Workers Rights & Ethics
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Thursday, 02 February 2023ASOS bid to combat modern slavery in India
LONDON – Online retailer ASOS has linked up with workers' rights non-profit GoodWeave International in a bid to stamp out child, forced and bonded labour in its Indian supply chain. ASOS’s Indian suppliers will be required to undergo audits and… -
Thursday, 02 February 2023Brands urged to reassess Myanmar sourcing
YANGON - Two years on from the military coup in Myanmar, the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) has renewed its call on brands and retailers still sourcing from the country to reassess the human rights implications of their actions. ETI executive… -
Wednesday, 01 February 2023Cotton farmers 'could help protect workers'
BRISBANE - Cotton farmers could do more to help prevent worker exploitation in the global garment industry, according to a new report funded by Australia's Cotton Research and Development Corporation. The study, by academics at the Queensland… -
Tuesday, 31 January 2023Remake urges brands to adopt 'buyer codes'
SAN FRANCISCO – The Remake workers’ rights NGO says that fashion brands and retailers should sign up to 'buyer codes of conduct' to protect the human rights of workers in their global supply chains. Many fashion companies have adopted supplier code… -
Wednesday, 25 January 2023Labour exploitation risks in Canadian imports
MISSISSAUGA — Canadian imports of apparel suspected to have been made with forced and child labour have increased by 67 per cent over the last decade to Can$10.7 billion (US$8m) a year, according to a new report. World Vision Canada's Supply Chain… -
Tuesday, 24 January 2023Brands 'failing to protect Myanmar workers'
YANGON - Fashion brands are failing to protect the workers who make their clothes in Myanmar from labour and human rights abuses ranging from inhumane working conditions and wage theft to violence, arbitrary arrest and even murder, according to a… -
Tuesday, 24 January 2023
Top brands confirm backing for Pakistan Accord
KARACHI - Leading global brands on the steering committee of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry have confirmed their commitment to a new programme in Pakistan. H&M, Zara owner Inditex, Bestseller, C&A,… -
Saturday, 21 January 2023Court bid fails to stop UK imports of Xinjiang cotton
LONDON – The British High Court has ruled against human rights campaigners that said the UK authorities were allowing the import of cotton textiles made in the Xinjiang region of China that are associated with forced labour. The case against the UK… -
Friday, 20 January 2023Union hails collective bargaining progress in India
PUNE – IndustriALL Global Union has praised the “healthy industrial relations” on show in India’s Pune region which resulted in nine collective bargaining agreements being struck with multinational companies throughout 2022, including one with Avery… -
Wednesday, 11 January 2023Police quiz human rights NGO over rap video
PHNOM PENH - A Cambodian human rights NGO has been questioned by police over the sharing of a music video that features a deadly government crackdown of a garment workers’ protest in 2014. The Licadho civil society organisation shared rapper Kea… -
Tuesday, 10 January 2023
US and Japan launch forced labour task force
WASHINGTON DC - The US and Japan have announced the formation of a task force aimed at protecting human rights in supply chains amid concerns about China's treatment of Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang region which produces a fifth of the world's… -
Monday, 09 January 2023
Purchasing practices 'linked to worker abuses'
ARLINGTON – New research from the Better Buying Institute (BBI) claims to confirm a link between fashion brands' purchasing practices and human rights violations in supply chain factories. Buyer purchasing practices have the most known impacts on… -
Monday, 19 December 2022Supply chain migrant garment workers sue Tesco
MAE SOT - Supermarket giant Tesco is facing a landmark legal case from former migrant garment workers at a Thai factory in its supply chain who claim they were made to work 99-hour weeks for illegally low pay in dangerous conditions. A total of 130… -
Wednesday, 14 December 2022
International Accord to expand to Pakistan
KARACHI - The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry has announced plans to establish a new comprehensive workplace health and safety programme in Pakistan. The International Accord was set up by global… -
Tuesday, 13 December 2022Sourcemap partners Kharon on forced labour
NEW YORK – Traceability solutions provider Sourcemap has partnered with risk intelligence company Kharon to help companies avoid forced labour risks in their supply chains and stay onside of new legislation. It means Sourcemap's customers, which… -
Friday, 09 December 2022
Homes torched under Myanmar military junta
YANGON – The IndustriALL global trade union and the Industrial Workers’ Federation of Myanmar (IWFM) have urged brands and retailers to “stop feeding the military with business” after soldiers reportedly torched the homes of scores of workers.… -
Friday, 09 December 2022
Kik signs up to its own Accord in Pakistan
KARACHI: German discount clothing chain Kik has created its own version of the International Accord for Safety and Health in the Textile and Garment Industry to protect garment workers in Pakistan. The International Accord makes its 187 signatory… -
Friday, 09 December 2022Sri Lankan garment workers 'face crisis'
COLOMBO - Sri Lanka's economic crisis has left garment workers who make clothes for some of the world's biggest brands facing "in work poverty" and unable to meet basic needs, according to campaigners. The War on Want social justice charity,… -
Tuesday, 29 November 2022Anti-corruption NGO quits textiles partnership
BERLIN - The Transparency International NGO has left the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (GPST) because it says the multi-stakeholder organisation is failing to prioritise anti-corruption due diligence. Transparency International Germany… -
Thursday, 24 November 2022Fashion encouraged to engage social enterprises
BERLIN – A new report from German organisation Yunus Social Business says that brands and retailers could accelerate work towards their ESG (environmental, social and governance) targets by collaborating with social enterprises as suppliers. Whilst… -
Thursday, 24 November 2022More brands urged to back International Accord
DHAKA - Workers' rights campaigners are marking the 10th anniversary of Bangladesh's deadliest factory fire by urging more brands to sign up to the International Accord for Safety and Health in the Textile and Garment Industry. More than 180 brands… -
Monday, 21 November 2022Cambodia 'used pandemic to restrict unions'
PHNOM PENH - The Cambodian government used the COVID-19 pandemic to block the right to strike in the garment industry, jail union activists and restrict union formation, according to a new report from the Human Rights Watch NGO. Entitled 'Only… -
Friday, 18 November 2022IFC supports Sri Lankan worker programme
COLOMBO – The Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF), Sri Lanka’s garment manufacturing body, has teamed up with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to implement the latter’s Respectful Workplaces Programme across the nation’s apparel… -
Tuesday, 15 November 2022Deaths 'highlight need to expand Accord to Pakistan'
KARACHI - Workers' rights campaigners are calling for plans to expand the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry to Pakistan to be sped up on the back of new accident figures. The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC)… -
Tuesday, 15 November 2022Human Rights Watch takes aim at supplier audits
BRUSSELS – Human Rights Watch has published a new report in which it says that audits and certifications for suppliers in industries including fashion aren’t sufficient in measuring social and environmental due diligence. The organisation points to… -
Monday, 14 November 2022Madagascan workers take stand against harassment
ANTANANARIVO – Garment workers in Madagascar are encouraging their peers to unionise in a bid to eradicate gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH). Inspired by training on the International Labour Organization’s Convention 190, factory staff at… -
Friday, 11 November 2022Uzbek cotton harvest 'shows risks remain'
TASHKENT – Human rights concerns remain in Uzbekistan's cotton industry, including the risk of forced labour, according to the preliminary findings of independent civil society monitoring of this year's harvest. The study, by the Uzbek Forum for… -
Thursday, 10 November 2022IndustriALL launches gender equality task force
GENEVA – The IndustriALL Global Union has announced the formation of a gender equality task force which will look to drive change in the apparel, mining and electronics sectors. The body’s first priority will be to develop a policy capable of… -
Tuesday, 08 November 2022IndustriALL calls out ‘anti-worker’ action in Bangladesh
DHAKA – Workers’ rights non-profit IndustriALL has urged the government of Bangladesh to make “sincere efforts” to embark on a labour law reform in line with the demands of the International Labour Organization (ILO). In 2019, the ILO requested that… -
Monday, 07 November 2022
Brands 'enter into talks on Myanmar exit'
YANGON - The IndustriALL global trade union has revealed that it has entered into discussions with brands on a responsible exit from Myanmar because of the deteriorating human rights situation. IndustriALL, which recently urged all western fashion… -
Friday, 04 November 2022Bid to share worker treatment with consumers
RALEIGH - Academics at a US university are setting up a new simplified system for sharing information on working conditions in apparel factories with consumers. A multi-disciplinary research team at North Carolina State University is developing the… -
Thursday, 03 November 2022Adidas supplier 'sacked striking workers'
YANGON - A Myanmar garment manufacturer which supplies sportswear giant Adidas has allegedly sacked 39 trade union members, who led a strike over pay and conditions, and called in the military. About 2,000 workers reportedly went on strike at the… -
Wednesday, 02 November 2022
Oeko-Tex tool assesses due diligence compliance
ZÜRICH – Oeko-Tex has launched a new ‘Responsible Business’ tool in a bid to support brands, retailers and traders in the textile and leather sectors with due diligence compliance. Based on a range of international policies with additional focus on… -
Friday, 28 October 2022Eight out of 10 'at risk of modern slavery'
BATH - Eight out of 10 people globally live in areas rated as being at high or extreme risk of modern slavery, according to a new report from global supply chain risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft. The company says its findings show how hard it will… -
Monday, 24 October 2022Sri Lanka’s Labour Ministry urged to support workers
COLOMBO – Workers’ rights organisations including Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and Labour Behind the Label have urged Sri Lanka’s authorities to meet with trade unions to establish mechanisms that will protect workers at a time of political chaos.… -
Thursday, 20 October 2022Campaign targets Adidas on workers' rights
GLOBAL - Sportswear giant Adidas is being targeted by the 'Pay Your Workers' campaign in a series of protests over supply chain workers' rights which will next week be staged in more than 20 cities around the world. Pay Your Workers, which claims… -
Monday, 17 October 2022Shein garment workers 'toil 18 hour days'
NANJING - Garment workers in factories which supply fast fashion giant Shein are working 18-hour days with only one day off a month in exchange for less than US$600, according to a new report. An undercover investigation by British broadcaster… -
Monday, 17 October 2022ACT reports on purchasing progress of brands
BERLIN - The ACT initiative has released a new report which explores major fashion companies' progress on purchasing practices from the perspectives of both their own employees and their suppliers. ACT is an agreement between 19 global brands -… -
Thursday, 13 October 2022UK companies 'too reliant on carbon offsets'
LONDON - British businesses are increasingly using carbon offsets to mask insufficient efforts to reduce their own greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, according to a new report from the Climate Change Committee (CCC). Too many companies in the UK are… -
Tuesday, 11 October 2022Garment workers exploited in union crackdown
GLOBAL - The right to freedom of association and collective bargaining is under attack in major garment producing countries in Asia, according to new research by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC). Researchers interviewed 24 trade… -
Thursday, 06 October 2022US bid to improve lot of Uzbek cotton workers
WASHINGTON – The US Department of Labor has awarded a US$2 million grant to help improve working conditions and prevent forced and child labour in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry. Administered by the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB), the… -
Thursday, 06 October 2022
Leicester MP concerned for city’s garment workers
LEICESTER – A Labour MP has expressed concerns for garment workers in Leicester amid suggestions that the British government is set to cut red tape for businesses with fewer than 500 employees. Speaking at a recent event, Chief Secretary to the… -
Wednesday, 05 October 2022
Hanesbrands bails out Haitian garment workers
WINSTON-SALEM – Apparel company Hanesbrands has paid out US$330,000 to compensate more than 800 garment workers in Haiti after the closure of their factory threatened to leave them in poverty. Hanesbrands, which owns brands including Champion,… -
Monday, 03 October 2022
New US list highlights forced labour risks
WASHINGTON DC - Uzbekistan cotton has been taken off the Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) list of goods believed to be made with forced or child labour - but garments and textiles from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ghana have been added.… -
Thursday, 29 September 2022Textile unions campaign for social protection
MENA - Textile unions in Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia, Egypt and Palestine have launched a campaign to fight for social protection and better health and safety standards in the region’s textile, garment, shoes and leather (TGSL) factories. Unions in the… -
Monday, 26 September 2022YESS launches standards to tackle forced labour
BERKELEY - The YESS (Yarn Ethically and Sustainably Sourced) project to eliminate forced labour in the cotton industry has released its first standard for fabric mills and updated its standard for spinning mills. The YESS Standard for Fabric Mills:… -
Wednesday, 21 September 2022Minimum wage hike agreed for Cambodia
PHNOM PENH – The minimum wage for garment, footwear and textile workers in Cambodia is to rise to US$200 a month next year, following negotiations between factory owners, trade unions and government officials. Unions had been demanding a US$21 rise… -
Tuesday, 20 September 2022
Tool shows stagnated garment worker wages
AMSTERDAM - Workers' rights campaigners have launched new data which they say highlights how supply chain garment workers are becoming worse off as their wages are eroded by soaring inflation. The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) has added new data to… -
Tuesday, 20 September 2022IndustriALL urges brands to leave Myanmar
YANGON - The IndustriALL global trade union has written to brands and retailers sourcing from Myanmar urging them to begin negotiations on a responsible exit following a major study into the human rights implications of continuing to do business in… -
Wednesday, 14 September 2022
50 million people in modern slavery - report
GENEVA – Fifty million people were living in modern slavery last year, according to a new joint report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), Walk Free and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The report says that 28…
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