Femnet e.V.

News & Press Releases - Living Wage now!

07 October 2020 Research Finds Exploitation in the Fashion Industry

No living wages, overtime and gender discrimination. The report:Light into the dark: A Look at Exploitation in the Fashion Industry“ (PDF file) of the Clean Clothes Campaign highlights the need for a supply chain law.

The report uses the latest data from the Online tool FashionChecker How little German fashion companies really pay their workers.

The company survey shows that Not a single company pays a living wage to all workers in its supply chain. The Corona pandemic has exacerbated the situation for workers due to wage losses and job losses, as countless brand companies Orders cancelled and demanded rebates from suppliers.

The Clean Clothes Campaign is featured in the report. results from company surveys and field research in production countries from 2019 and 2020 together: 108 brand and retail companies from 14 countries received questionnaires, 490 workers from China, India, Indonesia, Ukraine and Croatia gave interviews and showed their pay slips.

The results presented in the report show the strong contrast between the claims of fashion brands and the reality of life of workers in producing countries. This also applies to the textile companies examined from Germany, including brands from the higher price segment such as Hugo Boss, which also produce in Europe for starvation wages, but also brands such as adidas and online retailer Zalando, which recorded more than 20 percent sales in the course of the corona crisis than in the previous year.

Excessive overtime, complex payroll and discrimination

Despite excessive overtime of over 100 hours per month, only two of the 490 workers surveyed earn a living wage, but both had two jobs at the same time. The study also highlights gender discrimination based on wages. In India, women earn an average of 12% less than men. As part of the company survey, not a single brand surveyed provided evidence or public information on gender pay gaps in their supply chain.

“The failure of German companies to comply with their human rights obligations is inextricably linked to a lack of transparency. This applies in particular to data that indicate human rights violations. Companies hardly publish information on how much workers earn, how this is related to the gender of the workforce or whether there are unions in the factories", explains Sina Marx of FEMNET (member organisation of the Clean Clothes Campaign).

The findings published in the Light in the Dark report underline the need for transparent reporting on working conditions in global supply chains to implement living wages across the industry. They show that companies do not voluntarily pay attention to decent work in their supply chains.

"This is why we finally need a law that will oblige German companies in the future not to produce products abroad in violation of human rights, which is what we demand, as well as consumers," says Sina Marx. ‘Who wants to wear a T-shirt sewn by a starving woman?’

Background:

The report: “Light in the Dark: A Look at Exploitation in the Fashion Industry” (PDF file) contains the www.fashionchecker.org/de published research results. The online tool published in 2020 reveals where and how clothing was made.

The report is accompanied by a new video showing how the COVID-19 crisis is affecting textile workers and how consumers can become active:

Press contact:

Anne Munzert
FEMNET e.V.
Tel.: 0175 - 84 655 60
Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Sina Marx
FEMNET e.V.
Tel: 0163 - 871 21 71
Mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

FEMNET e.V.

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.

Clean Clothes Campaign CCC

The Clean Clothes Campaign is a network of 250 organizations around the world dedicated to the rights of workers in the supply chains of the international fashion industry. We want to promote an improvement in working and living conditions for employees in the textile, sports, shoe & leather industry worldwide.

For more information, see: www.saubere-kleidung.de