Workers Rights & Ethics
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Tuesday, 19 September 2023Aii reveals grant recipients
SAN FRANCISCO - The non-profit Apparel Impact Institute (Aii) has revealed the first five beneficiaries of grants from its Fashion Climate Fund - supported by Target, Lululemon, H&M and the Schmidt Family Foundation - to help meet the industry's… -
Friday, 15 September 2023Audits 'inadequate' to protect workers, report
LONDON - Human Rights Watch says the social audits and certifications that brands and retailers rely on to monitor threats to workers trying to organise independent trade unions are "totally inadequate". It follows an analysis of standard social… -
Thursday, 14 September 2023Brands back minimum wage demands in Bangladesh
DHAKA - Leading brands and retailers, including H&M, Inditex and Primark, have joined calls for a substantial increase in the minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh. Members of the Action, Collaboration, Transformation (ACT) initiative have… -
Tuesday, 12 September 2023Investors urge Nike to pay garment workers
EUGENE - Nike is being pressured by a group of investors who are urging the sportswear giant to pay compensation to supply chain workers who lost their jobs in Cambodia and Thailand. They want the company to pay $2.2 million to make up for unpaid… -
Tuesday, 12 September 2023Better Buying launches compliance tracker
DELAWARE - The Better Buying industry initiative has launched its first annual commercial compliance tracker report, which measures how much brands and retailers comply with the minimum levels of performance set by manufacturers and the terms of… -
Monday, 11 September 2023Clean Clothes urges brands to join Pakistan Accord
KARACHI - The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) has marked the 11th anniversary of a fire in a Pakistan garment factory to urge brands to sign up to the Pakistan Accord. More than 250 workers were killed in a fire at the Ali Enterprises garment factory… -
Friday, 08 September 2023Bank faces complaint over Uzbek cotton producer
BERLIN - A formal complaint has been lodged against the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) over loans to one of Uzbekistan’s largest cotton producers which has been accused of human rights violations and land grabs. The Uzbek… -
Thursday, 07 September 2023IndustriALL in Ethiopian garment workers plea
TIGRAY - The IndustriALL global trade union is calling for the restoration of Ethiopia's trading privileges which were lost as a result of human rights issues during the civil war which ended last year. It claims former garment workers and their… -
Wednesday, 06 September 2023'Supplier cascade' to accelerate decarbonisation
NEW YORK - Global nonprofit The We Mean Business Coalition has launched the Supplier Cascade programme to assist business across a range of industries, including apparel and textiles, accelerate the pace at which they reduce their Scope 3 emissions.… -
Friday, 01 September 2023SAC and Textile Exchange welcome eco-consultancy
NEW YORK — WSP, the US-based environment, engineering and professional services consultancy, has joined the Sustainable Apparel Coalition and the Textile Exchange. WSP, which counts a number of apparel retailers and brands amongst its clients, said… -
Thursday, 31 August 2023New concerns for Bangladesh garment workers
DHAKA – Hundreds of export-oriented ready-made garment (RMG) factories in Bangladesh are still “not under the purview of any inspection mechanism at present”, according to the Bangladesh Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD). During a press briefing for… -
Wednesday, 30 August 2023
NGOs back pay rise for garment workers
DHAKA - A coalition of five NGOs is calling for an increase in the minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh which they say is currently well below the cost of living. The Ethical Trading Institute (ETI), Amfori, Fair Labor Association (FLA),… -
Friday, 25 August 2023More brands face forced labour investigations
OTTAWA - Fashion brands Hugo Boss and Diesel, as well as retail giant Walmart, are the latest companies to find themselves under invesigation in Canada for alleged supply chain links to forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China. Sheri… -
Thursday, 24 August 2023Fairtrade and B Lab target improved due diligence
LONDON - The Fairtrade Foundation has partnered with global nonprofit B Lab on a new guide to support small companies in their human rights and environmental due diligence. The guide, ‘People and planet in business – A simple guide to how small and… -
Wednesday, 23 August 2023Next, Superdry urged to pay laid off workers
YANGON - Workers rights campaigners are urging fashion companies Next and Superdry to honour $500,000 said to be owed to Cambodian garment workers after their factory closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labour Behind the Label initiative says… -
Tuesday, 22 August 2023Walmart probes use of prison labour in Cambodia
PHNOM PENH - Retail giants Walmart and fashion company Centric Brands are investigating allegations that inmates at Cambodia's largest women's prison were forced to produce garments for export. The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA)… -
Tuesday, 22 August 2023NGOs link up on child and forced labour
WASHINGTON DC / AMSTERDAM - Workers' rights non-profits GoodWeave International and the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) have joined forces to highlight child and forced labour in hidden and informal parts of apparel and textile supply chains. The… -
Friday, 18 August 2023H&M confirms plans to withdraw from Myanmar
YANGON - Swedish fashion giant H&M has announced that it is to stop sourcing from Myanmar following a new report which outlined 20 worker abuse allegations at factories in its supply chain. Earlier this week, H&M promised to investigate after it was… -
Friday, 18 August 2023Ralph Lauren faces forced labour investigation
OTTAWA - The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) is to investigate fashion brand Ralph Lauren for allegedly benefitting from forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China. It follows a complaint from a coalition of 28 civil… -
Wednesday, 16 August 2023Brands urged to increase diligence in Myanmar
YANGON - Brands still sourcing from Myanmar need to conduct heightened human rights due diligence and plan to responsibly withdraw from the country if that is not possible, according to a new report from the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre… -
Wednesday, 16 August 2023Podcast: Time fashion gets tough on Turkmen forced labour?
WAKEFIELD – The latest report from Cotton Campaign insists the time has come for the fashion industry to act conclusively on forced labour in Turkmen cotton fields, with human rights lawyer and researcher Allison Gill telling Ecotextile Talks that… -
Friday, 11 August 2023Better Cotton targets child labour in Pakistan
RAHIM YAR KHAN - The Better Cotton initiative has linked up with the SearchForJustice not-for-profit in a new project aimed at reducing child labour in Pakistan. The 18-month programme aims to prevent, identify and remediate child labour in cotton… -
Thursday, 10 August 2023Exiled leader condemns Myanmar unions offer
YANGON - An exiled Myanmar trade union leader has condemned a statement from the country's ruling military junta in which it appeared to hold out a promise of free trade unions for workers. Khaing Zar Aung, the president of the Industrial Workers'… -
Thursday, 10 August 2023US, Mexico act on union busting denim factory
WASHINGTON DC / AGUASCALIENTES - The US and Mexico have agreed on a course of remediation at a denim factory in Mexico where garment workers had accused their employer of union-busting. The action, at the Industrias del Interior (INISA) factory in… -
Tuesday, 08 August 2023Amazon and Kohl's miss SBTi target commitments
LONDON - US retailers Amazon and Kohl's, Inc. have so far failed to set the science-based emissions reduction targets they previously committed to in line with their pledges to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). The two retail giants are… -
Tuesday, 08 August 2023AAFA urges Bangladesh to tackle labour issues
DHAKA - The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) has called on the Bangladesh government to address issues surrounding garment workers' welfare whilst also raising concerns over fair pay issues. Outlining the strong relationship between… -
Tuesday, 08 August 202350 garment workers hurt as truck overturns
PHNOM PENH - More than 50 garment workers have been injured after an overcrowded truck taking them to work overturned in Cambodia where campaigns have been launched to cut road deaths and injuries involving commuting workers. The latest accident… -
Monday, 07 August 2023New guidelines for greater water stewardship
BOSTON - Water strategy consultancy Bluerisk and sustainability not-for-profit Ceres have developed a new framework designed to give a greater understanding of water stewardship to brands, retailers and investors. The 'Development of a Company-Level… -
Friday, 04 August 2023Pakistan Accord presents approved supplier list
KARACHI - The Pakistan Accord garment factory safety programme, launched late last year by the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry, has published its first list of approved suppliers. The list contains… -
Thursday, 03 August 2023Gildan Activewear targets verified by SBTi
MONTREAL - Gildan Activewear, the major global apparel and sock manufacturer, has announced that its 2030 near-term greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi). Underpinning a key… -
Wednesday, 02 August 2023Worldly acquires Fair Factories Clearinghouse
SAN FRANCISCO – Impact intelligence platform Worldly, formerly known as Higg Co, has acquired the assets of the NGO Fair Factories Clearinghouse (FFC), which builds scalable software that facilitates continuous improvements in social, environmental… -
Monday, 31 July 2023Canada Goose extends recommerce platform
TORONTO - Canada Goose has today extended its US recommerce platform throughout Canada alongside releasing its latest Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report in a bid to gives new life to its products and to keep ‘quality pieces in… -
Friday, 28 July 2023Report urges action on textile waste
BRUSSELS - The apparel industry must take urgent action to reduce textile waste, address emissions gaps and reach the climate targets of the Paris Agreement, according to a new report. The report 'T(h)reading a path: Towards textiles waste… -
Thursday, 27 July 2023
Carbon credit guidelines lacking, warns watchdog
LONDON - The Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market’s (ICVCM) latest guidelines provide a set of much-needed incremental improvements but fail to raise the quality of carbon credits sufficiently, an industry watchdog has warned. Although… -
Wednesday, 26 July 2023ICAC report highlights speciality cotton sector
WASHINGTON DC - The International Cotton Advisory Committee has released the first in a new series of reports aimed at highlighting the performance of the 'speciality cotton' sector, much of which falls under programmes encouraging ethical and… -
Friday, 21 July 2023Better Cotton ramps up climate change focus
GENEVA - Following on from its recent revision to its key Principles and Criteria document, Better Cotton has outlined how its explicit focus on climate change will prioritise mitigation and adaptation. Better Cotton, which bills itself as the… -
Friday, 21 July 2023
Fashion giant Gap signs up to Pakistan Accord
AMSTERDAM - US apparel company Gap has become the 65th brand to sign up to the Pakistan Accord garment factory safety programme launched late last year by the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. Gap, which… -
Friday, 21 July 2023Nike urged to support supply chain workers
PHNOM PENH - An alliance of 58 trade unions and workers' rights campaigners is urging Nike to pay supply chain workers in Cambodia $1.4 million in unpaid wages and benefits which they say they are owed after their factory closed without notice in… -
Wednesday, 19 July 2023New code of conduct for gins
LONDON - Social enterprise CottonConnect has published its first-ever code of conduct aimed at raising standards in the crucial ginning stage of the cotton supply chain. The result of a six-year programme involving more than 100 gins, multiple… -
Tuesday, 18 July 2023Factory owners and union condemn murder
DHAKA - Garment manufacturers and trade unionists in Bangladesh have issued a joint statement condemning the murder of a garment workers' leader who was beaten to death after leaving a meeting with factory management over a pay dispute. Shahidul… -
Tuesday, 18 July 2023Harassment in garment factories highlighted
GLOBAL - Two major new studies have been published which seek to shine a light on sexual harassment and gender-based violence in the global garment industry. The Solidary Centre has released a cross-sector study of gender-based violence and… -
Monday, 17 July 2023NGO calls for animal-free materials
LONDON – A new report has outlined the environmental cost of the use of animal-derived materials (ADMs) in the fashion industry, while also urging consumers to explore alternatives. The first section of the two-part report, Taming Fashion, from… -
Wednesday, 12 July 2023Nike faces Xinjiang forced labour probe
OTTAWA - The Canadian Ombudsperson for Responsible Enterprise (CORE) is to investigate sportswear giant Nike for allegedly benefiting from the use of forced labour in the Xinjiang region of China. Forced labour complaints against Nike Canada - and… -
Wednesday, 12 July 2023Global union pressures EU on Myanmar support
YANGON - The IndustriALL global trade union is renewing its call on the European Union (EU) to withdraw support for the 'MADE in Myanmar project' following the arrests of garment workers and workers' rights campaigners who now face military court… -
Monday, 10 July 2023HRW urges EU and US response to garment worker killing
DHAKA - Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the US and the European Union to consider the response from Bangladesh authorities to the recent murder of union leader Shahidul Islam when finalising current trade talks. Islam, who was president of the… -
Tuesday, 04 July 2023Sportswear brand to quit Myanmar after arrests
YANGON - German sportswear brand Jako has announced plans to withdraw from sourcing in Myanmar following the arrest by the military junta of two garment workers at one of its suppliers. Heiko Rumm, head of purchasing at Jako, told Ecotextile News it… -
Monday, 03 July 2023ITUC report highlights workers’ rights crackdown
BRUSSELS - Major textile and garment producing countries including Bangladesh, Turkey, Guatemala and Myanmar have been named among the worst in the world for workers’ rights, according to a new report. -
Wednesday, 28 June 2023Garment worker leader killed in Bangladesh
GAZIPUR - Workers' rights campaigners have condemned the murder of a garment workers' trade union leader who was beaten to death after leaving a meeting with factory management over a pay dispute. Shahidul Islam Shahid, 45, an organiser of the… -
Tuesday, 27 June 2023Temu 'fails to act on forced labour' - report
WASHINGTON DC — Chinese retail giant Temu, which recently overtook rival Shein in terms of sales to US consumers, has no system in place to prevent goods made with forced labour being sold on its platform, according to a US house select committee… -
Monday, 26 June 2023SLCP saves factories $23M in reduced audits
AMSTERDAM – The Dutch-based non-profit Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) claims to have saved factories US$23 million through the adoption of its tool designed to reduce audit duplication. The claim is made in the SLCP's 2022 Impact Report…
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