Femnet e.V.

This report is an investigation into the supply chains of three major shoe brands: Tod’s, Prada and Geox. The purpose is twofold: on one hand it aims to analyse their production strategies, while at the same time it aims to provide a snapshot of the working conditions existing in various points along global supply chains. From this point of view, the report can be considered as the continuation of the investigation conducted in 2015 by Change Your Shoes, which asked 23 major shoes brands, among the most influential in Europe, how they ensure the respect of workers’ rights in their supply chains. The responses, analysed according to the authoritative framework provided by the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, were published in the report entitled Trampling workers rights underfoot in which Italian companies were positioned in the lower section of the ranking: Tod’s and Ferragamo did not even respond to the questionnaire, while Prada and Geox provided only minimal evidence to demonstrate that they apply serious policies to ensure compliance with human rights. There was therefore a need to understand why some brands did not respond and a more in-depth exploration of the information provided to verify the substance of that information. 

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Presentation highlighting the wage gap in the garment and shoe industry in Central, East and South East Europe. There is a dramatic gap between the actual wages garment workers receive and the cost of living in Central, East and South East Europe. The implementation of labour laws is failing and having a detrimental impact on workers’ lives.

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Many businesses in the Netherlands have outsourced their production to countries outside the European Union. These are countries where human rights, worker health and safety, environmental protection and animal rights may be at risk. Dutch companies are obliged to avoid these risks under international guidelines and agreements such as the United Nations’ Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, the OECD’s Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and the ILO’s fundamental labour standards. Under the OECD Guidelines, for example, businesses must investigate the extent to which they could be implicated in human rights, environmental or animal welfare violations. This is known as due diligence. Problems in emerging markets in the developing world are often so complex that there is very little one company can achieve alone. That is why a broad coalition of partners has signed the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile. They include industry associations, trade unions, NGOs, and the National Government of the Netherlands Commitment. The businesses and organisations that sign the agreement commit themselves to fighting discrimination, child labour and forced labour. They also undertake to support a living wage, health and safety standards for workers, and the right of independent trade unions to negotiate. In addition, they will do everything in their power to reduce the negative impact of their activities on the environment, to prevent animal abuse, to reduce the amount of water, energy and chemicals that they use, and to produce less chemical waste and waste water. Transparency is a critical factor when it comes to identifying risks and working together to make improvements. One of the first steps was for the participating companies to share their production sites, an aggregated list of which has been made available. They also agreed on the project method. Results. The aim is for at least 50% of the Dutch garment and textile sector to support the agreement by 2018, and 80% by 2021. We intend to see an improvement in working conditions and/or wages in textile-producing businesses as well as in animal welfare and environmental protection. More and more garments and textiles will be produced under better and safer conditions, and a growing number of shops will be able to meet the consumer demand for fair and sustainable products.

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Global garment brands and retailers are continuously looking for cheap(er) production locations; as a result speed and low costs have become important requirements for manufacturers. Rising minimum wages in countries such as China and Vietnam have led to a shift in production, first to Bangladesh, later to Myanmar and now Ethiopia is said to become the next hub for textile and apparel sourcing. Mondiaal FNV commissioned SOMO to conduct a short mapping (‘Quick Scan’) of the Ethiopian garment industry. The aim of the requested Quick Scan was to identify which international brands and retailers are currently sourcing garments from Ethiopia as well as the linkages that exist between the Ethiopian garment industry and the Dutch market. Mondiaal FNV is working together with CNV and the Fair Wear Foundation in a five year partnership with the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2016-2020). One of the countries the partnership will focus on is Ethiopia, where the organisations intend to work together with local partners to stimulate social dialogue, to establish a living wage and to reduce gender discrimination.

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Der englischsprachige Report untersucht 12 europäische Qualitäts- und Prüfsiegel hinsichtlich der zugrundeliegenden sozialen und ökologischen Kriterien und bewertet diese. Geprüft wurden unter anderem die deutschen Siegel Blauer Engel, IVN Naturleder, das ECARF-Qualitätssiegel und SG SchadstoffGeprüft. Dieser Report unterstützt Konsument_innen in ihrer Kaufentscheidung. Zugleich soll er auch eine Handreichung für europäischen Marken und Unternehmen sein und sie bei der Entscheidung unterstützen, welcher Initiative oder Monitoring Organisation sie beitreten sollen.

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