Femnet e.V.

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and amplified inequities and instabilities within the global garment supply chains feeding United Kingdom (UK), United States (US), Canadian, and European Union (EU) consumer markets. In March 2020, as lockdowns were imposed and consumer demand for clothes plummeted, MNCs cancelled orders and refused to pay for apparel that had already been produced.1 Even as governments made vast public funds available to help them weather disruption and shocks, many MNCs continued to eschew contractual obligations and transfer losses and risks onto their supply chain partners overseas.

The key aims of the research are to:
1) understand and compare whether, to what extent, and how the Covid-19 pandemic is deepening worker vulnerability to forced labour (Ethiopia, Honduras, India, and Myanmar)
2) determine and compare how company and government responses to the pandemic are shaping patterns of inequity within the garment supply chain
3) investigate how governance in global garment supply chains has changed during the pandemic and with what consequences for workers and companies
To explore these questions, the research complied a new primary dataset between September 2020 and April 2021, consisting of:

• Quantitative digital survey of workers in Ethiopia, Honduras, India, and Myanmar
• Interviews with workers in Ethiopia, Honduras, and India
• Expert interviews
• Database of 2020/2021 annual financial statements and sustainability reports and government information about pandemic business financing and assistance and social protection

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The Organic Cotton Market Report provides a unique analysis of key data and emerging trends in organic cotton production at global, regional, and country levels. Each year, the report uses data from the previous harvest season and insights from industry insiders to shed light on current issues and priorities for the organic cotton sector.

Textile Exchange has collected data and insights on the global production of certified organic cotton for over 15 years and remains the only organization to do so. We believe such information is critical in facilitating growth of the sector and therefore also in facilitating progress towards Textile Exchange’s 2030 Climate+ goal. The report allows companies to make informed sourcing decisions, discover new sourcing destinations, hear from others in the sector, and address current supply chain challenges.

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As one of the biggest drivers of climate pollution, fashion companies must move decisively to break their dependence on fossil fuels, spurring the rapid transition to renewable energy and fossil free fabrics we need to safeguard a livable future.

The fossil free fashion score card is a tool which shows the performance of different brands regarding climate apsects in their suppy chains.

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The negative economic and public health shocks of COVID-19 are reverberating in Ethiopia, and in particular in the country’s garment and textile sector.

A global collapse in demand for garments has been witnessed since the first quarter of 2020, following measures by governments to slow the spread of the pandemic. Restrictions on movement and economic activity has produced widespread retail closures and effects throughout supply chains, including prompting factory production suspensions and workforce layoffs. Cancellation of orders has left some garment manufacturers unable to pay workers as required.
A survey among Ethiopian manufacturers in April revealed the average capacity utilization rate had decreased by 30 per cent in Q1 2020 relative to the same period in 2019. Fully half of management respondents in the same survey said they expected employee layoffs in the second quarter of the year. Ethiopia has yet to reach its expected peak of COVID-19 infections, but the pandemic has accelerated in the country. As of the first week in June, the World Health Organization stated that there have been over 2,000 confirmed cases of the virus in the country. Factories are on high alert with regard to efforts to prevent, contain, and address fallout from the spread of the disease. As yet, no clusters of cases have been reported in major industrial zones in the country.

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Ethiopia is a promising country for the future of apparel manufacture, looking at its youthful population of 110 million, its rapid development with an anticipated continued annual GDP growth rate of 8%, low labour costs and preferential conditions in trade with the U.S. and the EU. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the textile and garment sector is growing and so is its export.

However, the country also offers challenges, both commercial and in terms of environmental sustainability and ethical business behaviour. Cotton, fabrics and accessories need to be imported. Import/export regulations are complicated and time consuming. Workers are relatively untrained and unskilled and efficiency is very low. In addition, there is worry among stakeholders and (potential) buyers about issues such as living wage and the freedom of association in Ethiopia.
The overall objective of the report is to describe the comparative benefits and risks (SCP and commercial) of sourcing textile garments from Ethiopia. The aim is to inform potential buyers of the current status of the industry; it does not aim for scientific precision.

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