“However, brands’ lack of supply chain transparency was a key reason why the problems at Rana Plaza were not addressed before the point of catastrophe,” HRW noted.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded that German apparel and footwear brands should promote workers' rights in their global operations by publicly#
Unions and labour rights advocates have alleged that a major German clothing brand, KiK, had production in factories in Rana Plaza.
In a press release, KiK stated that the company had no direct business relation at the point of the accident and, in a letter to HRW, said that it had contributed to the compensation fund.
Workers also alleged that KiK was producing garments at Tazreen, a Bangladesh factory that caught fire in November 2012, killing 117 workers.
According to the Clean Clothes Campaign, in December 2012, KiK acknowledged having produced garments in Tazreen, and also pledged to pay funds into a compensation fund for victims.
The families of victims of a factory fire that killed 262 persons at the Ali Enterprises factory in Karachi, Pakistan, in September 2012, too have sought compensation from Kik since it too was sourcing apparel from Ali.
HRW also advised brands to take measures to improve labour rights and safety in supplier factories, including curbing use of short-term contracts and prevent physical and sexual abuses.
Many brands have codes of conduct that prohibit abuses of labour and human rights in supplier factories but fail to effectively monitor and ensure those codes are fully complied with.
Under the UN ‘Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights’, companies have a responsibility to prevent or mitigate adverse human rights impacts.
“This can be directly linked to their operations, products or services by their business relationships, even if they have not contributed to those impacts,” the UN code adds.
The UN guidelines also state that where business enterprises have caused or contributed to adverse impacts, they should provide for or cooperate in their remediation through legitimate processes.
“German clothing brands should be leading the way globally in demanding their suppliers respect workers’ rights and that factory environments meet international standards for safety,” Michalski said.
“For their part, German shoppers should demand that brands make it clear where products are made and under what conditions so they can make fully informed consumer decisions,” he concluded by saying. (AR)
Fibre2fashion News Desk - India
-Ltd..jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Thermore (Far East) Ltd.")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSllC Ltd)")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)")
