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Putin's attack on Ukraine has far-reaching consequences for the people of Ukraine, Russia and Europe. The fashion industry is also responding to the war. Thus, many fashion companies stop their business activities in Russia. At the same time, sanctions against Putin are affecting textile supply chains and textile factories in Ukraine are being destroyed by attacks.

Disclaimer: This report is based on information we have gathered from various media outlets. You can also find a compilation in our Current news update. Please note that not all information is verifiable due to the current situation.

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© SAVE, India

As part of the Textile Alliance, FEMNET has proposed to ask the Federal Government in an open letter on Women's Day on 8 March to finally ratify the ILO Convention 190 against Gender-Based Violence in the Workplace. A total of 32 alliance members, including 17 companies, have signed a letter to Minister Heil (Ministry of Labour) and Minister Schulze (BMZ).

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Putin’s cruel war in Ukraine shows us once again what destructive forces dictatorships can develop – and how important resistance is. active protection of human rights and a strong civil society are. We express our solidarity with the courageous people in Ukraine who are fighting against the violent attack and for their lives. In particular, on International Women's Day, we declare our solidarity with all women who are exposed to hardship and violence.

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On 23 February 2022, the EU presented its draft pan-European supply chain law. This is a good signal for compliance with human rights and climate protection along global supply chains. In terms of the size of the companies, the EU draft is more ambitious than the German one. At the same time, there is also a lack of sufficient liability rules for companies or references to gender-sensitive measures to protect workers, especially women and girls, from exploitation and violence.

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© FEMNET

At the end of December, 43 member companies of the Textile Alliance published their reports on the fulfilment of their supply chain due diligence obligations. In it, they describe the measures taken so far, as well as the future line on combating Gender Based Violence (GBV). Almost all companies generally consider the risk for GBV to be high if they have production in Asia, but the measures are very different.

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© taoonex -pixabay.com

Solar systems on the stadium roof, less garbage with reusable dishes, the bratwurst from the organic farmer around the corner - in recent years, the commitment of professional sports to more sustainability has increased sharply. However, measures on purchasing practices and in particular on sustainable textile procurement have so far been rare.

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© FEMNET I Stefan Klübert

Berlin has high demands on sustainable criteria in public textile tenders. Theoretically. But how can this be put into practice? FEMNET accompanied the city of Berlin in the process for one year.

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In the Department of Textile and Clothing Technology at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, the interdisciplinary 5. Semester project an integral part of teaching. In the winter semester 2021/22, the students were commissioned to design an accompanying publication to the student conference ‘It’s time to act – Acting for a socially fair fashion industry’.

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© Anna Döking

The longer and more complex the supply chain, the higher the risk of maladministration and infringement. A prime example of this are textiles: According to the Global Slavery Index, garments are among the imported products with the second highest risk of human rights violations within global supply chains. Until a T-shirt hangs in the stores, it travels up to 20,000 kilometers; 100 steps alone are necessary for production. As part of a cooperation project, FEMNET worked on these topics in four different series of events in 2021.

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The Supply Chain Act for Germany has been adopted since June 2021 and finally holds German companies accountable. Now, an EU supply chain law is the next step in protecting human rights and the environment in supply chains. However, there have been delays here for months.

"It is very worrying that the business lobby in Brussels seems to be trying to gain time to prevent or postpone an EU supply chain law. Now the traffic light coalition must show that it is serious about what it promised in the coalition agreement. A strong EU supply chain law would also improve the protection of women's rights in the garment supply chain," said Gisela Burckhardt, FEMNET CEO. FEMNET therefore supports the open letter of the European Supply Chain Initiative to the European Commission.

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