80-20 rule is known as Pareto principle as this Italian economist observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. In Bangladesh, this principle transformed into 95-5-rule meaning 5% people own that 95% country's wealth. In alternatively, we say rich is becoming richer while poor is becoming poorer in Bangladesh. Experts from different sectors may explain different reasons from their point of views. In my view, due to unfair social conditions, the mentioned 95-5 rule is seen in our country. Our textile and clothing industry is the largest industrial sector for employments and export earnings, where directly 5 million people involved while more than 45 million population run their livelihood. I believe, among many measures, social responsibility must help our laborers (workers, stuffs, officials, top level employees) to live a fair life, which may also help to turn present 95-5 rule into 80-20 rules or even better. Textile and Clothing is one of the longest and complex chains in the industrial sector. This sector is one of the notorious players in exploiting its resources-natural and human as well as polluting its environment.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) came into common use in the late 1960s and early 1970s, though International Labor Organization (ILO) deals with labor issues formed in 1919. CSR conceptualized as business strategy management to do their business with contributing overall positive impact on society and environment. CSR's pillar is on 3 Ps: profit, people and planet; and pro-active in nature. Programs that include in textile-clothing CSR are: Social Responsibility (For Life), Social Accountability (SA) 8000, Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), World-wide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP), Fair Labor Association (FLA), Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), Clean Cloth Campaign (CCC), Fair Wear Foundation (FWF), Occupational Health and Safety Advisory Services (OHSAS) 18000. Social Responsibility (SR) is one well-known program based on ILO conventions, ISEAL and SA.

Our textile-clothing industry is a hub of unskilled labors with no prior work experience, of rural origin and from poor families. Mostly female workers are employed in our textile-clothing industry. Despite the employment opportunities, those workers in suffer from abject poverty. It is a fact that workers are illiterate, lacking behind proper training, and skills. But utmost reality is that what they earn is very less than they deserve, and the most of their basic rights never offered, and overlooked by the authority in these industries. That could be one reason; owners of these so-called industries turn in rich and richer from the saved money. Bangladesh is one of the few countries in the world where it very much possible to become rich and richer in very short period, due to loopholes created by governments and industrialists themselves.

The present working conditions of the textile-clothing industry can be described as: long working hours, i.e., more than 12 hours a day, mandatory overtime and no weekend with less or no payment, no job security, i.e., when there is less pressure of orders, workers are sacked from the post; no maternity leave but in maternity cases, workers are forced to leave job. As authorities get informed about pregnancy of any female workers, they are warned and forced to leave job before taking leave for maternity.

reasons. In the same manner, when child of any mother is about need daycare centre, before any mother asks for daycare of her child, she is forced to leave job, as there is no provision of workers unions in most of textile-clothing industries. Working environment, in most industries, lacking of proper light, and air-moisture circulation, ambient high temperature, poor sanitations, and drinking water and dinning. Industries deny bathroom breaks and sick leave, and retaliating against workers who seek better treatment.


Labor law in each and every country conveys almost same messages to industries owners for their labors. Bangladesh Labor Law (BLL) is a descendent of British Labor Law. Most of the industries in Bangladesh dont bother to follow Bangladesh Labor Law (BLL), which lead laborers measurable life. In developing countries and least developed countries, it is very difficult for the respective governments to compel industries to implement said laws. As poor government corrupted by its employees fails to look after interest and welfare of laborers, international buyers from developed countries have come with concept of third party (independent body) interference to save interests and welfare of the poorer laborers. Third party certification is welcome by all buyers while second party certification (certification provided by respective industrys association), and first party (claim by the industry itself) are not well received, as there is likely possibility biasness and false claims.


Social Responsibility is defined as decisions and actions taken for reasons at least partially beyond the firm's direct economic or technical interest (Keith Davis, an earlier pioneer in Social Responsibility, 1960). Social Responsibility is willingness to utilize resources for broader social ends. It is to provide workers preferred health, social security and welfare issues, in order to motivate workers and to achieve higher degree of loyalty from workers.


Thanks to the international buyers and consumers for inspiring and forcing industries, especially in textile-clothing industries in Bangladesh, to becoming socially responsible which are helping/compelling to follow BBL.


Social Responsibility principally deals with human responsibility and environmental responsibility. The mentioned table in the following provides basic concepts of what a textile-clothing uses as resources, and as a consequences what they deliver to their environment and human resources.

 


Manufacturing

Inputs

Impacts

Fiber

-Intensive uses of chemicals, water, energy,

-Intensive uses of pesticides, fertilizers

-Health hazards

-Environmental hazard (soil degradation; air, water and land pollution)

Yarn

Intensive use of energy

-Health hazards, due to noise pollution, and dust emissions

Fabric

-Intensive use of energy

-Health hazards, due to noise pollution, and dust emissions

Fabric finishing

-Use of chemicals

-Intensive uses of energy, and water

-Health hazards, due to toxic gases, smells generated from chemicals

- Environmental hazards (water, air, soil pollution)

Clothing

-Use of energy

-Health and environmental hazards comparatively low



Textile-clothing industrys human responsibilities indicate industrys responsibility towards its human resources which starts with first fulfilling human rights, for examples:


Employment Standards: issuing appointment letter, mentioning employment status, working hours, wages and other benefits, festival bonus, leave conditions (medical, festival, sick, maternity leave)


Occupational Safety and Health: provide safeguard against work-related likely hazards in the workplace, fire extinguisher & emergency fire exit, ensure drinking water, segregated toilets/washrooms


Welfare and Social Protection: ensure health care & information, canteen, restrooms, accommodation, maternity benefits, social security like pension, provident fund, gratuity, welfare fund, insurance (accident, life, etc.), compensation (injuries, disabilities)


Labor Relations and Social dialogue: right to form & join unions, union formation rules, freedom to elect union representatives, rights & scope of bargaining


Along with above mentioned workers rights, a textile-clothing industry may go for further activities, for examples: -to formulate contributions, grants, scholarship, -to set up hospitalization facilities to their laborers, -games sponsoring, -promoting national heritage and culture, -change Award for Innovation

 

Textile-Clothing industrys environmental responsibility may include following:

- environment protection, -cut its worldwide greenhouse gas emissions,-to reduced total volatile organic air emissions,-better cotton uses, - setting up wind and solar power plant,- reforestation programs,- erecting biomass facility to generate energy.


Social Responsibility (label: For Life) program offered world wide by Swiss certifying body Institute for Marker Ecology (IMO) with direct coordination of Bio Foundation of Switzerland. This third party program ensures that workers enjoy fair and safe working conductions covering all key labor aspects from core ILO workers rights to good employment conditions, Fairtrade Labelling Organization (FLO) and SA 8000.


Social matrix remind us that we are attracted to things of equal or higher value, and we lose attraction for things with lower value. Critically, we are rarely reactive to things with lower value than our self-perception, but we can become very reactive to things with perceived higher value. Social Responsibility is an initiative by conscious buyers and consumers to think and recreate value and importance to our root label laborers whose hardworking, intense labor, devotion and motivation create luxury, social value, and wealth for our industrialists. Social Responsibility is an important tool for mutual benefits among employers, employees, and environment that guarantee sustainability and competitiveness in the respective business.


About the Author:


Mr. Abrar A Apu and Mr. Saood Qaseem have been working for Institute for Market Ecology (IMO), based in Switzerland. They completed their MSc in Textile-Clothing from Niederrhein University of Germany. Abrar is also Assistant Professor in the Department of Textile Engineering, Daffodil International University (DIU), Bangladesh.