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KiK Fails to Turn a New Page on Ethical Business

Germany has a growing club of global apparel brands making their supplier factory information public. Unfortunately, KiK is dragging its feet on transparency, and has stayed out of the club.

Transparency in the garment industry about the factories brands use to produce their clothes is important. When apparel brands publish names and key information about their supplier factories, it allows workers and labor advocates to swiftly alert them to unsafe working conditions or labor rights violations. This kind of transparency can even help avert deadly disasters. Continue reading “KiK Fails to Turn a New Page on Ethical Business”

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Dignitex claims over the other side of the story of fashion facing the Fashion Week Madrid

A woman is weaving between red fabrics in Plaza Callao in Madrid. At his feet, dummies lying on the floor. It is a human sculpture that represents the precariousness of the working conditions of the textile industry.

At the same time, the ‘Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Madrid’ (MBFWM) takes place at the Feria de Madrid (IFEMA), 40 minutes by metro and 20 minutes by car. It started this Thursday and is its 66th edition. There, the main fashion brands, in 47 fashion shows, will present until Tuesday their new collections for the Fall-Winter 2017 season. Continue reading “Dignitex claims over the other side of the story of fashion facing the Fashion Week Madrid”

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Dozens of Bangladesh factories close as workers strike

Dozens of garment factories in Bangladesh shut down Thursday as a workers’ strike escalated, in a move that could hit supplies to top Western retailers during the busy holiday season.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) closed 55 factories in a suburb on the outskirts of Dhaka, association president Siddikur Rahman said, after police arrested at least seven people who were leading the strike. “Those (factories) will remain closed until the government says it is safe to reopen them,” Rahman told AFP.

Workers went on strike nine days ago to protest the firing of 121 colleagues and soon added a pay hike to their list of demands. The protest escalated earlier this week when police fired rubber pellets, injuring 10 demonstrators according to labour leader Taslima Akhter. Continue reading “Dozens of Bangladesh factories close as workers strike”