There is still time until Wednesday, July 19, to sign the petition promoted by the “Good Clothes, Fair Pay” campaign against worker exploitation in the fashion industry. Launched last year, the initiative has Legacoop Veneto member social enterprise Fairtrade Italia among its partners, along with Fashion Revolution and Fair Wear Foundation.
Specifically, the campaign calls on European citizens to sign an active petition to demand legislation from the European Union regarding living wages across the apparel, textile and footwear sector. For the EU to be required to address the issue, 1 million signatures will need to be collected by the deadline.
Currently, female workers in the textile industries in India and Bangladesh earn barely half of what they need to provide food and education for their children. In fact, most brands profit at the expense of the human rights of the workers involved in their supply chains. Although some companies have made voluntary commitments in recent years, no significant change has been initiated.
Therefore, legislative action by the EU, which is now the world’s largest importer of garments, is needed to ensure that workers’ human rights are respected and upheld. New legislation would require all companies wishing to operate in the EU, regardless of where they are based, to implement, monitor and publicly disclose a plan with timelines and targets to close the gap between actual and minimum wages.
Fairtrade has been working for several years to make this right a reality for workers around the world. Since the introduction of Fairtrade certified cotton in 2005, the goal has been to extend the approach to the entire textile supply chain to address the challenges of the industry. It also launched the Fairtrade Textile Standard in 2016, which applies to all players in the supply chain. As part of a comprehensive approach, Fairtrade aims to empower workers and improve working conditions in the textile industry, including the implementation of decent wages within six years.