Fairtrade textile standard will not benefit garment workers, says Clean Clothes Campaign
22/03/2016
To improve working conditions, a sector-wide approach is needed and corporate behaviour has to change, not only some selected supply chains, said the organisation.
It said: “The Fairtrade Textile Standard, as a product label-approach, is limited to individual selected supply chains of the company and does not cover its entire business activities. Working for more than 25 years in this area, Clean Clothes Campaign believes that the existing problems in the industry can only be solved if companies change comprehensively their corporate behavior and if there is a sector-wide approach to tackle underlying root causes that lead to labour and human rights violations.”
“A product label approach is problematic because it allows brands to pick and choose and to create one ‘fairtrade’ product in one supply chain while carrying on with business as usual in all other supply chains.
“The new Fairtrade Textile Standard is quite comprehensive, but it does not hold brands responsible for respecting decent labour conditions, and it does not guarantee that all workers involved in making a brand`s products are paid a living wage. The Standard includes complex and costly requirements for factories, but does not require brands to commit to real change in terms of their purchasing and operating practices.”
We reported yesterday how Fairtrade says the new standard will empower textile workers through a number of different means.
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