Social Compliance & CSR News
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Friday, 13 September 2019BFC launches Institute of Positive Fashion
LONDON – The British Fashion Council (BF) has announced its intention to launch the Institute of Positive Fashion (IPF), saying that there is “an urgent need for industry-wide coalition to help set industry standards in a new way, embrace innovation… -
Wednesday, 11 September 2019Forced labour in China jeopardises textile supply chains
XINJIANG – Supply chain risks are set to intensify for apparel brands sourcing from China due to the increasing use of forced labour in Uyghur detention camps in the Xinjiang region, according to a new report. Global risk analysis company Verisk… -
Tuesday, 03 September 2019BGMEA to form RMG Sustainability Council
DHAKA – The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) – the trade body of apparel manufacturers in Bangladesh – is set to establish an RMG (ready-made garment) Sustainability Council, with the aim of implementing a… -
Monday, 02 September 2019Campaigners call for school uniform supplier transparency
LONDON – A collective of campaign groups which includes workers’ rights NGO Labour Behind the Label has called on school uniform supplier Trutex to disclose information about the factories from which it sources apparel, to ensure the firm can’t be… -
Friday, 30 August 2019G-Star joins UN Charter for Climate Action
AMSTERDAM – The UN Climate Change’s (UNCC) Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action has welcomed Dutch clothing brand G-Star Raw as a signatory. The popular denim brand has signed up to the UN’s 2018 initiative, which outlines a plan for the… -
Wednesday, 28 August 2019CCC unconvinced by new worker safety initiative
NEW DELHI – A new building safety initiative launching today in India, which promises to “build on the learnings and experiences” of the Bangladesh Accord, has been questioned by Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) which says that the very brands and… -
Tuesday, 27 August 2019Esprit cuts Myanmar ties amidst military violations
YANGON – Apparel brand Esprit has gone on record to say that it will no longer source from a garment manufacturing facility believed to be linked to Myanmar’s military. This, after a recent report from the U.N. Independent International Fact-Finding… -
Friday, 23 August 2019UK workers paid just £4 an hour, report finds
MANCHESTER – A new report commissioned off the back of Channel 4’s Dispatches investigation in 2017, which found that workers in Leicester, England, were paid less than half the legal minimum wage, has now discovered that the same level of… -
Thursday, 22 August 2019Amann resource saving targets align with SDGs
BÖNNIGHEIM – Thread manufacturer, the Amann Group, has released its first ever Sustainability Report, in which it details the notable progress it has made to reduce resource consumption between 2015 and 2018, and lays out targets which it will… -
Tuesday, 20 August 2019Solidaridad launches Chinese fair wage pilot
UTRECHT – Solidaridad and its partner technology QuizRR have launched a pilot project to improve working conditions and productivity in China’s textile and garment supply chain. The project has received funding from the ASN Bank and will also… -
Wednesday, 14 August 2019France and Canada push for fashion legislation
Legislation has long been called for to drive lasting industry change. With France seemingly leading the way on fashion policy-making, are other nations, such as Canada, now ready to step up to the plate and make similarly transformative proposals?… -
Monday, 12 August 2019Brandix targets carbon neutrality by 2023
COLOMBO – Sri Lankan apparel manufacturer Brandix has set its sights on achieving 100 per cent carbon neutrality by 2023, part of its broader goal to record zero carbon footprint. The company is to invest US$28 million in its Batticaloa facility… -
Friday, 09 August 2019Brand demands crippling Turkey’s Syrian workforce
LONDON – A new report which delves into the state-of-play in Turkish apparel manufacturing facilities reports that Syrian refugees, of which 650,000 are employed in menial jobs throughout its supply chains, are exploited in the name of fast fashion;… -
Friday, 09 August 2019Ellen MacArthur pursues 20 million designers in circularity push
ISLE OF WIGHT – The Ellen MacArthur Foundation has called for 20 million designers to help move the global economy towards a circular model, using its new Circular Design Programme to shift products at end-of-life away from landfill. The Foundation… -
Friday, 09 August 2019H&M launches Social Entrepreneurship Project
STOCKHOLM – The H&M Group has launched its Social Entrepreneurship Project; through which it plans to engage with entrepreneurs in developing countries whose work brings about positive change in local communities. In collaboration with global… -
Thursday, 08 August 2019Transparency tool provides Bangladeshi worker insight
ASHBOURNE – Fashion Revolution, which first collaborated with the NGO Microfinance Opportunities in 2016 to introduce the Garment Worker Diaries (GWD) – a research project documenting the lives of garment workers across Southeast Asia – has now… -
Wednesday, 07 August 2019Gap’s Development Alliance recruits WaterAid
NEW YORK – International non-governmental organisation (NGO) WaterAid has joined Gap Inc., and USAID’s (the United States Agency for International Development) Women + Water Global Development Alliance (W+W Alliance) as an implementing partner. The… -
Monday, 05 August 2019Bangladesh factory tours to highlight industry upturn
DHAKA – A new initiative introduced by Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) will look to highlight progress made in the country’s garment manufacturing industry since the devastation of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013, by offering the… -
Monday, 05 August 2019ZDHC programme welcomes trio of contributors
AMSTERDAM – ZDHC has announced the addition of three new contributors to its Roadmap to Zero Programme, bringing the organisation’s growing pool of partners and contributors to 138, spanning 24 locations. Joining as Value Chain Affiliates, Trumpler… -
Monday, 05 August 2019C2C updated standard open for review
OAKLAND – Ahead of its launch next year, the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute has today opened a 60-day window in which it wants industry stakeholders to feedback on potential revisions to its drafted Cradle to Cradle Certified Product… -
Wednesday, 31 July 2019ZDHC releases Wastewater Guidelines v1.1
AMSTERDAM – ZDHC (Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals) has announced the release of version 1.1 of its Wastewater Guidelines. The industry coalition, which counts Inditex, Kering, H&M, Adidas and Nike amongst its contributors, has revised its… -
Monday, 29 July 2019Workers left unpaid, Bangladesh reports say
DHAKA – Reports from the newspaper Dhaka Tribune allege that 180 workers – of which 65 are Bangladeshi – operating in the garment factory of Tex Knits Garment in Mauritius have not been paid salaries for the past two months and have, at times, had… -
Tuesday, 23 July 2019New SAC boss to finalise Higg suite
SAN FRANCISCO – As the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) confirms the appointment of Amina Razvi as its new executive director following a stint as interim, she tells Ecotextile News that a top priority in her new role will be the finalisation of… -
Tuesday, 23 July 2019Report lays out circular fashion strategy
BRUSSELS - Despite the best efforts of circular fashion advocates to scale up the implementation of sustainable business practices, visions of the future remain clouded. Until now, perhaps, as a new report lays out ambitious, detailed plans which… -
Wednesday, 17 July 2019Internment fears trigger urgent fashion inquiry
XINJIANG – Fashion brand Target and Australian retailer Cotton On have opened investigations into suppliers in Xinjiang, China, after reports that detained Uyghur Muslim workers are being forced to make clothing. It’s alleged some workers are… -
Friday, 12 July 2019Bangladesh joins UN Fashion Climate Charter
DHAKA – The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) – the trade body of apparel manufacturers in Bangladesh – has joined the UN Climate Change’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action (UNFCCC) initiative. By joining… -
Wednesday, 10 July 2019Responsible Down Standard 3.0 released
LUBBOCK – Textile Exchange has released version 3.0 of its Responsible Down Standard (RDS), representing its first substantial revision since 2014. The standard covers more than 500 million birds ensuring brand and retail partners, of which it… -
Wednesday, 03 July 2019BCI becomes latest UN fashion charter signatory
GENEVA – The Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) has become the latest signatory to the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action; a commitment through which it will work cohesively with a growing number of brands, manufacturers and organisations… -
Tuesday, 02 July 2019UN leads push for new worker’s rights
AMSTERDAM/YAMAGUCHI – The International Labour Organization (ILO) and Fast Retailing Co. have both taken steps towards fairer workplace conditions, with ILO adopting a new convention on violence and harassment and Fast Retailing entering a global… -
Monday, 01 July 2019Switzerland moves closer to corporate human rights law
BERN – The National Council of Switzerland has taken a further step towards introducing mandatory human rights regulation for all large companies in the country, continuing a process triggered in 2016 which could eventually lead to an obligation to… -
Friday, 28 June 2019Forced labour investigation drives change
BROOKLYN – An investigation conducted into the working conditions of Malaysian garment workers by US NGO Transparentem has uncovered evidence that some employees manufacturing clothes for major retailers were working in conditions which included… -
Friday, 28 June 2019C&A Foundation kick-starts broader circular model search
ZUG – The C&A Foundation has announced a request for proposals (RFP) for both research programmes and prototype initiatives from across industry as it looks to accelerate circular business practices that will evoke positive outcomes for workers,… -
Friday, 28 June 2019Bangladesh wages war on gender inequality with digital pay
DHAKA — The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has announced that garment factory owners throughout the nation are poised to roll-out a new digital payment system to provide safety and security to female workers. The… -
Friday, 21 June 2019Nordstrom aims to empower women in fashion
SEATTLE — American department store chain Nordstrom has unveiled new human rights targets which include that, by 2023, 70 per cent of its own brand apparel, of which there are more than 40 brands, will be produced in factories that support women’s… -
Friday, 21 June 2019Ethical trade app to combat modern slavery in fashion
LONDON — Pentland Brands, which owns brands such as Speedo, Berghaus and Boxfresh, has launched a new app aimed at promoting ethical trade throughout its supply chain and ensuring all ‘factory-facing employees’ maintain human rights and labour… -
Wednesday, 19 June 2019Living wage petition urges Boohoo and Amazon to act
BRISTOL — Campaign group Labour Behind the Label has launched a petition calling on brands such as Amazon and Boohoo to deliver a living wage to workers in supply chains. -
Tuesday, 18 June 2019No child labour by 2025: a realistic goal?
GENEVA — At the 108th session of the International Labour Conference, Guy Ryder, director general of the ILO (International Labour Organization), has called on a plethora of industries to collaborate in order to “accelerate the pace of progress”… -
Friday, 14 June 2019Walmart and HanesBrands support National Parks
WINSTON-SALEM —US apparel firm HanesBrands has launched a new collection of T-shirts in support of the National Park Foundation. The garments will be available online and in select Walmart stores located nearby nine of the United States’ most… -
Tuesday, 11 June 2019
32 major fashion brands fail on living wage
BRISTOL – A report by non-profit Labour behind the Label has revealed that out of 32 fashion brands surveyed, a staggering 31 can show no evidence of a living wage being paid to any of the workers who make their goods; with outlier Gucci paying… -
Friday, 07 June 2019Big-name brands back Cambodia contract ruling
PHNOM PENH – H&M, Levi’s and Gap have come out in support of an arbitration council ruling in Cambodia, which states that a factory suppling the three brands must give permanent contracts to the 408 workers which it previously employed on a… -
Friday, 07 June 2019Ethiopia cotton collaboration strives for sustainability
UTRECHT — Solidaridad has teamed up with Cotton made in Africa, Danish Ethical Trading Initiative and MVO Nederland to establish a new project aimed at promoting a sustainable value chain for Ethiopian cotton on its journey to European consumers.… -
Thursday, 06 June 2019SLCP tool to minimise social audit duplication
AMSTERDAM — The Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) has announced the launch of an industry tool designed to replace existing social and labor audits in the sizeable apparel industries of China, India, Sri Lanka and Taiwan. SLCP signatories,… -
Wednesday, 05 June 2019Trudeau Foundation backs indigenous fashion research
TORONTO — Research being undertaken by a PhD student into the economic and social relationships between Indigenous peoples and the fashion industry has been selected as one of 20 studies receive support from the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation. -
Monday, 03 June 2019US retailer fined for child labour, illegal wages
SALT LAKE CITY – The US Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division (WHD) has ordered a Utah-based clothing retailer to pay US$84,048 in back wages, liquidated damages, and penalties to resolve violations of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA)… -
Friday, 31 May 2019Child labour an ‘extreme risk’ in China, India
BATH — New research into the prevalence of child labour has categorised several textile-producing powerhouse nations as being at either high or extreme risk of facilitating the practice within supply chains. Report authors Verisk Maplecroft… -
Thursday, 30 May 2019Levi Strauss extends vulnerable communities support
SAN FRANCISCO — The Levi Strauss Foundation has committed one million dollars to a Rapid Response Fund — supporting organisations that protect highly vulnerable communities — for the third year in a row. The Foundation cites the current political… -
Thursday, 30 May 2019Fashion brands ‘falling short’ on living wage pledges
SHEFFIELD — A report published by academics at the University of Sheffield suggests that while many big name fashion brands are committing to headline-grabbing wage pledges they are currently failing to meet these targets. It is alleged that many… -
Wednesday, 29 May 2019Cambodian workers fear unemployment amid EU sanctions
PHNOM PENH — As the European Union is said to have instigated a process to suspend its ‘Everything But Arms’ (EBA) trade agreement with Cambodia, fear is spreading among the nation’s garment workers that their livelihoods could be at risk. Research… -
Tuesday, 28 May 2019Netherlands pledges €35 million to end child labour
THE HAGUE — An alliance between Stop Child Labour, UNICEF Netherlands and Save the Children Netherlands has received €35 million support from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs to aid a new project seeking to eradicate child labour. The… -
Friday, 24 May 2019Inditex extends displaced migrant support
ARTEIXO — Spanish fashion conglomerate Inditex, the parent company of brands such as Zara and Bershka, has announced the signing of a deal with Universidad Pontificia Comillas to renew the collaborative Chair for Refugees project, aimed at…
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