Dying for Fashion

 

Sendetext 01.03.16

 

 

00:03

The wonderful world of fashion. Every week new goods arrive in our shops. It’s called fast fashion. And it’s unbelievably cheap, like at the French discounter Auchan.

For its „in extenso“ label, the company claims to produce clothing in a clean and sustainable manner.

 

00.27

H&M, one of the largest fast fashion producers in the world, has a collection called „Conscious“. The company says it stands for sustainable and responsible production.

 

00.40

The German fashion discounter KiK claims its label „okay“ stands for safe working conditions.

 

00.50

Many of these clothes made in Bangladesh. The country has been in the headlines for years because of dangerous working conditions, he use of highly toxic chemicals, sewing machines running hot and causing disastrous fires.

 

01.07

With the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in April 2013 the myth of the clean fashion industry was shattered. 1.127 people died and 2.000 were injured. Rescue workers struggled for over a week to save workers trapped under the rubble.

 

01:34

Amid the rubble: the labels of many fast fashion brands, including KiK’s „okay“ label and  Auchan’s „in extenso“. Following the disaster the European Union called for change.

 

01:56 O-Ton Karel de Gucht EU-Handelskommissar

The big clients of the garments and apparel-industry in Bangladesh have a responsibility.

They need to take responsibility for their supply chain.

 

02:08

But are commitments for better standards enough or do we need internationally binding laws?

 

02:15     TITEL: Fashion to die for - The dirty secrets of the fashion industry

 

02:29

Since the collapse of Rana Plaza, fashion retailers like the French discounter Auchan continue to market their clothes claiming that they are produced responsibly.

 

Marie-Laure Guislain, a lawyer for French NGO Sherpa, which supports victims of economic crime, says that’s not good enough. She wants companies to be held liable for violations against international standards. 

 

Her focus is on Auchan: Its labels were found in the rubble of Rana Plaza.

 

02:59 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain SHERPA Lawyer

The big challenge for SHERPA is to hold the corporations accountable and to bring them to court in their home countries for any violations along their entire supply chain for everything they do abroad. Auchan is a very typical case. 

 

03:19

Pimkie, Orsay and the sportswear retailer Decathlon are also part of the Auchan empire that belongs to the Mulliez family, the richest family in France. In an online video the corporation denies any business ties to the Rana Plaza factory.

 

03:39 O-Ton Auchan

Given that one NGO found a pair of trousers bearing our brand name in the rubble of this building, 20 days after the disaster occurred. We wish to forcefully restate that, since we never placed any orders with any of Rana Plaza workshops, which incidentally did not satisfy our social quality criteria, no link – either direct or indirect – exists.

 

04:04

Auchan denies any links, despite clear signs to the contrary. 

 

SHERPA wants to force the corporation to take responsibility and has filed a legal complaint.

 

04:22 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain

The charge is based on Auchan’s own code of conduct. In it Auchan promises to safeguard the basic rights of workers employed by its foreign sub-contractors.

 

04:37

In France it’s an offence to make false or misleading marketing promises. This is where SHERPA is building its case. It accuses the Lille-based Auchan corporation of misleading its customers with regards to the working conditions at its suppliers in Bangladesh.

 

04:58 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain

The state prosecution in Lille has accepted our argumentation and launched a preliminary investigation. The case will set an international precedent against a large French corporation.

But our legal system lacks the political will and the financial means to conduct the kind of  international investigation needed to bring the case to court. That’s why we must gather evidence ourselves to support the investigation going forward.

 

05:22

We follow the most important lead: Auchan’s clothing. A quarter of all their clothing is  produced in Bangladesh. 

 

05:33

In the capital Dhaka more three million people work in some 5.000 textile factories. Auchan alone has  67 official direct suppliers. 

 

Marie-Laure Guislain is on her way to the ruins of Rana Plaza. She wants to find out what has happend to the victims.

 

05:57

It took more than two years for 30 million US dollars to be paid into an aid fund.

35 companies contributed, among them H&M and KiK.

 

06:11

Auchan donated 1.5 million US dollars. As a sign of compassion. Many of the victims have never been found and their families are still fighting for compensation.

 

06:23

This woman was paid a one-off sum of 900 Euros. It was just enough for one year.

 

06:31 O-Ton alte Frau

My son worked at Rana Plaza. I sold food in front of the factory. I have not seen my son since. We have to beg for food now. If we don’t get help we starve.

 

06:43

Even today, survivors are still searching the ruins for clothes that can be unsed.

Many of the large corporations no longer feel any responsibility to the survivors. Almost all of them have asked for written guarantees that their one-off donations do not constitute any  acceptance of liability. Including Auchan.

 

07:06

And this despite obvious fact that a company called Phantom which was located at the Rana Plaza was producing clothes for Auchan.

 

07:16

It’s not just Auchan labels that were found in the rubble – there were also detailed production manuals for Auchan pants.

 

07:30

The former Rana Plaza workers live directly behind the ruin. Marie-Laure Guislain is looking for witnesses who can shed light on the working conditions at Phantom. These young women were severely injured. None of them can work as seamstresses anymore.

 

07:47 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain

Your manager insisted that you go into the factory and that you worked because the day before you could not work and that the electricity suddenly failed?

 

07:54 O-Ton Näherin

Yes, we didn’t want to go inside the factory – because of the cracks in the building. Then the power was cut and the generators started up. The whole building started to shake. I ran as fast as I could. Around me everything was falling apart. But the exits were already blocked.

 

08:17

Her uncle, the son of the older woman, didn’t make it. His body has never been found. He worked next to her on the 6th floor.

 

08:27 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain im Gespräch mit Näherin

 

So do you recognize these brands, this label?

 

08:36 O-Ton Näherin

Yes I remember them, these labels were attached to the waistband of the pants.

 

08:42

She confirms that more than 1.000 seamstresses were forced to work at this dangerous site to produce clothing for the „in extenso“ label. But Auchan claims to know nothing about this.

 

08:55

This girl is also very familiar with „in extenso“ after having worked here for years.

 

09:01 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain

How old were you when you started to work here?

 

09:06 O-Ton Näherin

I was 13.

 

09:11

Child labour for „in extenso“. Was she an exception?

 

09:17 O-Ton Näherin

Lots of under aged girls were working there. I know some who died, two co-workers who were my age died but their bodies were not found.

 

09:25

Important witnesses in the case against Auchan. These women are willing to testify in a French court. Clothing for the French fashion discounter was mass produced in the Rana Plaza, even with forced and child labour. 

09:42

Did such conditions also exist among other Auchan suppliers? An insider gets in touch with lawyer Marie-Laure Guislain. He’s a former Auchan textile manager. Shanti Ranjan Dey worked at the Auchan Office in Dhaka from 2009 until 2014.

 

 

10:03 O-Ton Sunny Ex-Auchan Manager

Auchan starting this business in Bangladesh, they only looking for the low price. They need competitive price. They will not, look, give you a better price to ensure, that you can do the compliance. Never ever. Compliance is totally suppliers responsibility for Auchan.

 

10:23 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain

Can you tell us, if you know some factories where Auchan is producing and working conditions are not as good as they should be?

 

10:33 O-Ton Sunny Ex-Auchan Manager

Nightingale have structural problem. Their building have not enough stair and congested factory. Very, very congested working conditions. And once when I was at Auchan. One time, there was a problem. They found child labour at Auchan. Yes, and they are continuing business. There are not punishing them, the factories.

 

11:00

Marie-Laure Guislain wants to verify what the former Auchan manager has told her by visiting the Nightingale factory.

 

11:10

But investigating lawyers are not welcome here. That’s why she has to pretend to be a French fashion designer.

 

11:22

Here she finds the same Auchan production instructions that were found in the rubble of the Rana Plaza.

 

11:33

She can’t confirm whether Nightingale employs minors. The workers aren’t allowed to talk to potential clients. 

 

11:48

The factory building is narrow and hot. Around the only exit there are lots of easily flammable textiles. Butt the owner still insists that the factory complies with all safety regulations. 

 

12:03

Via the labour union Guislain is put in touch with workers from several Auchan suppliers. She meets them secretly in a backyard. The women don’t want to be recognised – they’re afraid they’ll be fired.

 

12:20 O-Ton Arbeiterin

The main problem is that the targets are too hard. I can only do a part of the target. I work the whole day I cannot drink water and I get only 6000 taka. If I do not reach my target, I have to stay in the factory. I do not get extra payment for more hours, And I never get my money on time, they pay whenever they want.

 

12:41

None of the women have a written employment contract that protects them. They are at the mercy of their employers.

 

12:52 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain

Can you tell me that, have you ever been threatened and beaten?

 

13:01 O-Ton Arbeiterin

If they complain i can get threaten or beaten. The people from compliance in the company try to slap them if they complain or beat them with anything (cartons).

They even have people from outside hired asked to beat them at lunch break or after work and everyone complaining gets dismissed. They make you sign a blank paper. It is your resignation letter.

 

13:18

More than 90 percent of the workers are women. They are particularly defenceless against such intimidation strategies.

 

13:29

It’s mainly men who dare to protest on the streets.

 

13:33

Even after the Rana Plaza disaster, workers’ rights in Bangladesh continue to be violated.

 

13:43

The unions call for living wages and the observance of human rights.

 

13:50

The situation is escalating. The government seems to take the side of the textile industry. The protests are brutally suppressed. 

 

14:05

With a view to such production countries, the United Nations in 2011 introduced basic business and human rights principles for all member states to comply with.

 

14:16 O-Ton John Ruggie UN Sonderbeauftragte für Menschenrechte

There are some things that states must do. They must protect against human rights abuses by all parties, including companies. And if the local government is incapable of acting because of a conflict situation, than the home country, where a company comes from has to step up and provide greater over side. So states have to act.

 

14:39

The European Commission has been calling on its members to comply with these principles since 2012. Governments should ensure that companies adhere to human rights throughout their entire supply chain. 

 

14:56

How they ensure this, is left up to the governments themselves.

 

After the Rana Plaza disaster, members of the French national assembly called for the introduction of a proper law.

 

15:13

One of them is the Green MP Danielle Auroi.  She is a member in the Committee for  European Affairs and an expert in international law.

 

 

15:28 O-Ton Danielle Auroi, MP French Green party 

 

The principles of equality, liberty and fraternity must apply also to the business world. There must be no difference between workers in France and the third world with regards to this. The EU requires us to have objective regulations to ensure that our laws are upheld. We French must live up to our historic role and revolutionize the laws.

 

16:01

France is the first country looking to revise its laws.

 

16:07

But what about Germany?

 

16:12

Politicians here continue to pin their hopes on a dialogue with industry. During Germany’s G7 presidency the German minister for economic cooperation Gerd Müller hosted an international conference in March 2015 partly to discuss this issue. Ministers, business representatives and Nobel prize laureates took part.

 

16:37

The German government likes to present itself as a pioneer in human rights and labour rights issues.

 

16:52 O-Ton Gerd Müller

Ladies and gentlemen, a pair of jeans that is sold here in Berlin for 100 Euros and the seamstress in Bangladesh gets 2 Euros on average. She’s paid 15 cent an hour, works 6 days a week, without job security or health care.

We wear these clothes without giving it any thought, they’re cheap, they’re fashionable and I’d like to tell you this is why we need a textile alliance.

 

17:21

Minister Müller has been promoting his textile alliance since 2014. He wants the industry to voluntarily agree to introduce legally binding work contracts and to agree to pay living wages.

 

17:38

The minister has failed to get any of the big name brands to sign up for his alliance. But this hasn’t stopped him from plugging his idea.

 

17:50 O-Ton Gerd Müller – Minister für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit

Müller: I have not heard anyone in Germany, no manufacturer and no retailer who has said this is not the right way. Everybody knows this is good and it’s what we must do and that’s why I’m hopeful that businesses and retailers will give themselves a push and say let’s do it.

And if Germany can lead the way then we can also raise standards throughout Europe. I’m convinced that other EU countries will follow suit.

 

Inge Altemeier: Why don’t you follow the French example instead, they are creating a new law, last question?

 

Müller: Good thank you for the great interview.

 

18:30

The idea of a law doesn’t seem as appealing to Minister Müller. But how does he want to introduce his idea of his textile alliance in Europe if he can’t get the big fashion labels to sign up?

 

18:40

Shortly after the conference the Minister makes a U-turn. He invites the textile industry to set their own standards, giving up on his original goals.

 

Now suddenly the industry is willing to sign up, from KiK to the high-end label Hugo Boss.

 

19:01

But why did the industry reject Minister Müller’s initial plan? We’re referred to the German Trade Association for this question. Its director Stefan Genth represents more than 400.000 businesses, among them H&M and KiK.

 

19:20 O-Ton Stefan Genth Handelsverband Deutschland

As a retailer, if you had been obliged to guarantee a living wage is paid to workers in these production countries, you could not have done so neither practically nor legally. If they had signed such an action plan last year they would have been liable for this. But they can’t be held liable because they have neither the instruments nor the actual power to ensure that a company in Bangladesh for example pays its seamstresses this wage even if you wanted it.

 

19:48

Remarkable given that the textile industry has for many years been promising exactly this, that they aim to pay living wages to all their suppliers around the world.

 

19:58

Thanks to the help of the German government these companies can continue to make promises that are not legally binding. The opposition in Germany feels cheated

 

20:09 O-Ton Niema Movassat MdB, Die Linke

Meanwhile Müllers textile alliance is merely a voluntary action plan. As such it’s only good for the image of the companies and the government but does nothing for those who need help.

 

20:20

Unlike in France, there’s no criminal liability for corporations in Germany. That’s exactly what the German Left party is calling for. They want German corporations to be liable for human rights abuses worldwide.

 

20:33 O-Ton Niema Movassat MdB, Die Linke

Politicians share in the guilt if they do not make corporations accountable, because it’s their responsibility to create the boundaries within which economic activity takes place. That’s the basic idea of a social market economy. But if politicians neglect to set boundaries and that’s what they’re doing with regard to the overseas activities of German companies, then they of course are partly responsible for such human rights abuses.

 

21:00

Niema Movassat knows what he’s talking about. He has been to Bangladesh many times and knows the reality behind the clean image of German industry.

 

 

21:10 O-Ton Niema Movassat MdB, Die Linke

A study by the University of Maastricht ranks German companies in fifth place internationally when it comes to human rights abuses. That’s a shocking conclusion, fifth place for companies that claim to respect human rights and have codes of conduct. It’s just not true.

 

21:27

The study evaluated some 1800 UN documented human rights abuses  

 

21:34 O-Ton Niema Movassat MP, The Left Party

KiK is an example of a company that actually refuses to pay compensation to victims in their textile factories. 

 

21:44

Does KiK really not adhere to its own code of conduct in Bangladesh? They claim the safety and health of workers must not be put at risk. To ensure this, it conducts unannounced safety inspections at their suppliers.  

 

22:04

Despite this, factories producing KiK textiles in Bangladesh have burned down. In 2012 a fire broke out in the Tazreen factory. 120 workers were burned alive, unable to escape their workplace. There were no fire ladders and the emergency exits were blocked.

 

22:31

The fire services in Dhaka’s industrial districts are regularly called out. 

Despite the claims by many contractors of frequent independent safety checks.

 

In the last ten years, fires have killed more than 600 people. We hear from a relative of one of the victims.

 

22:49 O-Ton Factory fire victim 

The fire started on a standard sewing machine. A cylinder burst and the fire quickly spread.

Everyone tried to flee at once and many couldn’t get out. About 50 to 60 people were trapped inside.

 

23:04

 

The pressure to produce fast fashion to short production deadlines comes at a high price.

 

But the big foreign contractors know how to dodge their responsibility. The most popular argument is that they simply don’t know all the sites where their clothes are produced.

 

23:20

Several factories producing clothes for H&M have also gone up in flames. In 2010 for example at Garib & Garib. The unions then already called on contractors to sign a legally binding agreement to implement common fire- and building safety regulations.

 

23:36

Its called the ACCORD agreement. But it wasn’t until the collapse of the Rana Plaza that 200 companies finally signed it. Since then independent safety inspections are carried out at many subcontracting factories. All of them were found to have serious safety hazards.  Surprisingly, given the fact that textile companies have for years been claiming that they inspect their suppliers regularly.

 

 

24:07 O-Ton Brad Loewen Chefinspekteur – ACCORD

People can show you certificates from the fire service, from so and so. I think that they are just basing that on a lot of documentation, but we didn't care less about documentation.

We wanted to see for if the building is safe and so we went in and did an engineering analysis and found a huge discrepancy as you're saying between what was actually there and where they met any of their codes and standards which I say none of them do.

 

24:41

The fashion chains appear to have been misleading their customers with inaccurate safety reports.

 

Within six months all of the shortcomings have to be fixed. Among them: missing emergency exits, dangerous electric components and unstable walls.

 

25:02 O-Ton Brad Loewen Chefinspekteur – ACCORD

It was very slow to start the remediation work, the things that were easy were done very quickly in most factories, then in some factories the things that were more difficult were also getting done but in the majority factories it was really just some of the simple fixes that we are done in and we go back an year later. And in too many cases, very little has been done and so the real challenge is to get that remediation work done.

 

25:35

ACCORD says that every fashion company shares the responsibility to ensure the necessary  renovation work is carried out at their suppliers. So how can it be that the conditions have

still not been significantly improved?

 

 

25:48

H&M, the biggest contractor in Bangladesh, has registered 229 suppliers with ACCORD.  But till today none of them comply with its safety standards. Our next point of visit: A shirt factory called Stylecraft.

 

After the inspection parts of the factory had to be vacated immediately.

 

26:10 O-Ton Inge

Hello, I work for German TV, I’ve come to see what’s happened here since the ACCORD inspection?

 

26:16

We’re not allowed to take a look inside the factory.

 

26:23

At another H&M supplier – Libas Textiles – we receive a more friendly welcome.

 

26:32

3.300 people work here - 48 hours a week each. With overtime hours a seamstress can make an average of 90 Euros a month. Even in Bangladesh that’s hardly enough to live on.

 

26:49

It’s cramped and hot inside. There are regular power cuts.

 

26:59

In the event of a fire, many people would be harmed here. The fire ladder is too narrow. But there’s no money for a new one. The manager here says he’s doing his best to comply with the ACCORD safety requirements.

 

27:19 O-Ton Libas Manager

Right but we are paying, the owner is paying now. Owner is paying. We are paying now. Right. So if it would be better somebody could help us, even long time loan, who are, minimum interest, less interest, they could then for some factories it would be far better.

 

27:39

ACCORD requires companies like H&M to contribute to the remediation costs. H&M informs us that it is supporting the efforts of 32 suppliers. This is news to ACCORD, who only know of 11 cases for all 200 fashion brands who signed the ACCORD. 

 

 

 

 

28:04

We take a look at another H&M supplier: Le-Nouveautex.

 

Following an inspection in 2014 this factory had to be evacuated immediately. The entire building was in danger of collapsing and the workers lives were acutely at risk.  

 

 

Now the factory is operating again. But it’s no longer producing for H&M. The purpose of ACCORD is to raise safety standards, not for contractors to abandon suppliers that are found in need of renovation. Here at Le-Nouveautex nothing has been done to improve safety. 

 

28:40 O-Ton Inge in H&M Fabrik

For how long did H&M produce here?

 

28:44 O-Ton Manager Le-Nouveautex

Actually we just starting the business just two years before. And one year ago H&M cancelled.

 

28:54 O-Ton Inge in H&M Fabrik

So the moment your factory was listed red, H&M stopped the order?

 

29:01 O-Ton Manager Le-Nouveautex

Not only that. Not only because of the ACCORD issue. H&M said we have some issues in our ETP.

 

29:07

 

The company has clearly had problems with its waste water and a whole string of other issues for a long time.

 

That didn’t stop H&M subcontracting a completely unsafe factory for two years – even though H&M’s code of conduct states that „dangerous machinery, unsafe workspaces and buildings are not acceptable.“

29:29

It was only after the ACCORD inspectors documented the appalling condition of the factory that H&M pulled out. This is exactly what the ACCORD agreement is trying to avoid.  Contractually H&M is obliged to maintain its business relationship with a factory while it is carrying out the necessary safety improvements.

When contractors simply withdraw their business it’s the workforce that suffers. Many have lost their livelihoods. H&M tells us they do everything they can to avoid job losses.

 

30:02

To find out if Le-Nouveautex is an exceptional case we ask Kalpona Akter, her organisation documents all workers’ complaints in cases where companies are found in breach of the ACCORD agreement.

 

30:17 O-Ton Kalpona Akter – BCWS

I mean they can claim through the reports, glossy reports that they have changed, but I would say no H&M didn’t change that they suppose to, they suppose to be. As you mentioned there is many cases with building like in the remediation process where H&M suppose to be assured that workers got all their severances but they didn’t. They pulled out business, I think there is at least five strong cases where h&m pulled out their business after even signing the accord.

 

30:55

H&M is no exception. Other international fashion chains also fail to live up to their responsibility. Many workers are finally voicing their complaints calling for job security and pay guarantees.

 

31:10

At Texstream, another company on the ACCORD list, we hear of serious labour disputes. We want to find out which companies produce their clothes here.

 

31:22

We’re not welcome here and are told to leave. But not before we’re asked who drew our attention to the factory.

 

31:33

Nearby we meet some Texstream workers on their way to a labour union office. We show them various fashion labels to find out which ones the company produces for.

           

31:44 O-Ton Arbeiter freistehen lassen

Yes!

 

31:46

The workers quickly identify the KiK label „okay“.

 

31:52 O-Ton Inge

And what is the factory like? Is there any construction work ongoing?

 

31:58 O-Ton Arbeiter

Everywhere in the factory there are severe cracks, in the ceiling and in the walls. I´ve told the manager many times, but he said no problem. They don´t do anything.

 

32:06 O-Ton Arbeiterin

And when there was the earthquake, all doors were locked. We were so scared, but we couldn´t go out. Many people were injured.

 

32:18

Locked up in dangerous factories. Can this really be the case, that KiK continues to allow its clothes to be produced in such conditions despite the ACCORD.  The factory opposite Mega Chois is also said to also be a subcontractor for KiK. The owner and managing director are willing to talk to us.

 

 

32:40 O-Ton Besitzer Mega Chois

ACCORD demanded we close the factory and continue to pay our workers.

 

What is that to asking you to close factory you pay all of the salary…

 

 

32:45 O-Ton Manager Mega Chois

Even when the ACCORD came we are reporting them please come, but they are not coming. … everything was settled from our side to the ACCORD….

 

32:56 O-Ton Inge

So may we have a look around the factory?

 

33:02

Mega Chois had to let 300 workers go after KiK pulled out of the factory. The safety issues identified by ACCORD have not been rectified. 

 

33:19

Blocked emergency exits and a fire escape ladder that doesn’t even reach the ground.

 

KiK commissioned cheap clothing from this factory for months but the safety of the workers here is obviously not worth investing in.

 

33:36

KiK is not willing to give us an interview. We make one last attempt at its German headquarters. But the company just refers to its code of conduct and presents itself as a responsible company. 

 

 

33:48

In a written statement the company says there are no contentions with ACCORD regarding the implementation of their guidelines. On the contrary, KiK even claims it has been praised by ACCORD for its constructive cooperation with its suppliers.

 

34:02

Is really true? We ask at the international trade union association UNI Global in Brussels.

The association is a co-signatory of ACCORD and represents the interests of workers.

Ben Vanpeperstraete is responsible for negotiations. 

 

34:26 O-Ton Inge

Nach unseren Recherchen gibt es mit der deutschen Firma KiK, die auch im Rana Plaza und bei Tazreen produzieren ließ Schwierigkeiten. Wie steht es damit?

 

So, according to our findings, we also have German KiK company, which has been involved in Rana Plaza and Tazreen. And are these discussions ongoing, which are mentioned here?

 

34:43 O-Ton Ben Vanpeperstraete Uni Global Union

Well, there are discussions with KiK, but how KiK sees that, that's up to them. We are in discussion on them and we will see what comes out of these discussions.

So whenever we have discussions with companies, because you have threat of going to arbitration, it makes the nature of the discussion much more serious.

 

35:08

A first step has been made. The textile chains can be held accountable. However, the ACCORD only deals with fire and buiding safety issues in Bangladesh. But the fashion industry in low-wage countries poses other equally dangerous risks to its workers.

The use of toxic chemicals for example or the practise of sandblasting jeans to make them look old. What is being done about this?

 

35:33 O-Ton Ben Vanpeperstraete Uni Global Union

There has been a campaign against sandblasting by the labour movement and a number of companies have said, we will ban sandblasting, but again it’s a unilateral statement to saying we ban it where is no control about it.

 

35:44

The used-look is as fashionable as ever. For jeans to look worn, they’re blasted with sand.

A highly hazardous process. Till 2009 this was common practise in Turkey. But so many workers got seriously sick, the governement stepped in and banned this dangerous method.

 

36:06

In Bangladesh, it is still legal and thousands of workers are affected. Everyone working in such a room is at risk of damaging their lungs to the extent that they slowly suffocate.

 

Meanwhile most big fashion labels have promised to no longer allow this production method. 

 

36:26

But still there are plenty of workers in Bangladesh forced to continue working this way.

 

This worker is willing to speak on condition of anonymity. 

 

36:38 O-Ton Inge

Can you confirm that you are still sandblasting jeans in Bangladesh?

 

 

36:45 O-Ton Sandbläser

Yes I can, there’s a table, there’s a thick pipe with a nozzle; when we apply pressure on the nozzle, the sand splits and exits the machine

(Oh many! In a nightshift 4000 to 5000…it’s not by hand , it’s by sand, we are thirty.)

 

This thing there is checked in the finishing section, not in ours. When we work, we only do the pants. When my work is done, and the stitches and buttons are done, it goes to the finishing section.

(Translator:) Not in your section?

Only in finishing…we work in the washing section…we only have the body of the pants nothing else…after we’re done we send it over to the finishing section…then whatever they do is in the finishing and there I have seen the Levis Brand.

 

37:10

Levis tells us that this can only have been counterfeit jeans.

 

 

37:20 O-Ton Sandbläser

 

What should I say…I can’t say that this work is good, because it isn’t. More or less everyone is affected by this work. Something or the other does happen you see the sand enters the body through the breath on entering the body it turns into something else…and even if we work till evenings in winter season, we still need to take a shower; there’s no way out of it, and there is no doctor, and we are getting worse and worse.

 

37:34

But in Bangladesh nobody is looking out for interests of sick sandblasting workers.

 

37:42

In Istanbul – former sandblasting workers are dealing with the after effects of sandblasting, an illness known as silicosis. Hundreds of these workers are being treated at a university clinic that specialises in lung diseases. Mehmet Basak is one of them. He worked in the jeans industry for ten years. Today he’s seriously ill and suffers from chronic headaches, fever and acute shortness of breath. Two thirds of his lungs are clogged up with sand particles. His doctor, Professor Zeki Kilicaslan is one of the world’s leading specialists for lung diseases. 

 

38:20 O-Ton Prof. Zeki Kilicaslan Lungenspezialist

Silicosis is an illness that can’t be healed, but it can be avoided 100%, simply by banning sandblasting. There is no excuse for allowing so many young people to die from this senseless illness. It was only through pressure from us that this method in jeans production was banned.

 

38:39

Even the regular check-ups are a strain for Mehmet Basak. Fortunately the hospital in Istanbul is well equipped which means that Mehmet can be treated until a suitable donor lung can be found. It’s his only chance, as Professor Kilicaslan cannot reverse the damage.

 

39:04

We’re in the east of Turkey in Mehmet Basak’s town of birth – a region troubled by civil war for many years.

 

There are no modern hospitals here. Nor are there any statistics on the number of people who’ve died as a result of sandblasting. But survivors here estimate at least 100 such deaths in this region alone.

 

39:30 O-Ton Yakup ehem. Sandbläser

(Übersetzung Kurdisch nach Englisch vor Ort:

This was my friend Fahrettin Firat, he died in 2014)

 

39:37

Fahrettin Firat was only 27 years old. Sebahattin worked with him in Istanbul. The entire cemetery is full of graves of sandblasting victims.

 

39:55

Alone in this village more than 300 men worked in jeans factories in Istanbul. They all dreamed of a better life. But many are illiterate and can only speak Kurdish. They had to take any kind of work they could get.

 

40:19 O-Ton ehem. Sandbläser

(Übersetzung Kurdisch nach Englisch vor Ort: )

On the left side – thats me.´And this is my nephew and that´s my cousin. All of them are dead

40:27

Sebahattin is expecting to end the same way. Half of his lungs have already suffered irreparable damage. 

 

40:39 O-Ton Sebahattin ehem. Sandbläser

(Übersetzung Kurdisch nach Englisch vor Ort: )

I don´t want that more people die of that terrible disease. My family lost everything, no more bread to eat. They have stolen my breath. All men are dead or ill. They have forgotten us here. And there is still no justice. We are dying, and nobody cares about it.

 

40:58

They were all day laborers. They had no work contracts and can therefore not prove who is responsible for their slow death

 

41:09

After sandblasting was banned, the jeans indusrty came up with another method.  Kaliumpermanganat, a toxic chemical is now used to achieve the used-look.

 

41:26

What does the pulmonary expert think of this?

 

 

41:31 O-Ton Prof. Zeki Lungenspezialist

The protective masks given to workers are not at all safe. Kaliumpermanganat is a highly toxic substance. Nobody should be exposed to it. A curtain is supposed to protect the worker, from the dangerous gas. There is no Silikose risk but it can give workers asthma, bronchitis or other illnesses. One health threat was just replaced by another.

 

42:04

Clearly the jeans manufacturers still don’t really care about the health of their workers.

 

42:11

We’ve come to the factory where Mehmet Basak used to work and we’ve found Diesel jeans being produced here.

 

Was the Italian company producing jeans here also when he was working here as a sandblaster? We ask Mehmet Basak.

 

42:26 O-Ton Mehmet ehem. Sandbläser

Yes, Diesel.

 

42:29

Was that the only brand?

 

42:34 O-Ton Mehmet ehem. Sandbläser

There were many brands, 17 or 19 companies. We produced for all the big name brands.

 

 

42:42

The international jeans manufacturers knew about the deadly sandblasting.

 

42:49 O-Ton Mehmet ehem. Sandbläser

Yes, they filmed us doing it. They even brought us samples to show us what the jeans should look like after the treatment. I remember foreigners coming and filming us to show others how it’s done.

 

43:05

Diesel refused to comment on the health of former sand blasters. The company says it stopped using the method in 2012. Aparently they’d rather forget this chapter altogether.

 

43:15

It’s not that easy for Mehmet Basaks. He’s sued his former employer for grievous bodily harm. He’s not the only one. More than 20 cases have been brought to court already and some of the former sandblasters have won.

 

43:35

Most of them were given compensation. But Mehmet Basak wants those responsible to face criminal charges. His lawyer hopes the case will set a precedent.

 

43:49 O-Ton Oguz Baki Rechtsanwalt

This is not just a problem in Turkey, many workers have become sick due to sandblasting all over the world. Whether they will get justice depends a lot on the outcome of this trial. If we can get a final verdict it will send a strong signal.

 

And other cases must follow. Because the subcontractors for whom these people work sell the jeans to huge international businesses. It’s the business practices of these international fashion labels that has caused the illness of Mehmet and his colleagues.

 

44:27

But so far none of the big brand companies have been prosecuted. Contractors in Paris, New York or Milan continue to profit from a fashion trend that has proved lethal for so many workers.

 

44:38 Lee & Diesel-Jeans-Werbung

 

44:48

Back in Bangladesh. Despite industry promises to the contrary, the workers at the low-end of the fashion industry continue to get sick and die as a result of our insatiable desire for cheap fashion. Whether it’s due to sandblasting, toxins, dangerous buildings or burning sewing machines.

 

45:11

The French lawyer Marie-Laure Guislain with the NGO SHERPA is trying to set a legal precedent. She’s fighting to secure a conviction against French fashion discounter Auchan for violating the basic rights of textile workers.

 

45:28

To assist the investigation of French state prosecutors, the lawyer is collecting evidence at another of Auchan’s suppliers. She’s going through a checklist to see if the company really lives up to the promises it makes to its customers. She finds open pots of textile dye spreading their toxic fumes everywhere. Auchan guarantees its customers that they never put the health of workers at risk.

 

46:00

But they don’t even have protective clothing here. In the storage room for toxic chemicals she observes several safety breaches. There are just a few signs on the wall warning workers. One of the seamstresses tells us about the health hazards posed by these chemicals.

 

46:21 O-Ton Arbeiterin

From the chemicals from the clothes I feel nausea. But if I say I smell the chemical and it bothers me, they tell me you cannot work in another area so she has to go back to work.

 

46:45

At the end of her research trip Marie-Laure Guislain assesses her findings. She has 16 witness statements to give the state prosecution along with hundreds of photos and many hours of video footage that she hopes will prove that Auchan is misleading its customers.

 

47:11 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain

I will give the state prosecuter this evidence for his review. I  think it’s strong enough to convince him that there really is a big discrepancy between the Auchan’s code of conduct and the reality on the ground. This is a case of fraudulent marketing.

 

47:32

She hopes the evidence from Bangladesh will be enough to fill the gaps in the state prosecutor’s investigation.

 

47:42

But this is not the case. Back in the northern French city of Lille.

The state prosecutor has dropped the case against Auchan due to insufficient evidence.

 

In France citizens have the right to submit their case directly to a judge.

 

But only if the state prosecutor has not followed due process in the investigation.

 

48:10 O-Ton Marie-Laure Guislain

Our analysis of the findings of the investigation shows that only people in authority at Auchan were questioned. There was no effort to investigate in Bangladesh. And the prosecution has overlooked the fact that Auchan knew about the violations against safety and health regulations at its suppliers but but still continued to order from them. Auchan’s own reports show this and the prosecutors knew of these.

 

 

48:39

Two other NGOs have joined the case. The union which is represented by Auchan’s own works council also supports the investigation.

 

 

48:53

For the first time ever a French corporation is being taken to court in France accused of having misled its customers as to the working conditions at its contractors in low-wage countries. The case is going to court. No matter what the verdict, it’s already a unique case in  Europe.

 

So what does the discounter say about the allegations?

 

49:14

For months we’ve been asking for an interview but nobody at Auchan wants to talk to us on camera.

 

49:26

We make one last effort. But again nobody is willing to talk.

 

In a press release the company states that it has signed the ACCORD agreement and is only produceing in factories that comply with the agreed social standards. And it points out that the first case against Auchan was dropped. 

49:46

But in future things could get a lot more difficult for large corporations in France. After two years in the making, the French national assembly is set to vote on a new law. It sets out to make companies registered in France liable if they do not uphold human rights throughout their supply chain anywhere in the world. Dominique Portier of the governing socialist party makes a last appeal to parliamentarians.

 

50:15 O-Ton Dominique Portiere – Sozialistische Partei

This law is innovative. France is paving the way with this law for a new Europe and a new world order that also applies to large corporations.

 

 

50:29

If this succeeds, no company can dodge its responsibility by referring to a catalogue of honorable but unachieved goals.

 

50:38 O-Ton Parlamentsprecher

We come to the vote.

 

Who is in favour of this law?

 

Who is against it?

 

50:46

The majority are in favour and the new law is passed. Now French companies could face fines of up to 10 million Euros and class action suits.

 

50:58 O-Ton Dominique Portiere – Sozialistische Partei

Finally the time has come where we’ve gone beyond merely talking and making empty promises. Now the challenge is to really make the corporations in charge liable for ensuring they live up to their responsibility. They make themselves guilty when laws are broken for their sake. It’s not about punishment, but the possibility of punishment. This is the only way to prevent companies offending in the first place.

 

51:30

For years fashion chains have been promising us clean and fair working conditions in the

manufacturing countries. But many continue to violate labour laws and human rights.

 

At least in France has set a legal precedent making such business tactics a criminal offence. Those affected have at least the possibility of bringing such companies to court, even the seamstresses in Bangladesh.

 

Hopefully the rest of Europe will follow.

 

 

51:57 Credits