labor standards news and archive

Joint statement from AAFA, NRF, RILA, USFIA, and FDRA on reports of forced labor in Xinjiang

As an industry representing brands and retailers, we do not tolerate forced labor in our supply chains. We work together to identify and eliminate forced labor, and conditions that can lead to forced labor, in the countries from which we source products. The industry continues to evolve and improve our existing approaches to identify, detect,...

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AAFA statement in response to CSIS report on China's Xinjiang Province

The American Apparel & Footwear Association released the following statement after the release of Connecting the Dots in Xinjiang: Forced Labor, Forced Assimilation, and Western Supply Chains from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): We are deeply concerned by reports on labor practices in Xinjiang province. Forced labor in...

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Leading fashion firms call on Cambodian government to improve labour standards

Leading fashion companies including Nike, PVH, Levi Strauss, Esprit, Adidas and Under Armour have signed an open letter to the Cambodian government urging it to improve its labour standards. The companies, who claim to contribute 9.5 billion US dollars (7.26 billion pounds) to Cambodia’s exports through their work with the country’s suppliers,...

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Garment factory workers in Vietnam forced to rely on excessive overtime

Garment factory workers in Vietnam are not able to earn a living wage without working excessive overtime, according to a report published this week by the Fair Labor Association (FLA), based on data collected over three years from 13,000 workers working across 38 factories. Although the average garment factory worker in Vietnam earns more than...

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Forced labor, child work, low wages: the lives of home-based garment workers in India

While increased attention is (finally) being given to the poor working conditions faced by garment factory workers in countries such as India, Burma and Bangladesh, few people know there are millions of workers making garments in informal, home-based settings too. During times of increased seasonal demand, many factories outsource production to...

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Major brands failing to tackle worker exploitation, study shows

Major clothing and footwear brands are failing to tackle the exploitation of vulnerable workers in their supply chains, according to a new report by Know The Chain. The benchmark test, which measured 43 global companies’ efforts to address forced labour, gave the apparel and footwear sector an overall average score of 37 out of 100. Adidas...

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123 apparel and footwear companies sign new “AAFA/FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment”

123 apparel and footwear companies signed the new “AAFA/FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment,” reflecting the industry’s commitment to the fair treatment of workers in the global apparel, footwear, and travel goods supply chain. Developed in conjunction with the American Apparel & Footwear Association and the...

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Fashion

Ethical supply chain fund raises 25.2m dollars

Working Capital, an early stage venture fund that invests in innovative solutions to create ethical supply chains, has raised a total of 25.2 million dollars, with its latest round of 2.5m received from Zalandao and Children’s Investment Fund (CIFF). "As leaders in their respective industries, both CIFF and Zalando will bring a unique...

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Fashion is one of the key industries contributing to modern slavery

Approximately 40 million people around the world are living in modern slavery, 71 percent of them female -- and the fashion industry is the second biggest contributor to this situation, according to the 2018 Global Slavery Index, published by nonprofit organization Walk Free Foundation. The study was based on data from 167 countries and...

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US bans imports of cotton from Turkmenistan after forced labor complaint

The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency of the Department of Homeland Security, has formally banned the importation of “all cotton or cotton products produced in whole or in part with Turkmenistan cotton”. The decision, published on the agency’s website earlier this week, comes two months after non-profit organizations Cotton...

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Fashion

Prada fails to disclose steps to eradicate forced labour

London - KnowTheChain, a resource for businesses and investors who need to understand and address forced labor risks within their supply chains, have published findings for the apparel industry, of which there are surprising results. Founded by Humanity United in 2013, KnowThe Chain benchmarks current corporate practices, develops insights and...

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Modern Slavery Act: what it means for global businesses

With an estimated 21 million people worldwide being victims of modern slavery or enforced labour and illegal profits estimated at 150 billion US dollars per year, modern day slavery is very real. The majority of modern slaves are exploited in manufacturing, construction and agriculture, leaving the garment and textile industry not out of its...