From the network
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November 12, 2019
Syrian Workers in Turkey's Garment Industry
Looking Back, Moving Forward. An in-depth look at the problems facing Syrian refugees in the informal Turkish garment industry. The report finalizes with a conclusion of solution strategies on individual level, state regulations and global industry level, and finally, a set of coordinated multi-level approach recommendations.
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July 19, 2019
Potassium permanganate spray report
Research by CCC Turkey into the harmful effects of potassium permanganate, commonly used to bleach denim and give it a worn look. The report is meant to instigate further research by medical professionals, legislation that will regulate denim bleaching workers' working conditions, and improved monitoring of the garment industry.
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June 11, 2018
Foul Play II. Sponsors Leave Workers (still) on the Sidelines
[June 2018] This report by Éthique sur l'étiquette is the follow-up of the report “Foul Play. Sponsors Leave Workers on the Sidelines” published in June 2016. Two years after the first report, the sponsorship battle between Nike and Adidas—who will outfit 22 of the 32 teams taking part in the next World Cup—has never been so fierce and has set new records. Yet, on the production side, the working conditions of garment factory workers remain just as precarious as ever.
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January 18, 2017
Invisible workers - Syrian refugees in Turkish garment factories
Thousands of Syrian refugees work long hours in Turkey’s apparel factories in unhealthy conditions with salaries below the minimum wage. Despite Turkey being an important sourcing market for the Nordic brands H&M, KappAhl, Lindex, Gina Tricot and Varner (BikBok, Cubus, Carlings et al), the companies are not doing enough to prevent discrimination of Syrians in their supply chains, according to this report by Fair Action and Future in our hands published in January 2017.
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November 8, 2016
In the face of corporate impunity. Progress in Europe
France is preparing a bill relating to the duty of care incumbent upon parent and subcontracting companies, which is struggling to be definitively adopted. Yet this bill would finally make it possible to tackle the human rights violations and corruption taking place in French companies’ supply and production chains. This report by Forum Citoyen pour la Responsabilité Sociale des Entreprises, of which Collectif Éthique sur l'Étiquette is a member, shows that France is not the only European country working towards this objective. Here is an overview from October 2016 showing the various initiatives to curb corporate impunity across Europe.
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September 27, 2016
This report is published by CCC Netherlands in September 2016. It presents the results of a study into living wages, working conditions, living conditions and gender discrimination in ten garment factories in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, South India. The ten factories under this research are supplying to various Dutch brands: C&A, Coolcat, G-Star, The Sting (Mills Brothers, Hallinger), MEXX Europe, McGregor Fashions, Scotch & Soda, Suitsupply and WE Fashion. All brands that have publicly acknowledged the importance of living wages.
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September 23, 2016
This report, released September 2016, is a joint effort of the Cambodian NGO Center for Alliance of Labor & Human Rights (CENTRAL) and the Norwegian NGO Future In Our Hands (Framtiden i våre hender). Interviews were conducted during February and March 2016 by CENTRAL. The report was written by CENTRAL and Future In Our Hands and and finalized with the assistance of Clean Clothes Campaign International Office and the Swedish NGO Fair Action. Several violations were identified in each of the factories. The H&M platinum suppliers, Eastex, Vanco and Seduno, were presumed to perform better than the selected gold supplier, M&V. However, general working conditions at the platinum suppliers were actually worse than the gold rated supplier M&V.
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July 5, 2016
FOUL PLAY: Sponsors Leave Workers on the Sidelines
The three main sportswear sponsors of the UEFA European championship 2016, Nike, adidas and Puma, pay poverty wages to the workers that stitch their shirts, shows a report by Collectif Ethique sur l’étiquette (Clean Clothes Campaign in France) from June 2016. The report ‘Foul Play’ exposes the adverse impact on workers of a business model based on low labour costs and relocation to countries with the lowest wages and weak labour regulation. At the same time these brands invest massively in endorsement deals with players, national teams and clubs. Nike, adidas and Puma's prime concern is economic performance and profit, which will be considerable during the European championship, while the workers come of worst.
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June 13, 2016
A study of labour conditions in garment factories in Myanmar which are wholly Korean owned or in a Joint Venture with Korean companies. Study by Action Labor Rights, Myanmar.
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February 15, 2016
Have you ever wondered if the public statements high-street brands make about their ethics are backed up with facts? This Labour behind the Label report from February 2016, ‘Do We Buy It?’, looks into the stories behind two leading high-street brands who have made claims to be ensuring a fair living wage is possible for workers who make their clothes.
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October 21, 2015
Fixed-duration contracts, so called FDCs, are frequently used in the Cambodian garment industry. According to recent estimates, some 80 per cent of the country´s exporting garment factories employ most of their work force on this type of contract, renewed every second or third month, sometimes for years and years. It is not rare to find factories where the entire workforce is employed on short-term. In this report from September 2015, eight workers from three H&M supplier factories share how these contracts make them constantly fear for their jobs and how the violations of rights, enabled by the contracts, adversely affects their lives and the lives of their colleagues and families.
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May 12, 2015
The graphic booklet (Eu) ropa is written and drawn by the italian writer and cartoonist Franco Sacchetti ( www.franco sacchetti.it ) in collaboration with Clean Clothes Campaign. Eu) ropa is an artistic project of Insomnia Company (www.insomniaitalia.blogspot.com), supported by Iberescena and Electa Creative Arts, a cross-media investigation dedicated to clothes and what lies behind their production.
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May 12, 2015
From moral responsibility to legal liability? - A report on Inditex/Zara in Brasil
This research report from May 2015 exposes Zara’s dodgy legal strategy to avoid liability for Brazilian labour rights abuses. In 2011, Brazilian inspectors found cases of modern-day slavery in Zara’s supply chain. After the scandal, Zara promised improvements by monitoring its supply chain more closely. The new inspection findings and the research report reveal that Zara is not living up to the agreements made with the Brazilian authorities at that time.
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September 21, 2013
Report from 2013 by Labour Behind The Label and CLEC. The report shows that factory workers in Cambodia consume just 1598 calories a day on average – around half the recommended amount. Body Mass Index (BMI) figures gathered from workers indicate that 33% of garment workers are medically underweight, and 25% seriously so, displaying figures that would be used to diagnose Anorexia over here.
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December 3, 2010
Taking Liberties - Systematic Exploitation in Indian Garment Hub
This report from December 2010 by the UK-based organisations Labour Behind the Label and War on Want details the extremely poor working conditions in Gurgaon, India, one of the main centers of garments production in Asia. Labour Behind the Label is name of the British CCC.
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November 18, 2010
Fashion Victims - A Report On Sandblasted Denim
This report from November 2010, by the Swedish Fair Trade Centre in cooperation with the Clean Clothes Campaign, offers a report on sandblasted denim. Sandblasting is a method to give denim fabric a faded look. Sandblasting can be extremely damaging to workers’ health if performed without suitable protective equipment.
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September 18, 2010
Women Working in the Shadows: The informal economy and export processing zones
This publication examines areas of women’s work in the world economy which have been largely ignored by labour market statistics, media headlines and research projects. It provides basic information on the informal economy and export processing zones, in which the vulnerable work of women predominate, and looks at the development of women’s work in the context of globalisation and the prevailing gender order. Written by Sudwind and Evangelical-Lutheran Church in Bavaria, 2010.
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July 23, 2010
Who pays for our clothing from Lidl and KiK?
A study from July 2008 into the impact of buying practices of the discounters Lidl and KiK in Bangladesh and the precarisation of working conditions in German retailing.
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October 16, 2008
This paper aims to discuss the gendered nature of different labour standards, to highlight the implications for women workers in developing countries. Part 1 deals mainly with the definitions and general discussions around these issues, while Part 2 focuses on its gender implications. The paper is mainly a study of the available literature within academia as well as relevant official documents and material from non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Written by WIDE, Belgium, 2008.
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October 3, 2008
Let's Clean Up Fashion - The State of Pay Behind the UK High Street 2008 Update
This is the third time that Labour Behind the Label has surveyed the state of pay behind the British fashion scene, and in three years we have seen definite progress, not only in rhetoric but in the beginnings of tangible work on the ground. The establishment of a multi-stakeholder working group at the Ethical Trading Initiative is one clear milestone (although a year in, its pilot projects have still not begun). Written by Labour Behind the Label, 2008.
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December 29, 2006
Manual - Codes and practices of 5 garment buyers in Africa
This Reader from December 2006 covers 5 major US based multinationals that source their garment and apparel products from manufacturing companies on the African continent.
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September 29, 2006
Lets Clean Up Fashion: The state of pay behind the UK high street
For over a decade, consumers, workers and campaigners have been calling on fashion brands to make sure the workers who produce the clothes they sell are paid a living wage. At the start of 2006, Labour Behind the Label decided it was time to check in with the fashion industry, to see what progress has been made. This report from September 2006 presents the results of the investigation, revealing who is - and isn’t - doing what.
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July 28, 2006
Sweet FA? Football Associations, workers' rights, and the World Cup
The world's Football Associations makes millions from sponsorship and licensing arrangements, while their sponsors are expecting hundreds of millions of pounds in additional revenue from World Cup goods. Meanwhile, the people stitching the footballs, sewing the shirts and glueing the boots that will earn this money are working late into the night, six or seven days a week, for poverty wages. Those that attempt to form trade unions to try to improve their working conditions are persecuted and often lose their jobs. This report gives examples of these violations of workers rights. Written by the TUC and Labour Behind the Label, 2006.
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July 19, 2006
Fashion Victims - The true cost of cheap clothes at Primark,Asda and Tesco
This report presents the results of systematic research and interviews conducted in Bangladesh with workers who make the clothes sold by bargain retailers such as Primark,Asda and Tesco. The findings of this research reveal the true human cost of the goods sold so cheaply to consumers in the UK. Written by War on Want, 2006.
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July 7, 2006
Who pays for cheap clothes? 5 questions the low-cost retailers must answer
This report from July 2006 sets out to show how the sourcing techniques used by companies like Asda, Tesco, Primark and Matalan can lead to the people working for their suppliers getting a raw deal. It is dedicated to the Bangladeshi workers who, at the time of going to press, were still fighting for their rights.
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October 4, 2005
Workers Voices - The situation of women in the Eastern European and Turkish garment industries
Research on working conditions in Eastern Europe and Turkey based on over 250 interviews with (women) workers. Written by Kampagne fur Saubere Kleidung and Clean Clothes Campaign, 2005.
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August 31, 2005
Workers' tool or PR ploy? A guide to codes of international labour practice
This publication is centred on the profiles of five prominent code verification initiatives. During the past months, they have shown converging tendencies, despite their varied differences. The common ground is currently being ex- plored in a “Joint Initiative on Corporate Accountability and Workers’ Rights” including the Clean Clothes Campaign aimed at strengthening the coordina- tion and cooperation between these initiatives. Further harmonisation of code of conduct efforts will be needed to fully exploit the potential of this tool for the benefit of workers. Written by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung & SÜDWIND, 2005.
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September 16, 2004
Conditions of Women Workers in Special Economic Zones and Labour Standards in Supplier Factories of German Garment Retailer Companies and Brands in China. A paper by Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee, 2004.
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September 14, 2004
Publication from 2004 about the emergence of booming "fashion colonies" in Eastern Europe. Lots of women are toiling away in the name of fashion, which is not unlike what is happening in many Asian, Central American, and African countries. Although this booming garment industry raises the hopes of many people, the seamstresses, the actual workers are left out in the cold while fashion multinationals turn a handsome profit.
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July 13, 2004
Research on Working & Living Conditions of Women in Export Processing Zones (EPZ
This research was conducted between April and July 2004 as a follow up to the last research in 2002, with a focus on advanced monitoring of the working and living conditions of Indonesian female workers in Export Processing Zones (EPZ) and sweatshop factories. This research took place in six factories in Jakarta and Tangerang (Banten Province). Written by Sudwind Austria and UCM Jakarta.
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November 28, 2003
Women Working Worldwide: researching international subcontracting chains
The findings of these reports from 2003 provide evidence that reinforces the impact that the major issues and trends in the garment industry are having on workers in these subcontracting chains. This bulletin provides an overview of the key research findings. These come under three headings: the operation of subcontracting chains in the garment industry, trends in subcontracting and issues for workers in subcontracting chains.
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