Better Cotton works extensively in Pakistan. A new pilot scheme aims to improve mapping data and thereby rationalise country programming. An interview with Muhammad Qadeer ul Hussnain, Digital Agriculture Manager at Better Cotton.
Many textile enterprises are moving toward green production processes due to increasing consumer awareness in key export markets. In this article, we will run through how firms are adapting to this trend.
Sonovia’s ultrasonic technology drastically reduces environmental pollution in the denim industry, according to a comparative study released earlier this months.
A new Playbook by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) talks directly with fashion’s communicators. Written for marketers, brand managers, imagemakers, storytellers, media, influencers and beyond, ‘The Sustainable Fashion Communication Playbook’ from UNEP and UN Climate Change, provides a much needed framework when policies around how to communicate environmental claims increasingly come into force.
Education and training is essential in equipping the supply chain with the tools to digitise and will aid in creating a talent pool of digital advocates.
For many years, Banolata Refractory, a brick manufacturer in northern Bangladesh, had wanted to start making environmentally-friendly bricks and cut its carbon emissions, but it lacked the funding to build a greener and cleaner kiln.
Take-back schemes are presented as a convenient option for consumers to return their unwanted clothes directly to fast-fashion brands and retailers, who promise to give them a second life, either by donating to those in need or recycling into new clothing. After 11 months of tracking, the outcomes of the tracked items expose the discrep- ancy between brands’ claims and the actual fate of the collected clothing.
The representatives of readymade garment (RMG) workers are likely to demand a minimum monthly wage of Tk20,000, taking into account inflation, the current expenditure of the workers' families and the capacity of the apparel industry.
In garment factories, employment is often based on piece-work contracts. Men work long hours for financial stability, but rural women face challenges, especially if the factory is far from their homes.
A Black Day protest demonstration was held at the Katunayake and Biyagama Free Trade Zones. According to a branch official of the Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union, the demonstration is against “modern slavery laws introduced by the Wickremesinghe government and the looting of workers’ money under the guise of restructuring the EPF.”
Sustainable-fashion experts, brand leaders and sourcing professionals discussed the progress of Sustainable Development Goals and challenges during the United Nations Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network annual meeting with the United Nations Office for Partnerships and the Fashion Impact Fund.
Takeaways and key insights from five recent reports on fashion’s state of sustainability and tools for consumers to course correct
The Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training has set August 16 for a yearly negotiation concerning the 2024 minimum wage for employees in the textile, garment, footwear, travel goods and bag sectors.
The garment industry in Bangladesh has changed since 1,134 people were killed when the Rana Plaza factory in Dhaka collapsed on April 24, 2013.
Two new reports from UN Climate Change’s Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action aim to help the fashion industry better understand how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from raw material extraction, production and processing, which for some companies is the most carbon-intensive part of the fashion value chain.
Traditionally, fashion brand compliance efforts consisted of offloading the direct responsibility for human and environmental rights onto their suppliers, who absorbed this burden as a cost of securing the brand’s business. To delve deeper into this topic, we invited a range of industry experts and stakeholders to provide on-the-ground insights and perspectives on how both brands and governments can remedy these issues.
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) has started the three-stage OECD Alignment Assessment which would help textile companies gain access to a due diligence process, enabling them to identify, assess, and mitigate adverse impacts throughout their supply chains.
If you own stocks, chances are good you have heard the term ESG. It stands for environmental, social and governance, and it is a way to laud corporate leaders who take sustainability – including climate change – and social responsibility seriously and punish those who do not.
Bangladeshi garment labour rights organisers are now organising for a livable minimum wage for garment workers. Both local and global labour rights organisers have been taking a wide range of initiatives, including but not limited to demonstrating on the streets, publishing in the local and global media, and hosting seminars and Zoom meetings, to make a case for increasing the minimum monthly wage from Tk 8,000 Tk (USD 73.7) to Tk 25,000 Tk (USD 230.31).
Indian apparel manufacturing industry is following nearly all the aspects of green manufacturing including energy efficiency, waste reduction, closed-loop supply chain, green factories and green funding. And it includes a variety of small but significant steps like LED lights to initiatives like ZLD which take up huge investment.
With more new CBAM sustainability legislation coming into force in the EU, the fashion industry could see a complete reshaping of business norms and industry dynamics as part of the demand for decarbonisation. At the same time, AI and copyright laws continue their tug-of-war, awaiting the outcome of inevitable litigation.
Officially titled the Digital Product Passport (DPP), the tool will require brands to collect and share data from a product’s entire lifecycle accessible in the form of a 'digital twin'.
Authorities in Kampong Speu province, in partnership with the Asia Injury Prevention Foundation (AIP), have successfully educated transport drivers on road safety. The outcome has been a notable decline in accidents involving workers’ transport trucks during the first half of this year, according to deputy provincial governor Sar Soputra.
Fast fashion is showing no signs of slowing and the textile waste mountain continues to grow. Is tech that predicts consumer demands the answer to ending the make-take-waste cycle?
When temperatures in Thailand shot past 112 degrees earlier this year, the government issued extreme heat warnings for large swaths of the country. It wasn't safe, officials said, to be outdoors.
The Ready-Made Garment (RMG) industry contributes the greatest share of Bangladesh's foreign earnings about 84.6% in FY 22-23. There are over 4.2 million employees overall in this industry and more than 80% of them are Bangladeshi women who live in rural regions. Unfortunately, there are violations of labor laws and social norms in this industry, making it difficult for women to work comfortably.
Ash Modha is the CEO and Co-Founder of Certified B Corp, Mondetta Clothing, and dedicated to ESG, sustainability and social impact.
Bangladesh’s garment sector is discussing having its minimum wage raised. Local trade unions and the IndustriALL global union are calling for the minimum wage to be raised to Tk23,000 (US$210), based on the minimum income needed for basic needs calculated by the Bangladesh Institute for Labour Studies.
This wave of new policy measures has scholars talking about a ‘sustainability revolution’ in trade governance. But the key question remains to be answered: will these initiatives actually make international trade more sustainable? Two sets of concerns need to be considered for each new measure before this question can be answered.
As the negotiations on the content of the legislation advance, and in order to ensure that the European Commission proposal fulfils its best potential, we, the undersigned Civil Society Organisations, Coalitions and Trade Unions, believe that the below elements are essential to make the proposed regulation efficient, implementable and above all, impactful to address forced labour meaningfully.
