Fair Trade Textile And Decent Work. The Impact Of Fair Trade On The Sustainability Of Textile Supply Chains. Global Context Analysis

Oxfam-magasins du monde – Edition april 2018

Global

« Who has not heard of Rana Plaza, the famous industrial disaster that occurred in Bangladesh in April 2013? Probably very few people, particularly among those inter-ested in the textiles sector or issues of consumption in general. Although far from being the only accident of this type, it received signifcant attention in the media due to its magnitude. This in turn caused a huge stir within the general public and among political decision-makers. Even though we may question the “necessity” of accidents as tragic as this to awaken people’s consciences, numerous initiatives to better regulate the sector have subsequently been launched or given new mo-mentum. After reviewing the social and environmental externalities of textile production worldwide, this study will present an overview of the various initiatives seeking to reduce its negative impacts. Whether new or existing, public or private, national or international, all these initiatives have the main aim of making global textile chains more sustainable, and in particular improving workers’ rights and working conditions. The questions we will attempt to cover include, amongst others: How can better working conditions be ensured throughout the entire supply chain, namely for both the last stage (garment manufacture) and the intermediate stages (cotton produc-tion, spinning, weaving, etc.)? What are the power relationships within the different links of the supply chain? What are the roles and responsibilities of each of these players? How can the transparency and accountability of brands within supply chains be improved? More specifically, we will examine the role that fair trade plays in these different areas, in its labelled as well as its integrated form. »

External link

Veillard Patrick