The Business of Fashion
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
Agenda-setting intelligence, analysis and advice for the global fashion community.
The American Apparel & Footwear Association has called on Bangladesh to end a crackdown on labourers, following protests over changes to the country’s minimum wage for garment workers last fall.
More than 100 garment workers and labour advocates were jailed between October and November amid violent demonstrations, according to labour groups. Thousands more have been threatened with detention, according to AAFA.
In an open letter to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the US trade group called for protestors still held in detention to be released and for the government to investigate violence that led to the deaths of workers during the demonstrations.
Bangladesh is one of the world’s largest apparel producers and a increasingly significant supplier to the US market.
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A ‘Climate of Fear’ in Fashion’s Supply Chains
The killing of a union leader in Bangladesh this summer has heightened anxiety over the risks facing labour organisers amid a broader, often violent, crackdown on labour rights.
Europe’s Parliament has signed off rules that will make brands more accountable for what happens in their supply chains, ban products made with forced labour and set new environmental standards for the design and disposal of products.
Fashion’s biggest sustainable cotton certifier said it found no evidence of non-compliance at farms covered by its standard, but acknowledged weaknesses in its monitoring approach.
As they move to protect their intellectual property, big brands are coming into conflict with a growing class of up-and-coming designers working with refashioned designer gear.
The industry needs to ditch its reliance on fossil-fuel-based materials like polyester in order to meet climate targets, according to a new report from Textile Exchange.