A sign with the inscription Supply Chains on the quayside of a cargo port
The Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) is regarded as a milestone: For the first time, it obliges companies to take responsibility for human rights and the environment along their entire supply chains. But this progress is on the brink.
© BLAST
Bangladesh is one of the most important production sites of the global fashion industry – and at the same time a place where millions of workers have to fight for fair conditions on a daily basis. Our partner BLAST (Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust) has developed an app that gives textile workers easy access to information, advice and legal assistance.
The legs of two football players
More and more fans are paying attention to fair production conditions, environmentally friendly materials and transparent supply chains when buying fan articles. Clubs also want to take responsibility – but the road to it is often challenging. Many clubs struggle with scarce resources, lack of expertise and complex supply chains. At the FanCommerce Forum, solutions and approaches are now being discussed.
On 7 October 2025, experts, trade unionists and activists from Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Serbia, Mexico and Germany met in Berlin to discuss the future of corporate due diligence at the international conference ‘Due Diligence and Labour Rights – Quo Vadis?’. Organized by FEMNET e.V. together with the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, the CorA network and the umbrella association of critical shareholders, the focus was on how the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and the European CSDDD can actually contribute to improvements for workers along global supply chains.
© vanngo-ng - pexels.com
Jerseys, shorts and training jackets are rarely suspected of being a risk to the environment. But experts warn: Sports textiles contribute significantly to the loss of biodiversity through microplastics made from synthetic fibres, high pesticide and water consumption in cotton cultivation and the clearing of species-rich forests for viscose. We will talk about this in a webinar to which we cordially invite you.
© drip by drip ⁇ Saikat Barab Shil
“Toxic chemicals from the textile industry threaten not only the environment in Bangladesh, but also the health and livelihoods of millions of people. Through innovative community-based monitoring, those affected in our project are themselves committed to sustainable change in order to make demands on authorities and factories based on collected data. Your top priority: Clean drinking water.’
Daniela Bartsch, Head of Projects Abroad
© FEMNET
Just Transition describes a process of change that focuses on both environmental and social justice. For the textile and clothing industry, this means: Away from exploitative working conditions, towards decent work, fair wages and environmentally friendly production. What this change must look like in order to be feasible is the current topic of our educational work.
© newafrica - depositphotos.com
How can sustainable procurement be achieved at the municipal level? In Hamburg, FEMNET, together with Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH) and other stakeholders, has further developed strategies for anchoring eco-social criteria in purchasing. A workshop shows: The will is there – and the knowledge is growing.
Every year in June, many fashion brands are particularly colorful. But is there real solidarity behind the rainbow collections or just marketing?
In the so-called Pride Month, many fashion companies advertise with rainbow flags, ‘Love is Love’ slogans and queer designs. What looks like progress at first glance often turns out to be pinkwashing on closer inspection: The targeted marketing of queer symbols without assuming structural responsibility.
“Because each working day is stressful, I usually cry when I get home from work.” This is how a woman working in Indonesia’s footwear industry described her daily life. On the other side of Asia, a garment worker in Bangalore shared how intense production pressure affects not just her health, but her sleep and appetite.
