© Realschule Bobingen
On 17 April 2024, the first clothes exchange took place at the Realschule Bobingen (RSB). More and more people are interested in sustainable consumption. Clothes exchanges offer an environmentally friendly and cost-effective alternative to shopping. One student reported.
With its latest study, our partner organisation Cividep offers a comprehensive insight into the challenges and solutions of grievance mechanisms in the Indian garment industry. The focus is particularly on the role that multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) such as the Textiles Partnership can play in effectively supporting local mechanisms. In addition to the presentation of the numerous existing, but mostly non-functioning complaint options, as well as an overview of existing "back-up" approaches, the study therefore also formulates demands and recommendations for all stakeholders of an MSI.
Behind the seems - Evaluating the effictiveness of grieviance mechanisms for workers in the export garment industry
2023, 70 Pages, 1,2 MB (PDF-Datei)
Foto: © FEMNET
At the beginning of December 2023, FEMNET was part of a delegation trip to India. The trip was dominated by important topics such as gender equality, rights holders and workers' rights in the textile industry. This mission was carried out as part of the German government's sector project on 'Social and Ecological Transformation of Textile Supply Chains', which is responsible for the Green Button, the Siegelklarheit initiative and the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles.
© Clothes shop
Clothes Radio presenters Amelie and Anna took to the microphone for a very special episode in the Clothes Podcast and went to FEMNET in Bonn.
They speak on site with the two trade unionists Tithi Afrin and Md. Shahinur Rahman from Bangladesh on "11 years after Rana Plaza" and the current situation on the ground:
Bonn. Over a decade ago, in April 2013, the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza building occurred with over 1000 fatalities, revealing the urgent need for improved safety measures in the garment industry. Since then, significant progress has been made through the Accord safety agreement, but accidents at work remain a sad reality.
On 12 March 2024, Prof. Dr. Katrina Sark from the University of Southern Denmark visited fashion interACTION. In her presentation, she not only explained her concept of a decolonial sustainabilityIt also showed how decolonial-sustainable processes can provide solutions to the textile industry's biggest problems.
© Initiative Lieferkettengesetz
Berlin. A greatly weakened version of the EU Supply Chain Act has cleared the central hurdle: The Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Council of the European Union (COREPER) today voted in favour of the important human rights project. This means that the directive can be adopted before the European elections in June. For weeks and until the end, the FDP had tried to bring down the law. The EU had actually already found a compromise in the trilogue procedure in December 2023. With a further compromise proposal that has been greatly undermined, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union today succeeded in securing a qualified majority of member states for the EU Supply Chain Act. FDP Justice Minister Buschmann also rejected this compromise proposal, which is why Germany abstained from the vote.
© geralt -pixabay.com
A year ago, the Federal Government published the ‘Stage Plan for Increasing the Sustainable Procurement of Textiles by Federal Administration Authorities and Institutions’. FEMNET and 10 other civil society organisations are calling for implementation.
International Women's Day calls for more speed in women's equality. A three-part FEMNET video series briefly explains what we achieve with feminist perspectives and our focus on feminist development cooperation.
© Laila Sieber
Major setback for the EU Supply Chain Act: The Committee of Permanent Representatives of the Council (COREPER) today failed to reach a qualified majority in favour of the human rights project. The Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union has announced that it will now enter into negotiations again with the member states and the EU Parliament. Meanwhile, there is great support for the EU Supply Chain Act among the German population: More than two-thirds of people in Germany want the law, as a new representative survey shows.
Review of civil society representatives in the Sustainable Textiles Alliance (2023)
The Textile Alliance adopted a new structure in 2022/2023 and revised its reporting formats. With the German Supply Chain Act and the ongoing processes for an EU Supply Chain Act, the framework conditions changed, which required further development from analysis to implementation. The focus is now on the implementation of due diligence and impact on the ground in the areas of purchasing practices and living wages, gender equality, complaint mechanisms and remedies, as well as the circular economy and climate. The aim is to go beyond legal requirements and achieve continuous improvements in the producing countries. The initiative brings together companies, NGOs, trade unions, standard organisations and the German government to drive social and ecological transformation.
Unpaid care work, unequal pay, language abuses and experiences of violence must be overcome if we as a society want to live happier and more sustainable and better together. This is particularly true for women in economically disadvantaged countries.
