Femnet e.V.

Pressemeldungen - Unternehmensverantwortung & Lieferkettengesetz

07 January 2021 ‘The green button’: German state metaseal does not guarantee human rights protection

Joint press release by FEMNET e.V. and Public Eye

Zurich/Lausanne, Bonn. FEMNET and Public Eye have jointly analyzed the reporting of fashion companies whose products are certified with the "Green Button" of the German Ministry of Development. The sobering result one year after the start of the Green Button: Public reporting by many companies is inadequate. Standard and testing process have shortcomings, so that the Green Button does not deliver in practice, which many of them promise: Clothes and textiles produced without exploitation or pollution. Sealers and seal holders urgently need to improve.

The "Green Button" launched by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in September 2019 has raised high expectations. For T-shirts, caps or bed linen bearing the official seal, consumers should be sure that these textiles were produced ‘socially’ and ‘ecologically’. But also that the companies behind it carry out their human rights due diligence obligations. Specifically, the BMZ requires companies to assess human rights risks along their supply chain, take effective measures against them if necessary, report on them publicly and have complaint options for potentially affected parties.

According to these company criteria, Public Eye and FEMNET have investigated the public communications of 31 "green button" companies. Most companies report only superficially on the risks in their supply chain. Only just eight address specific human rights risks in their respective producing countries or the risks posed by their purchasing practices. Only two companies report on the extent and severity of the risk of missing living wages and the associated risk of poverty of their seamstresses. Two thirds of companies do not perceive gender-based violence in the factory as a human rights violation and therefore do not take any action against it. The situation is similarly gloomy with regard to the freedom of trade unions, which is often not guaranteed in the countries of production, without which even the most elementary labour rights cannot be enforced. Complaint mechanisms are weak.

In view of these disturbing findings, the BMZ, as the seal and guarantor, must act quickly to prevent greenwashing with the Green Button. Companies that only partially meet key human rights criteria or announce their implementation only for the future may not be certified with a green button. It is also problematic that product certificates are accepted as proof of due diligence obligations. It is also unacceptable that there is no evidence of compliance with product-related social criteria for products manufactured in the EU. "Made in Europe" is unfortunately no longer a guarantee for decent working and manufacturing conditions.

Press contact

Dr. Gisela Burckhardt, FEMNET, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., Tel.: 0152 01774080

 

 

FEMNET

FEMNET is a non-profit women's rights organization based in Bonn. Founded in 2007, the association advocates for better working conditions in the clothing industry of the global South, where much of the clothing used in the West is sewn. FEMNET requires companies to comply with social standards along the entire supply chain, for which the policy should create binding rules. Women in India and Bangladesh support FEMNET through a mutual legal assistance fund. In addition, the association supports partner organizations in the work against violence against women in the workplace and for better childcare in textile factories. In Germany, FEMNET conducts educational work at universities and schools, advises cities and municipalities on the purchase of fair workwear and provides information on seals and fair-produced clothing.

PUBLIC EYE

Through research and campaigns, Public Eye works for a fairer world and fights against human rights violations that originated in Switzerland.
Public Eye coordinates the Clean Clothes Campaign in Switzerland. www.publiceye.ch