Solidarity Center’s Post

📢 In blatant disregard of state-imposed #ForcedLabor in Turkmen #cotton, a commercial delegation co-organized by the #Italian government is meeting with textile industry actors in #Turkmenistan to deepen business relationships. Our press release here: https://lnkd.in/eke4UmU4 This follows a reported €13 million in sales of Italian textile machinery to Turkmen entities in 2023. We urge them to terminate all business with Turkmenistan's textile industry and stop profiting from Turkmen forced labor. ITA - Italian Trade Agency ACIMIT Their commercial delegation to Turkmenistan also undermines the concurrent EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue and international efforts to eradicate forced labor from supply chains. Ruslan Myatiev, director of turkmen.news, an independent media and human rights organization, which also monitors forced labor in Turkmenistan’s cotton fields, said: “Turkmenistan remains one of the most repressive countries in the world. All governments and companies should condition business with Turkmenistan’s textile industry on the elimination of state-imposed forced labor in the harvest and the protection of labor rights and empowerment of workers and farmers.” Allison Gill, legal director at Global Labor Justice, which hosts the Cotton Campaign, said: “The Italian co-hosts of this commercial delegation and the companies that are already doing business with Turkmen textile entities have failed to conduct even the most basic human rights due diligence in their selection of partners and are profiting from the forced labor of Turkmen workers. To comply with responsible business conduct guidelines and regulations, and stop contributing to the exploitation of workers in Turkmenistan, all companies should terminate their direct and indirect business relationships with Turkmenistan’s textile industry.” Adria Cots Fernandez, business and human rights partnerships coordinator at Anti-Slavery International, a member of the Cotton Campaign, said: “Everyone should be able to choose their work and live in freedom, but tens of thousands of people in Turkmenistan are forced to work in the cotton harvest every year. The EU is committed to eradicate forced labor from supply chains and therefore no European company should be profiting from this forced labor. European institutions and EU Member States must interrogate, and where necessary correct, all trade initiatives and economic cooperation with Turkmenistan to make sure they do not enable or perpetuate forced labor in Turkmenistan.”

A call to Italian companies: End business with Turkmenistan's textile industry 🚫👚 Today, and over the next few days, a commercial delegation co-organised by the Italian government is meeting with Turkmenistan's textile industry, despite the widespread use of state-imposed forced labour in Turkmen cotton production. The EU has consistently called for the end of forced labour in Turkmenistan, but Italian companies continue to sell machinery that is likely to be used to process local cotton harvested with forced labour. These companies benefit from forced labour in cotton production and facilitate Turkmen cotton's entry into global supply chains as finished or semi-finished goods. The commercial delegation, which is taking place in parallel with the EU-Turkmenistan human rights dialogue, undermines EU and international efforts to end state-imposed forced labour in Turkmen cotton.  The EU should ensure that European businesses cut ties with the Turkmen cotton industry. Instead of organising commercial delegations as the Italian government is doing in this case. Everyone should be able to choose their work and live in freedom, but thousands of people in Turkmenistan are forced to work in the cotton harvest every year. It's time for change. 📣 The EU is committed to eradicating forced labour from supply chains, and therefore, no European company should be profiting from this forced labour.  European institutions and EU Member States must interrogate and, where necessary, correct all trade initiatives and economic cooperation with Turkmenistan to ensure they do not enable or perpetuate forced labour. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eke4UmU4

The recent commercial delegation visit to Turkmenistan, co-organized by the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) and the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT), undermines international efforts to end forced labour in Turkmenistan's cotton industry. This visit, taking place between June 24-28, 2024, coincides with the EU-Turkmenistan Human Rights Dialogue and highlights a glaring contradiction in Italy's commitment to human rights. The Cotton Campaign has called for an immediate halt to all investments in Turkmenistan's textile sector. Despite these calls, Italian companies have continued to engage in business, selling €13 million worth of textile machinery to Turkmen entities in 2023 alone. This equipment directly supports the production of cotton harvested through systematic and widespread state-imposed forced labour. Turkmen cotton, produced under severe repression of civic freedoms, finds its way into global markets, undermining efforts to eradicate forced labour from supply chains. The upcoming EU Forced Labor Regulation (FLR) and the recently adopted Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) aim to address this issue, but their effectiveness is compromised when member states like Italy facilitate business with regions known for such abuses. As professionals committed to ethical business practices and human rights, we must advocate for: - Immediate Termination of Business Relationships with Turkmen textile producers by all Italian companies. - Alignment of Trade and Investment Policies with EU commitments to responsible business conduct. - Increased Pressure on the Government of Turkmenistan to end its forced labour system. Let's stand together to ensure that our business practices reflect our values. Forced labor has no place in our supply chains. #HumanRights #EthicalBusiness #EndForcedLabor #Modernslavery

Not a good look. This week, a #MadeInItaly delegation is flying to Turkmenistan to sell machinery that is likely to be used to process cotton harvested with the forced labour of tens of thousands of Turkmen people. Exactly on the same date and the same city, the EU holds its annual human rights dialogue with Turkmenistan, where it will urge Turkmen authorities to end the ongoing system of forced labour in harvesting cotton. Time for the EU make sure its trade policy doesn't undermine its own commitment to human rights for a handful of euros. https://lnkd.in/dfheVigf

US BLOCKS TEXTILE IMPORTS FROM 26 CHINESE COMPANIES AMID FORCED LABOUR CONCERNS FashionUnited The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has expanded its efforts to combat forced labour in the supply chain by adding 26 textile companies based in China to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) Entity List. This move, effective May 17th, restricts goods produced by these entities from entering the United States, targeting cotton manufacturers outside the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) that source cotton from the XUAR. DHS aims to enhance transparency and enable responsible companies to conduct due diligence on their supply chains to avoid goods made with forced labor. Under the leadership of Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas, DHS reinforces its commitment to eliminating forced labour in the U.S. supply chain and holding China accountable for human rights abuses against Uyghurs and other minority groups. Since the enactment of the UFLPA in December 2021, the Forced Labor Enforcement Task Force has expanded the UFLPA Entity List, with 65 entities added across various sectors. By voting to include the 26 Chinese companies, the task force marks the largest single expansion of the UFLPA Entity List, underscoring the United States' determination to combat forced labour. DHS's initiative aligns with Washington’s memorandum on advancing worker rights globally, emphasizing a whole-of-government approach to promote labour standards. https://lnkd.in/gV3YHcFE

Better unions support more responsible business practices and safer workers. It’s great to see three major trade unions in Indonesia adopt digitized grievance applications to streamline worker advocacy and remedy. Thanks to support from ILO, this makes Indonesia a better place to do business for global businesses to source components and products and comply with their human rights obligations around freedom of association!

Better Work marks a year in #Uzbekistan, thanks to collaboration with the Uzbek government, the Federation of Trade Unions of Uzbekistan (FTUU), employer partners and buyers like The Walt Disney Company. After the lifting of the cotton ban in 2022, the country benefits from tariff-free access to the European market. A recent study by IFC - International Finance Corporation found it the most competitive of all Europe’s garment suppliers in terms of freight costs and import duties. As it becomes a more popular sourcing destination, Better Work will continue to work hand-in-hand with national partners and in factories to improve working conditions and strengthen the industry. Read about promising progress in the country's #garmentsector:

Despite the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the crazy “de minimis” trade loophole is continuing to enable fast-fashion brands to exploit Uyghur forced labor. It's time to close the legal gap and demand accountability:

A substantial volume of clothing likely produced with Uyghur forced labor is flooding the EU market as EU checks are ineffectively eliminating coercive work from extensive supply chains. New research identifies 39 major apparel brands known in Europe to be at “high risk of sourcing apparel made by Uyghurs compelled to participate in state-imposed labour transfers.” While the the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act can subject US companies to invest their entire supply chains, the EU Forced Labour Regulation is at risk of falling short on addressing Uyghur forced labour. HRF calls on fashion brands and retailers in the EU to conduct thorough due diligence, preventing Europe from becoming a dumping ground for forced labor fashion. https://lnkd.in/gsW4uGsa

Despite the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, the crazy “de minimis” trade loophole is continuing to enable fast-fashion brands to exploit Uyghur forced labor. It's time to close the legal gap and demand accountability: