Workers Rights & Ethics
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Thursday, 08 June 2023More than 250 apparel firms B Corp certified
LONDON – The number of B Corp certified apparel companies has surpassed 250 for the first time, following a surge in early 2023 as a growing number of organisations seek to evidence an ethical approach to business operations. With 14 clothing firms… -
Tuesday, 06 June 2023Gen Z express concern for the fashion industry
NEW YORK - Gen Z consumers have been taking to social media to express concern over the fashion industry’s impact on the environment, from textile waste to pollution and CO2 emissions, a recent report has revealed. AI-enabled consumer intelligence… -
Thursday, 01 June 2023Brands fail to make circularity progress
CHICAGO – Global fashion brands are failing to make progress on transitioning towards a more circular economy, according to the third edition of the Circular Fashion Index (CFX), produced by consulting firm Kearney. Some 200 global brands have been… -
Friday, 26 May 2023Report highlights fashion's slavery risks
PERTH - Wealthy G20 countries collectively import US$148 billion worth of apparel and US$13 billion worth of textiles at risk of being produced by forced labour every year, according to a new report. The Walk Free Foundation's latest Global Slavery… -
Friday, 19 May 2023New forced labour lawsuit launched in France
PARIS - NGOs have launched new legal action in France calling for a judicial investigation into whether fashion brands are benefiting from the use of forced labour in China's cotton industry. It comes after the French national anti-terror… -
Wednesday, 17 May 2023Xinjiang cotton forced labour 'will persist'
WASHINGTON DC - Forced labour in the Xinjiang region's cotton industry will be harder to eradicate than in Uzbekistan because of China's economic might and political aims, according to a leading expert. Adrian Zenz, director in China studies at the… -
Thursday, 11 May 2023Activists call on Adidas to protect workers
NUREMBERG - Workers' rights activists are today protesting outside of Adidas's annual general meeting (AGM) in Germany to call on shareholders of the sportswear giant to take steps to protect workers in its supply chain. Protesters were urging the… -
Thursday, 11 May 2023Safety initiative expands to Indonesia
JAKARTA - The Life and Building Safety (LABS) initiative is expected to benefit another 275,000 workers after it expanded its operations to Indonesia. Currently operational in India, Vietnam, and Cambodia, LABS says that the expansion into Indonesia… -
Tuesday, 09 May 2023Forced labour case dropped against brands
PARIS - French prosecutors have dropped an investigation into fashion giants Uniqlo, Inditex, SMCP and Skechers over the alleged use of forced labour in their global supply chains. The case, brought be an alliance of NGOs in 2021, accused the… -
Friday, 05 May 2023Adidas and Nike quizzed on forced labour
WASHINGTON DC — Sportswear brands Adidas and Nike, along with Chinese retail giants Shein and Temu, have been challenged by US politicians about the possible use of forced labour in their supply chains. Leaders of the House Select Committee on the… -
Friday, 05 May 2023Union asks H&M to justify Myanmar sourcing
STOCKHOLM - The IndustriALL global trade union has attended H&M's annual general meeting to challenge the Swedish fashion giant to justify its continued sourcing from Myanmar. IndustriALL says it values its constructive relationship with H&M which… -
Thursday, 04 May 2023Nike intervenes in garment factory dispute
PHNOM PENH - A Cambodian garment factory has reinstated eight sacked trade union officials following interventions from sportswear giant Nike and the IndustriALL global trade union. The T-win Garment Cambodia Company facility, in Takeo province,… -
Wednesday, 03 May 2023PVH partners with bank on supplier financing
NEW YORK - Fashion giant PVH Corp, which owns brands including Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, has embarked on a sustainability-linked supplier finance programme with Standard Chartered Bank. Under the deal, PVH’s suppliers will have their… -
Tuesday, 02 May 2023Due diligence toolkit for human rights
AMSTERDAM – The Dutch-based non-profit Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) has launched a new toolkit to support human rights due diligence across manufacturing supply chains and to help companies to implement mandatory due diligence. The SLCP… -
Tuesday, 02 May 2023US lawmakers call for Shein investigation
WASHINGTON, DC - Chinese ultra-fast fashion giant Shein faces forced labour accusations in a letter penned by two dozen Republican and Democrat lawmakers, amid expectations that the company will raise capital in the US through an initial public… -
Tuesday, 02 May 2023Risks remain in Uzbek cotton industry - NGO
TASHKENT – Serious human rights risks remain in the Uzbek cotton industry a year after state-imposed forced labour was eliminated, according to independent monitoring of last year's harvest. The Uzbek Forum for Human Rights, which monitors the… -
Monday, 24 April 2023Rana Plaza revisited - ten years on
DHAKA – A decade after the garment industry's worst ever disaster, Ecotextile News pays tribute to the victims – and survivors – of Rana Plaza with a 13-page special supplement in the latest issue of our magazine and a commemorative podcast episode… -
Friday, 21 April 2023Unions call on brands to sign the Accord
GENEVA - Global trade unions IndustriAll and UNI are calling on garment and textile brands to sign the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry to safeguard workers. This comes ahead of the 10th anniversary of… -
Friday, 21 April 2023FatFace is B Corp certified
HAVANT - British lifestyle clothing brand FatFace has become the latest in the fashion industry to have been awarded B Corp status. The company joins a group of over 6,279 business worldwide who have been certified, which includes brands such as… -
Friday, 21 April 2023Garment workers' long wait for living wage
SYDNEY - It will be another 75 years before fashion brands and retailers are able to ensure that garment workers in at least one of their supply chain factories are paid a living wage at the current rate of progress, according to a new report.… -
Thursday, 20 April 2023Investors urge brands to back worker safety
NEW YORK – A global coalition of 192 institutional investors representing US$1.3 trillion in assets is calling on apparel companies sourcing from Bangladesh and Pakistan to sign up to legally binding commitments on worker safety. The Interfaith… -
Wednesday, 19 April 2023S.Oliver pays sacked garment workers €100k
JAKARTA - German fashion brand S.Oliver has paid out €100,000 (US$110,000) to 2,000 former workers of an Indonesian garment factory which went bankrupt in 2015. The Jaba Garmindo factory closed without paying the workers their legally entitled… -
Wednesday, 19 April 2023New bid to make uniforms more sustainable
CHICAGO – The Network Association of Uniform Manufacturers & Distributors (NAUMD) has launched the Uniform Sustainability Collaborative (USC), a new industry initiative aiming to promote sustainable, circular uniform design, production and… -
Tuesday, 18 April 2023Unfair practices of European fashion - report
BRUSSELS – A new report from the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) paints a picture of 'volatile, risky and unbalanced' trade relations between brands and manufacturers in the European apparel industry. The report: 'Fast Fashion Purchasing Practices… -
Monday, 17 April 2023Canopy to get US$60M investment
VANCOUVER — Canopy, a non-profit organisation, is set to receive US$60 million from the funding initiative The Audacious Project, to enable the commercial production of low-carbon and circular solutions across the globe. The organisation, which has… -
Monday, 17 April 2023Calls for EU to mandate washing machine filters
BRUSSELS - A new report is urging the European Union (EU) to mandate the provision of filters in new washing machines in a bid to tackle microfibre shedding. The authors include washing machine filter manufacturers Xeros Technology, Matter and… -
Monday, 17 April 2023Podcast: Perspectives on Rana Plaza
WAKEFIELD — A decade on from one of the fashion industry’s darkest days, a panel of industry experts come together as part of a special podcast examining the long-term impacts of the Rana Plaza catastrophe and assessing what progress has been made… -
Friday, 14 April 2023NGO declares support for Bangladesh wage rise
DHAKA – Asian wage campaigning NGO, Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), has declared its support for the fight of trade unions to increase the minimum wage of garment workers in Bangladesh from BDT 8,000 (US$75.12) to within the range of BDT 22,000–BDT… -
Friday, 14 April 2023US politicians raise fears of Shein loophole
WASHINGTON DC - Four US politicians who were behind the Uyghur Forced Labour Prevention Act (UFLPA) have raised fears that fast fashion companies like Shein, which ship direct from China to consumers, are evading the legislation. UFLPA, which came… -
Friday, 14 April 2023EU urged to stop funding Myanmar project
YANGON - Trade unions and workers' rights NGOs are calling on the European Union (EU) to stop funding a new programme designed to boost garment manufacturing in Myanmar because they say it legitimises the country's military rulers. The Myanmar… -
Friday, 14 April 2023Report accuses brands on purchasing practices
NEW YORK - Global apparel companies are engaging in “unfair practices that harm workers in export-focused factories” according to a new report from the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights. Entitled 'A Broken Partnership', the study… -
Thursday, 13 April 2023ESG slips down priority lists for businesses
CHICAGO - Environmental, social and governance (ESG) efforts have slipped down corporate priority lists, according to a new global survey of c-suite executives. Fears of greenwashing accusations are among the obstacles to progress, according to the… -
Thursday, 13 April 2023Most Rana Plaza survivors 'still jobless'
DHAKA - Nearly a decade on from the Rana Plaza disaster, more than half of the survivors are still unemployed, according to a new report from the ActionAid Bangladesh charity. The study of 200 survivors and families of workers killed in the building… -
Thursday, 06 April 2023Legal action to halt Australian cotton ‘land grab’
DARWIN – With Australia’s southern cotton regions plagued by drought, the industry has big plans for the country’s sparsely populated Northern Territory (NT) where crops are expected to cover more than 50,000 hectares of land within a few short… -
Wednesday, 05 April 2023Report: chemical concerns in recycled textiles
BILTHOVEN – The Netherlands’ National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) has today released a new report which presents considerations for ensuring chemical product safety, as the country embarks on its mission to adopt a… -
Monday, 03 April 2023China's new textile traceability platform
SHANGHAI – A new digital platform has been launched in China to help identify and trace textile products throughout the supply chain. In addition to this announcement, it was confirmed by a government spokesperson that increasing the quantity and… -
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…
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