Workers Rights & Ethics
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Friday, 31 March 2023Survey reveals eco-shopping preferences
SCOTTSDALE – Some 30% of US based consumers would pay premium for sustainably made apparel, according to new findings from a consumer sustainability survey published by Blue Yonder, a digital supply chain company. Other products that respondents… -
Friday, 31 March 2023Turkmenistan urged to end cotton forced labour
ASHGABAT - The Turkmenistan government is being urged to intensify its efforts to eliminate state-imposed forced labour in the cotton industry, by the Cotton Campaign collective of NGOs, trade unions, brands and investors. It comes after a review… -
Friday, 31 March 2023H&M publishes sustainability report 2022
STOCKHOLM – Swedish fashion retailer H&M has published its 2022 sustainability report, outlining its progress towards achieving its targets on reducing its environmental impacts. Highlights of the report include 84% of the retailers' materials being… -
Thursday, 30 March 2023Uniqlo owner latest to withdraw from Myanmar
YANGON - Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing has reportedly become the latest fashion company to withdraw from sourcing in Myanmar because of human rights concerns following the military coup. The Japanese company has removed suppliers in that country from… -
Wednesday, 29 March 2023AAFA, FLA upgrade migrant worker commitment
WASHINGTON D C – The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA) have re-launched and enhanced their joint commitment to responsible recruitment in global supply chains. The Apparel & Footwear Industry… -
Monday, 27 March 2023Brands urged to protect workers in Turkey
GAZIANTEP - Fashion brands and retailers sourcing from the area of Turkey hit by last month's earthquake are being urged by campaigners to act to protect workers in their supply chains. The PayYourWorkers coalition is calling on companies to pay… -
Monday, 27 March 2023Rally demands punishments for Rana Plaza
DHAKA - Protesters have staged a rally at the site of the Rana Plaza disaster demanding punishments for the collapsed building's former owners for their part in the garment industry's worst ever tragedy. The Bangladesh Garment Sramik Samhati (BGSS)… -
Friday, 24 March 2023Californian workers still suffer 'wage theft'
LOS ANGELES – A US Department of Labor survey has found that Californian garment workers producing clothes for major brands and retailers are still being subject to wage theft and illegal pay practices. It comes more than a year after California… -
Thursday, 23 March 2023FLA guidance on living wage transparency
WASHINGTON DC - A new report from the Fair Labor Association (FLA) provides guidelines to help fashion brands and retailers achieve transparency on wages paid to workers in their global supply chains. The FLA says that new mandatory due diligence… -
Monday, 20 March 2023Cambodia to act on forced labour fears
PHNOM PENH - The Cambodian government is tightening regulations on sub-contractors in the garment industry in a bid to eradicate forced labour in the sector. The plans were announced by Commerce Secretary Sok Sopheak at a meeting with the American… -
Friday, 17 March 2023The RSN carries out first YESS assessments
BERKELEY- The Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN) non-profit has carried out the first third party due diligence assessments of its YESS (Yarn Ethically and Sustainably Sourced) project to eliminate forced labour in the cotton industry. The… -
Friday, 17 March 2023Researchers create free forced labour platform
SHEFFIELD / BOSTON - Researchers at two universities in Britain and the US have teamed up to create a free forced labour data hub which companies can use to help keep their supply chains free of modern slavery risks. The collaboration between Laura… -
Monday, 13 March 2023Primark says axed Myanmar workers will be paid
YANGON - Retailer Primark says that 2,200 garment workers who lost their jobs when two of its suppliers in Myanmar closed without notice should this week receive all unpaid wages and severance payments they are owed. Primark says it has been working… -
Monday, 13 March 2023Avery Dennison teams up with UNICEF
GLENDALE – Materials science company Avery Dennison has teamed up with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to support the Mothers@Work Programme, an initiative which promotes maternity rights and childcare support to women garment workers in… -
Friday, 10 March 2023
Fashion homeworkers 'paid less than min wage'
PORT LOUIS - Nine out of 10 women working from home in the apparel industry in India, Nepal and Pakistan earn less than the minimum wage, according to a new study from the HomeNet South Asia network. The organisation, which represents homeworkers… -
Thursday, 09 March 2023Bangladesh study asks where are the women?
DHAKA - A new study explores a dramatic decline in the number of women working in Bangladesh's garment industry. Women have traditionally formed the majority of the workforce in Bangladesh which is the world's second biggest exporter of garments,… -
Wednesday, 08 March 2023Garment manufacturers refute report allegations
COLOMBO – Sri Lankan garment factory owners have refuted campaigners' claims that their workers were wrongly being denied an emergency allowance intended to help them survive the country's economic crisis. The Joint Apparel Association Forum Sri… -
Wednesday, 08 March 2023Carbios joins the Ellen MacArthur Foundation
CLERMONT –FERRAND - Recycling innovator Carbios has announced it has joined the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Network. The Network aligns stakeholders from across the industry and supports their ambitions of promoting circularity and sustainability… -
Tuesday, 07 March 2023Cambodia moves to support garment workers
PHNOM PENH - The Cambodian government is launching a scheme in partnership with textile and garment factory owners to provide financial support to workers who have been laid off because of the economic downturn. Prime Minister Hun Sen has reportedly… -
Monday, 06 March 2023SAF event to focus on sustainable production
DHAKA - Opportunities for sustainable clothing production in Bangladesh will be highlighted as part of the upcoming Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) event on 16th March. SAF 2023 brings together clothing manufacturers, government officials and policy… -
Friday, 03 March 2023Bangladesh to review garment worker pay
DHAKA - A tripartite board has been set up in Bangladesh to review the minimum wage of garment workers who are reportedly struggling to make ends meet amidst spiralling inflation. The minimum wage for garment workers in the country has been BDT8,000… -
Friday, 03 March 2023Unions and NGOs lodge complaint against Nike
WASHINGTON DC - Trade unions and workers' rights NGOs have submitted a formal complaint accusing sportswear giant Nike's of violating OECD guidelines in its treatment of garment workers in its supply chain. A total of 20 unions from Cambodia, India,… -
Friday, 03 March 2023Report accuses brands of allowance theft
AMSTERDAM – Garment workers in Sri Lanka have not been receiving an emergency allowance which is supposed to help them survive the country's economic crisis, according to a new report. The report from the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) claims that… -
Wednesday, 01 March 2023SAC releases major update to Higg BRM tool
AMSTERDAM - The Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) has today released a major update to the Higg Brand & Retail Module (BRM) - one of the five assessment tools in the Higg Index. The SAC says the update follows rigorous consultation with its… -
Thursday, 23 February 2023Framework for a responsible exit from Myanmar
YANGON - The IndustriALL global union and a number of garment brands still sourcing from Myanmar have jointly developed a framework for a responsible exit from the country. IndustriALL has previously urged all brands to completely withdraw from… -
Wednesday, 22 February 2023REI bans PFAS in all textile products
SEATTLE – Leading outdoor retailer REI has announced it is to ban per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from all textile products. The ban, which also affects cookware products, comes in a major update to REI's 'Product Impact Standards' for… -
Wednesday, 22 February 2023Bid to improve factory safety in Sri Lanka
COLOMBO - Sri Lanka's apparel sector is working with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to improve safety in the country's garment factories. The Better Work Sri Lanka programme of the ILO and… -
Tuesday, 21 February 2023Bluesign partners with MAS Fabrics Intimo
COLOMBO – MAS Fabrics Intimo, a subsidiary of MAS Holdings, has become Asia’s first seamless textile mill to become a Bluesign system partner. The Sri Lankan company said the move would bring it closer to its 2025 chemical management ambitions and… -
Thursday, 16 February 2023More than 30 brands now back Pakistan Accord
KARACHI - More than 30 major fashion companies have now joined the new Pakistan Accord garment factory safety programme launched in December by the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. The 33 brands and… -
Tuesday, 14 February 2023Fashion climate group outlines challenges
BONN – Members of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action met last week in Germany to discuss how to work together to drive down emissions in the fashion sector – which is proving to be a huge challenge. Speaking at the two-day meeting,… -
Friday, 10 February 2023US senators raise Shein forced labour fears
WASHINGTON DC - Three US senators have written to Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant Shein to express concern over the possible use of forced labour cotton from China's Xinjiang region in its products. Senators Bill Cassidy, Elizabeth Warren and… -
Thursday, 09 February 2023Canadian brands 'unaware' of child labour risks
OTTAWA - Canadian brands and retailers have "limited awareness" of child labour risks in their global supply chains, according to a new report from the Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE). The study, which involved interviews… -
Tuesday, 07 February 2023
Haitian garment workers share $1m PVH payout
PORT-AU-PRINCE - More than 1,100 garment workers are sharing a US$1 million payout from Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein owner PVH following the closure of their factory a year ago. PVH, one of several brands which sourced from the Vald’or factory in… -
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 2023
Brands 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…
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