The Rupp Report: Ethics In Garment Production
Jürg Rupp, Executive Editor
In recent years, ecological standards in the whole textile production chain are not only a green idea, but a prerequisite to be successful. Many nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are carefully monitoring big global retail chains and their activities, especially regarding toys and textiles.
Global Organic Textile Standard
In the monitoring spotlight are chemical inputs such as dyestuffs and auxiliaries, which must meet certain environmental and toxicological criteria; also, the choice of accessories is limited under ecological considerations. The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is recognized as one of the leading processing standards worldwide for textiles made using organic fibers. It defines high-level environmental criteria along the entire supply chain for organic textiles and requires compliance with social criteria as well. Currently, more than 2,000 enterprises worldwide are labeled.
Social Criteria ...
Not only are the ecological standards in the focus of attention, but also, the social criteria in a textile's production are very much in question. Since the world -- mainly, the West -- is not willing to pay a decent price for a decent product anymore, most production of fabrics and garments has moved to the Far East. And the prices are under constant pressure because big department stores discovered textiles to be a cornerstone of their turnover.
In Europe, for instance, retail chains like Aldi and Lidl are selling big quantities of very cheap textiles. Even coffee-shop chains such as Tschibo are selling textile products in the same places where they sell coffee. The sourcing power of these enterprises is very strong, and the suppliers are suffering. As raw material prices are the same all over the world, labor costs are still one of the key components to save money and, therefore, put pressure on the working environment and wages. And now, apparel production has begun in one of the poorest countries in the Asia-Pacific region -- Bangladesh.
... And Social Responsibility ...
Since consumer organizations began putting a lot of emphasis on social responsibility, the issue has become delicate: Many big retail chains already had signed papers to source their products in Asia, where the employees are working in a controlled social environment. Also in the GOTS standard, social responsibility is an important criterion for the label. The wages must secure a decent life and there should be no discrimination; and safe working conditions and no child labor must be guaranteed as well. These terms are primarily important in so-called risk countries.
... Are Not Compatible With Cheap Products
And this criterion is not only wishful thinking, but also a fact. The German retail chain Lidl has come under pressure after NGOs published reports that some of Lidl's contractors are not working in accordance with their customer's commitment that "Lidl makes a large and important contribution for the lasting improvement in the working conditions, primarily in the developing and emerging countries."
However, the Berlin-based human rights organization European Center for Constitutional and Humans Rights (ECCHR) and the Clean Clothes Campaign network examined several Lidl subcontractors in Bangladesh. The results are alarming: The employees, predominantly women, complain that they must do overtime regularly, and this overtime often is not paid. The salaries -- some 30 euros per month -- usually represent the local minimum wages. Employees would be punished with deductions from salary again and again, and also when they refuse to work overtime.
The consumer advice center in Hamburg, Germany, accused Lidl of misleading its customers. The German retailer responded that since 2006, Lidl itself has checked the working conditions of the subcontractors through 7,500 examinations and 28,000 further examinations by external testing institutes. However, the result was that that "some necessary improvement measures in the areas of the wages and the worker's security should be made," and Lidl is accused of checking only "very selectively" its subcontractors. The end of the story is yet to come.
Ref: Textile World
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