacturer Primark will hand over golden gift boxes with signatures in major European cities. Other brands may also expect signatures on their doorsteps at any time. The golden gift boxes with the signatures are the culmination of Human Rights Watch's global #GoTransparent campaign, the Clean Clothes Campaign and the International Labor Rights Forum. The campaign introduced a minimum global standard for transparency in the clothing sector – the ‘Apparel And Footwear Supply Chain Transparency Pledge’ and convinced 17 brands to publish information about their supplier factories, including addresses and number of workers. The #GoTransparent campaign was aimed primarily at the five brand companies Armani, Primark, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21 and Walmart, which are considered to be particularly secretive about their supply chain data and rejected a commitment to a more transparent supply chain and the signing of the Transparency Pledge. The information the Transparency Pledge wants to disclose is essential for workers and activists to alert brand companies to labour rights violations in their supply chains. Transparency in supply chains helps to prevent such dramatic conditions as after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh in 2013, when workers and activists searched the ruins for sew-ins and signs with references to the brand companies. They had to risk their lives to uncover who was responsible for the tragedy. The five companies mentioned seem to be lagging behind the increasing trend towards greater transparency in the apparel industry. A decade ago, universities in the U.S. began demanding more transparency from the manufacturers of their university clothing. More and more global brand companies are taking the necessary steps to take into account the international standards of a transparent supply chain. Some brands that previously did not disclose information decided to implement the Transparency Pledge 100% in 2017, including ASICS, ASOS, Clarks, New Look, Next and the Pentland Brands. ASOS summarises the motives of these brands: “All roads point towards transparency. If our behaviour in the fashion industry is not good enough to tell our consumers about it, then it is simply not good enough.” Ben Vanpeperstraete from the Clean Clothes Campaign says: “Any brand that refuses to share information about its supply chain should be a red cloth for consumers. What are these brands hiding? Do you know where your clothes come from? When brand companies take the necessary steps to prevent labour abuse in the supply chains, they should have a strong interest in communicating detailed information about their factories and workers who produce the clothing to the public as well.” Contact: Gisela Burckhardt, FEMNET, Clean Clothes Campaign, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +49 1520 1774080 Ben Vanpeperstraete, Clean Clothes Campaign, bThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., +32 473557053. Background: The current movement for a transparent supply chain is reflected in new global initiatives, such as the European Parliament's request for a "Flagship Initiative in the Garment Industry“ from April 2017 again. Transparent supply chains and due diligence obligations are required here. Also in April 2017, 97 European civil society organisations sent an appeal to the European Commission for more transparency in the clothing industry. In addition, shoe manufacturers were called upon to show more transparency in the Change Your Shoes campaign by labour rights organisations from Europe and Asia. Notes for editors: Signature handovers are planned in January 2018 in the following cities, among others: Amsterdam (Primark, Forever 21), Antwerp (Armani, Urban Outfitters), Brussels (Primark), Hanover (Armani, Primark), Hong Kong (Armani), Istanbul (Armani), Mannheim (Primark), Münster (Primark) and Zagreb (Armani). The 17 brands that signed the Transparency Pledge are adidas, ASICS, ASOS, C&A, Clarks, Cotton On Group, Esprit, G-Star RAW, H&M Group, Hanesbrands, Levis, Lindex, New Look, Next, Nike, Patagonia and Pentland Brands. The text of petition #GoTransparent is addressed to Walmart, Urban Outfitters, Forever 21, Armani and Primark is available on change.org/gotransparent. The Study ‘Follow the Thread’, which introduces the Transparency Pledge in April 2017. The Transparency Pledge is supported by the following organisations: Human Rights Watch, Clean Clothes Campaign, the International Corporate Accountability Roundtable, International Labour Rights Forum, the Workers Rights Consortium, the Maquila Solidarity Network, IndustriALL Global Union, UNI Global Union and the International Trade Union Confederation. This alliance of human rights and labour organisations, as well as trade unions, is currently reviewing whether the signatory brand companies are complying with their obligations. On January 10, 2018, the Italian Clean Clothes Campaign ‘Abiti Puliti’ Together with the Filctem-CGIL trade union, organise a discussion on transparency in the clothing industry in Florence, capital of Italian high-end fashion. The event will bring together government and industry representatives to discuss the wider need for transparency across the industry, including major luxury brands that have so far remained silent on the topic.
