C ean C othes Newsletter no. 22 October 2006 08 Inside the Belgium South CCC 10 World Cup Campaigning 12 Jo-In: Trying to Make Codes Work 16 Questions for "Value" Retailers How to Contact the Clean Clothes Campaigns & Projects in Europe AUSTRIA T: +33-156-03-93-50 T: +46-87-96-28-66 Clean Clothes Kampagne F: +33-147-70-96-35 F: +46-82-49-79-4 c/o Südwind Agentur E: [email protected] E: [email protected] Laudongasse 40 www.ethique-sur-etiquette.org www.renaklader.org A1080 Wien Austria GERMANY SWITZERLAND T: +43-1-405-55-15 Kampagne für Saubere Kleidung Clean Clothes Campaign F: +43-1-405-55-19 c/o Vereinte Evangelische Mission c/o Erklärung von Bern E: [email protected] Rudolfstr. 131 Postfach www.cleanclothes.at 42285 Wuppertal 8031 Zürich Germany Switzerland BELGIUM T: +49-202-89-00-43-16 T: +41-12-77-70-00 Schone Kleren Campagne F: +49-202-89-00-479 F: +41-12-77-70-01 c/o Wereldsolidariteit E: [email protected] E: [email protected] Haachtsesteenweg 579 www.sauberekleidung.de www.cleanclothes.ch 1031 Brussel Belgium ITALY Clean Clothes Campaign T: +32-22-46-36-81 Campagna Abiti Puliti c/o Déclaration de Berne F: +32-22-46-38-85 c/o Centro Nuevo Modello di Sviluppo Case Postale 212 E: [email protected] Via della Barra 32 1000 Lausanne 9 www.schonekleren.be 56019 Vecchiano (PI) Switzerland Italy T: +41-21-620-03-03 Vêtements Propres T: +39-50-82-63-54 F: +41-21-620-03-00 Place de l'Université, 16 F: +39-50-82-71-65 E: [email protected] 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve E: [email protected] www.cleanclothes.ch Belgium www.abitipuliti.org T: +32–10-45-75-27 UNITED KINGDOM E: [email protected] THE NETHERLANDS Labour Behind the Label www.vetementspropres.be Schone Kleren Kampagne 38 Exchange Street Postbus 11584 Norwich NR2 1AX CENTRAL & EASTERN EUROPE 1001 GN Amsterdam United Kingdom (INCLUDING TURKEY) the Netherlands T: +44-16-03-66-61-60 Bettina Musiolek T: +31-20-412-27-85 F: +44-16-03-62-50-04 Protestant Academy Meissen F: +31-20-412-27-86 E: [email protected] Freiheit 16 E: [email protected] www.labourbehindthelabel.org 01662 Meissen www.schonekleren.nl Germany T: +49-35-21-47-06-16 SPAIN E: [email protected] Campaña Ropa Limpia c/o SETEM Madrid Regina Barendt c/ Gaztambide, 50 Münchener Str. 2 Madrid 28015 97292 Uettingen Spain Germany T: +34-91-549-91-28 T: +49-93-69-98-10-67 F: +34-91-549-95-72 E: [email protected] E: [email protected] INTERNATIONAL SECRETARIAT www.ropalimpia.org Clean Clothes Campaign FRANCE Postbus 11584 Collectif 'De l'Ethique sur SWEDEN 1001 GN Amsterdam l'Etiquette' Kampanjen Rena Kläder the Netherlands c/o Fédération Artisans du Monde c/o LO-TCO Biståndsnämnd T: +31-20-412-27-85 53, Boulevard de Strasbourg Upplandsgatan 3 F: +31-20-412-27-86 75010 Paris S-111 23 Stockholm E: [email protected] France Sweden www.cleanclothes.org 2 Clean Clothes Campaign Newsletter no. 22, Oct. 2006 Editorial This edition of the newsletter includes many examples of CCC While some CCC activities tie in with certain events, for supporters in action, with a variety of initiatives underway to example the World Cup held earlier this year in Germany mobilise people to push for better conditions for the world’s (see page 10 for a report), others are more sustained, for garment workers. example the plan in the UK to incorporate garment workers’ rights issues into the studies of those being CCC activists continue to keep busy gathering, translating and trained at fashion colleges (for more on this see page 4). distributing information on the reality workers face in the Whatever form they take, these myriad CCC activities are workplaces where our clothes are made (see for example the our contribution towards what we hope will be lasting and New Resources on pages 25-27); pushing companies, positive changes. governments and others to do the best they can for workers (see the Urgent Appeals cases highlighted on pages 19-22 for some concrete examples); and taking to the streets to make clear to the public that there’s still a lot of work to be done We encourage readers to share, reprint or distribute any when it comes to labour rights in the garment industry. In information found within this newsletter. A digital version can recent months CCC activists have donned inspection gear, run be found at www.cleanclothes.org/news.htm marathons (see right), and even ridden on a fire truck in various attempts to get this important point across. Companies are also in a race, unfortunately this seems to be a race to the bottom – where costs are pushed as low as possible and profits are maximised at the expense of the quality of life for the people who actually produce the goods. Garment workers are being squeezed: low wages, long hours and ongoing repression of their attempts to organise to push for improvements. CCC supporters are on the street (and on the phone and in the meeting room) to remind the public (and companies of course) of the role they can and should play in stopping that race to the bottom. Featured in this edition of the newsletter are some basic questions people can ask the retailers they patronise (pages 16-18) and let them know that good bargains in the shops shouldn’t come at the expense of workers. The growth in Clean Clothes Communities work (see page 4) is a positive example of people coming together where they live to do something to support garment workers. The report on the Jo-In project (pages 12-15) explains how the CCC has come together with the main multi-stakeholder initiatives to push for code compliance efforts to develop in a way that is most beneficial for workers. CCC T-shirts and stickers were worn by 600 runners in Vienna’s marathon in May, as part of the “Let’s Run Fair” campaign organised by the Austrian CCC. A highlight of the day was an appearance by the world record holder for 24-hour barefoot running, Dietmar Mücke, in support of the CCC. Copyright: www.nalogo.at The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) aims to improve working of code compliance. The Clean Clothes Campaign cooperates conditions in the garment industry worldwide and empower with organisations all over the world, especially self-organised (women) garment workers. The CCC is made up of coalitions of groups of garment workers (including workers in factories of all consumer organisations, trade unions, researchers, solidarity sizes, homeworkers, and migrant workers without valid working groups, world shops, and other organisations. The CCC informs papers). consumers about the conditions in which their garments and sports shoes are produced, pressures brands and retailers to Editors: Celia Mather, Marieke Eyskoot and Nina Ascoly take responsibility for these conditions, and demands that Design: Roel Dalhuisen, www.alaskaontwerpers.nl/roel companies accept and implement a good code of labour Printing: PrimaveraQuint, Amsterdam standards that includes monitoring and independent verification Printed on 100% recycled paper Clean Clothes Campaign Newsletter no. 22, Oct. 2006 3 News from the CCCs Thirty Spanish CCC activists participated in Barcelona’s annual street race in May this year to draw attention to working conditions in El Corte Ingles supply chains. El Corte Ingles, sponsor of the Spain: Focus on race, is one of Spain’s largest nationwide store chains. El Corte Inglés / Induyco At the end of May, Induyco, the principal clothing supplier to LBL’s Fashion College project, which works to embed ethics into Spanish retailer El Corte Inglés, came under pressure from Clean fashion education, is coming to the end of a successful first year. Clothes Campaigners. Its clothing is known to be produced in For more information see the project’s “Fashioning an Ethical Bulgaria, Morocco, India and China, but the company is unwilling Industry” website at www.fashioninganethicalindustry.org. to engage with rights activists about working conditions there. Therefore, Campaña Ropa Limpia (CCC Spain) is mobilising consumers to pressure Induyco through a postcard and e-mail Clean Clothes Communities campaign, with the slogan “¿Qué hay detrás de la ropa de Induyco?” or “What lies behind Induyco clothing?” They can also CCC groups in various countries have been pushing ahead with add their signatures at: http://www.ropalimpia.org/accionesurg campaigns aimed at persuading government bodies to buy their entes/detail2.php?id_accion=4. work wear based on ethical principles. Election campaigns are providing good opportunities for activists to question candidates Induyco owns a number of brands that are well-known in Spain: on this issue and raise public awareness. Campaigns in several Pilar Rueda, Mito, Sfera, Amitié, Tintoretto, Síntesis, Bus Stop countries have also produced technical guides for use by and Cedosce. The campaign has been launched in communities government officers and activists. across the country. Sweden: It’s my tax money! A briefing on Induyco, in Spanish, is available at: http://www.ropalimpia.org/noticias/detail.php?id=52" On May 13, 2006 the campaign “Mina Skattepengar” (It’s my tax money!) was formally launched in Sweden, with activities, street actions and a special campaign website at: www.minaskattepengar.nu. The launch came after a series of UK: Clean Up Fashion meetings for activists across the country that has led to the formation of local campaign groups in seven cities. In the UK, Labour Behind the Label (LBL, the UK CCC) is launching a new website (www.cleanupfashion.co.uk) about It is intended that the campaign should be run at a local level, British supermarkets and fast fashion retailers and their impact with citizens engaging their local politicians.