Workers Rights & Ethics
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Thursday, 29 August 2024New report calls for a low-carbon textile sector
TAMPA - With the textile industry responsible for over 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions and production rates increasing in many countries, there is a need to adopt cleaner, more efficient, and low-carbon technologies to mitigate climate… -
Tuesday, 27 August 2024H&M updates union agreement on worker rights
GLOBAL - Swedish fashion giant H&M has updated its agreement with the IndustriALL global union and the Swedish trade union IF Metall to protect the interests of more than one million garment workers. It says the updated global framework agreement… -
Tuesday, 27 August 2024UK shoe brand to implement digital passports
KETTERING - UK shoe brand, Loake Brothers has partnered with Buyerdock to integrate a digital product passport (DPP) system across its entire product range. Once implemented, each Loake product will feature a Buyerdock-powered DPP which the company… -
Wednesday, 21 August 2024Pakistan Accord briefs factories on safety
KARACHI - Garment and textile factory owners in Pakistan recently attended a briefing on the roll out of the Pakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry (Pakistan Accord). Nearly 130 brands have now signed up for the… -
Wednesday, 21 August 2024Call for responsible sourcing in Bangladesh
DHAKA - Nine multi-stakeholder organisations have issued a joint statement calling for responsible behaviour from brands sourcing from Bangladesh following the overthrow of the government. Amfori, Cascale, Ethical Trade Denmark, Ethical Trade… -
Monday, 19 August 2024ILO bid to boost green textile jobs in Turkey
ANKARA - The International Labour Organization (ILO) has linked up with a women-led social enterprise in Turkey for a project to promote more sustainable textiles and decent work opportunities. The Turkish office of the ILO is providing technical… -
Friday, 16 August 2024New resource to enhance supply chain diligence
LONDON - The KnowTheChain initiative has published its 2024 Good Practice Guide, a new reference aimed at helping companies from the apparel and footwear sector ensure they are operating within ethical supply chains. The guide is described as a… -
Friday, 16 August 2024Report assesses Canada modern slavery legislation
SYDNEY - Australian NGO Fair Supply has published a research paper examining the effectiveness of Canada’s recently introduced legislation aimed at identifying forced labour and child labour in the country’s supply chains. The paper delves into the… -
Thursday, 15 August 2024Higg BRM tool augments EU reporting obligations
AMSTERDAM - Cascale, formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, has published a new research paper that details how the organisation’s Higg Brand & Retail Module (BRM) can help companies meet their regulatory reporting obligations under European… -
Wednesday, 14 August 2024New minimum wage talks underway in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH - Negotiations are underway in Cambodia on setting a new minimum wage for garment workers for next year. Workers will be hoping for a significant increase in the current minimum wage of $204 per month in the sector, which also includes… -
Wednesday, 14 August 2024Campaigners urge Best&Less to sign the Accord
RHODES - Worker rights campaigners today presented a 85,000-name petition to Australian apparel retailer Best&Less urging the company to sign up to the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. ActionAid… -
Tuesday, 13 August 2024Supply chain assessment non-profits team up
HONG KONG – Supplier assessment non-profit Ethical Supply Chain Program (ESCP) has partnered with supply chain mapping platform Open Supply Hub (OSH) to add almost 700 certified factories to the OSH digital map. The ESCP says data from the… -
Monday, 12 August 2024Garment workers make new plea in Bangladesh
DHAKA - Garment workers' leaders in Bangladesh have presented a demand for improved pay and conditions to the country's new interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus. The Sramik Samhati (Bangladesh Garment Workers'… -
Wednesday, 07 August 2024Messages of support for crisis-hit Bangladesh
DHAKA - Swedish retail giant H&M, one of the biggest fashion companies sourcing from Bangladesh, has pledged to maintain a close dialogue with its suppliers and not to seek discounts for orders delayed by the current crisis. It comes as garment… -
Tuesday, 06 August 2024
ETI issues advice to brands on Bangladesh
DHAKA - The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) has posted advice for companies sourcing from Bangladesh during the current crisis which has seen hundreds of deaths and the resignation of the Prime Minister. Many garment factories and textile mills… -
Tuesday, 06 August 2024FLA and GFA link up on supply chain wages
WASHINGTON DC - The Fair Labor Association (FLA) has linked up with the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) in a bid to raise the bar on fair compensation and living wages in global fashion supply chains. FLA and GFA renewed their agreement to collaborate… -
Monday, 05 August 2024Bangladesh factories close amidst violence
DHAKA - Many garment factories and textile mills in Bangladesh have temporarily closed their gates due to ongoing violent protests which have led Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee the country. About 250 people have so far been killed… -
Friday, 26 July 2024Workers at risk of heat stress, ILO warns
GENEVA – Increasing numbers of workers, including those in the global textile and clothing supply chain, are being exposed to heat stress. The new data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) also warns that regions previously unaccustomed… -
Friday, 26 July 2024Lululemon facing further greenwashing probe
PARIS - Environmental advocacy organisation Stand.earth has launched further legal action against Canadian athleticwear brand Lululemon over environmental claims made in its marketing campaigns. Filed with the French Directorate General for… -
Thursday, 25 July 2024New online sustainability course launched in India
NEW DELHI – India’s Apparel Made-Ups and Home Furnishing Sector Skill Council (AMHSSC) has teamed up with chemical management specialist Bluesign to launch an online course titled “Foundation to Apparel Sustainability”. Described as a… -
Thursday, 25 July 2024IndustriALL urges action on Bangladesh wages
GENEVA - The IndustriALL global trade union has reiterated its call to the government of Bangladesh to ensure that the recent minimum wage ruling is effectively implemented across the country’s garment manufacturing sector. It has also called for… -
Friday, 19 July 2024Target supplier workers win pay battle
GUATEMALA CITY - Workers at a Guatemelan garment factory, who were laid off in 2013 and then later rehired in 2015 without compensation, have won back $300,000 in back pay they were legally due. It follows the interventions of the Worker Rights… -
Friday, 19 July 2024Protests target Nike on supply worker pay
WASHINGTON DC - Workers' rights campaigners have been staging protests across the US calling on sportswear giant Nike to ensure fair pay and conditions for the garment workers who make its products. The demonstrations of support for garment workers… -
Thursday, 18 July 2024Armani, Dior face probe after worker claims
ROME - Italy's competition watchdog is investigating if Armani and Dior misled consumers following inquiries by prosecutors into worker exploitation at suppliers of the two luxury fashion houses. The Italian Competition Authority (AGCM) is focusing… -
Wednesday, 17 July 2024Heatwave support trialled for informal garment workers
AHMEDABAD – Over 46,000 members of SEWA (Self Employed Women’s Association) in India, many of whom are informal garment workers who complete long hours at home rather than in factories, have taken part in a pilot scheme offering financial support to… -
Wednesday, 17 July 2024ILO director-general labels Uzbekistan a ‘role model’
TASHKENT – Positive talks and several agreements struck between the International Labour Organization (ILO) and political leadership of Uzbekistan has led the ILO’s director-general to hail the country as a “role model” for its work to eliminate… -
Wednesday, 17 July 2024$1.1m recovered from LA garment contractors
LOS ANGELES – The US Department of Labor (DOL) has recovered more than $1.1 million in back wages and damages from a Los Angeles garment contractor that deliberately denied overtime wages to its employees. The DOL is now actively trying to locate… -
Tuesday, 16 July 2024AAFA/FLA call on Cambodia to cancel NGO audit
PHNOM PENH - The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) are calling on the Cambodian government to call off an investigation into an NGO which criticised a garment factory watchdog. It comes as officers… -
Thursday, 11 July 2024Major companies 'succumb to greenhushing'
LONDON / NEW YORK - Six out of 10 major companies are underselling their sustainability efforts for fear of being accused of greenwashing, according to a new study. Data insights company Connected Impact and data science specialist Ringer Sciences… -
Tuesday, 09 July 2024Digital technology ‘can tackle slavery’ – report
MANCHESTER – The UK garment industry must better utilise digital technology to combat modern slavery in global supply chains, according to a new report by academics at the University of Manchester. Researchers called for urgent attention from… -
Friday, 05 July 2024Canada launches textile waste consultation
QUEBEC – The Canadian government has launched a public consultation to address plastic waste and pollution from the textile and apparel sector. Outlining a number of measures the government could implement, Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment… -
Friday, 05 July 2024Major companies 'failing on social impacts'
AMSTERDAM - Nine out of 10 of the world’s most influential companies are failing on human rights, decent work and ethical conduct - but apparel and footwear is the best performing sector, according to a new study. The World Benchmarking Alliance's… -
Thursday, 04 July 2024Campaigners accuse ASICS over jailed worker
KOBE – Japanese sportswear brand ASICS has been accused by workers' rights campaigners of standing by while a garment worker at one of its Cambodian supply factories was jailed for forming a trade union. The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) claims… -
Friday, 28 June 2024Cascale scope expands as membership grows
SAN FRANCISCO – Cascale, formerly the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, saw its membership grow to 302 from across 34 countries in 2023, up from 257 the previous year, with the new members including retailers, brands, manufacturers, governments, and… -
Wednesday, 26 June 2024Brands urged to back under fire Cambodian NGO
PHNOM PENH - Workers' rights campaigners in Cambodia who accused a factory watchdog of failing to protect garment workers are now reportedly under attack themselves from pro-government unions. The Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights… -
Wednesday, 26 June 2024Garment workers protest for basic rations
DHAKA - Garment workers in Bangladesh are staging protests in industrial areas calling for ration cards because they say their wages are not sufficient to pay for food and other basic needs. The minimum wage for the country's garment workers… -
Tuesday, 25 June 2024Solidaridad report urges action for cotton workers
UTRECHT - The Solidaridad international organisation has published a new paper highlighting adverse working conditions in the global cotton supply chain, including poverty, forced and child labour, and the impact of pesticides on the health and… -
Monday, 24 June 2024IndustriALL event outlines threats to garment workers
GENEVA - Workers from across the global garment sector face significant changes due to climate change and the twin green and digital transitions, a conference has heard. The challenges facing textile workers and what is needed to ensure a just… -
Friday, 21 June 2024Date confirmed for Australia clothing stewardship scheme
SYDNEY – Australia’s new clothing product stewardship scheme will begin on the 1st July, environment minister Tanya Plibersek has announced. The ‘Seamless’ scheme aims to make Australian clothing circular by 2030, with a $0.03 (A$0.04) per garment… -
Thursday, 20 June 2024UNECE conference provides update on field trials
MILAN – The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has provided an update on the three-year progress of its ‘Sustainability Pledge’ project to highlight ongoing challenges and solutions in adopting a supply-chain-wide traceability… -
Wednesday, 19 June 2024Brands 'failing on freedom of association'
GLOBAL - Fashion brands are failing to fulfil commitments to freedom of association and collective bargaining in their supply countries in South and Southeast Asia, according to new research today. The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC)… -
Monday, 17 June 2024Ellen MacArthur Foundation urges EPR action
COWES - The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has published a new report in which it outlines why mandatory, fee-based extended producer responsibility (EPR) is essential to building a global circular economy for textiles. The report, ‘Pushing the… -
Thursday, 13 June 2024LVMH subsidiary linked to worker abuse
MILAN - An Italian subsidiary of French luxury giant LVMH has been put under court administration over allegations it sub-contracted work to Chinese-owned firms which mistreated workers. The Milan court ordered manufacturer Dior, which is fully… -
Wednesday, 12 June 2024New report shows workers’ rights declining
BRUSSELS – A new report has again identified major textile and garment-producing countries, including Bangladesh, Turkey, Myanmar and Guatemala, among the worst 10 in the world for workers’ rights. The International Trade Union Confederation’s… -
Tuesday, 11 June 2024Sourcing where human rights are under threat
GLOBAL - Companies sourcing from countries and regions where human rights are under extreme pressure are being offered guidance in a new report from the Joint Ethical Trading Initiatives. Entitled 'Human rights due diligence in challenging… -
Friday, 07 June 2024Cambodian factory watchdog 'failing workers'
PHNOM PENH - The Better Factories Cambodia (BFC) initiative's role as watchdog of the country's garment industry is at risk due to failures to uncover breaches of workers' rights, according to a new report. Entitled 'Barriers to Representation:… -
Friday, 07 June 2024Apparel Impact Institute widens grant programme
SAN FRANCISCO - The Apparel Impact Institute (Aii), which works with brands and factories to reduce the environmental and social impact of the fashion and textiles industry, is to launch the second round of its climate solutions portfolio (CSP)… -
Wednesday, 29 May 2024Fair Wear and SLCP target improved working conditions
AMSTERDAM - The Fair Wear Foundation and the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) have announced a new partnership which will see Fair Wear use SLCP data in their human rights due diligence (HRDD) facilitation hub in a bid to eliminate audit… -
Wednesday, 29 May 2024Euratex and IndustriALL team up on social partnerships
BRUSSELS - Textile and clothing industry body Euratex and global trade union IndustriAll Europe have teamed up to launch Stitch Together, a Europe-wide two-year project to promote social partnerships in the European textiles and clothing industry.… -
Tuesday, 28 May 2024Amazon joins Life and Building Safety initiative
SEATTLE - Online retail giant Amazon has joined the Life and Building Safety (LABS) programme which works to fostering safer working conditions and sustainable practices within the global apparel, footwear and accessories supply chain. LABS is run…
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