European apparel companies urged to stop funding Myanmar regime
Trade union organisation IndustriAll Europe wrote to the European Parliament ahead of a debate on trade with Myanmar on May 10 and 11. This was the fourth debate the European Parliament had held about the situation in the Asian country since a military coup there in 2021.
At the end of this latest debate, which took place in Strasbourg, members of the European Parliament voted in favour of a resolution that strongly condemned the military junta’s “continued violent and illegitimate rule, which has plunged the country into a human rights and humanitarian crisis”.
In the letter it sent before the debate, IndustriAll called for action from garment brands in the European Union, saying they should stop sourcing apparel from Myanmar and that consumers in Europe should stop buying apparel made in the Asian country. “EU consumers, by buying products made in Myanmar, are inadvertently funding the regime,” the trade union organisation said. “This must stop.”
It said it had already worked closely with a number of global garment brands to help them exit Myanmar and insisted more companies should seek to do this. “Responsible business disengagement from Myanmar is possible,” it said.
