Germany seeks greater transparency in apparel production

07 May '13

2 min read

Following the April 24 incident, where a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed claiming over 500 lives, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stressed on a greater degree of transparency about the place of origin and production process for apparel.

Addressing a German Protestant Church conference in Hamburg, the Chancellor said the ‘Fair Trade’ tag that some fashion industries already carry should be extended to all textile and garment industries.

Such a practice would be something similar to the efforts being made to establish the origins of palm oil and tropical woods, to ensure environmental sustainability, according to Mrs. Merkel, globalpost.com reported.

In this case, Europe can play the role of an initiator and insist on a statement of origin narrating the production process and other details adopted by textile and apparel producers, Mrs. Merkel said.

Stating that developing countries often fear losing their competitive edge if they accept adhering to environmental and labour protection norms, the Chancellor called for finding a right way to avoid any testing conditions, like overcrowded factories.

There were around 3,000 workers working in the eight-storey building in the Rana Plaza compound, in Savar, Dhaka, when the ill-fated incident took place on April 24.

Some key retailers like Italy’s Benetton, Spain’s Mango and Britain’s economical chain Primark have already accepted that some of their goods were being produced or sourced at garment units in Rana Plaza.

Bangladesh earns around US$ 20 billion in garment exports each year, accounting for around 80 percent of the country’s overall export earnings.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

More Apparel/Garments News - Germany...