Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine Aug'17 | Page 26

SUSTAINABLE BD HAVE YOUR SAY BREAKING NEWS Tell us your news by emailing at [email protected] To read the latest sustainability news, go to http://news.apparelresources.com/sustainability-news/  WRAP launches Sustainable Clothing Guide United Kingdom-based Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), which works with businesses, individuals and communities to achieve a circular economy by helping them reduce waste, develop sustainable products and use resources in an efficient way, has launched a Sustainable Clothing Guide to support brands and retailers to enhance durability and quality of the apparels they produce. The Guide shares simple steps to best practice on how to design, produce and sell sustainable clothing that last longer and which can be easily repaired and re-used. “We encourage designers and product technologists within brands and retailers to use this guide as part of their daily work to embed durability at the product design and development stages,” underlined a statement issued by WRAP. Working together, the clothing industry can pioneer sustainability throughout the lifecycle of clothing. WRAP’s research, ‘Valuing our Clothes’, found that the most significant opportunity to reduce carbon, water and waste is to increase the active life of clothes. Extending the life of clothes by nine months of active use would reduce carbon, water and waste footprints by 4-10%, it added. The Guide states that durability drives quality, which safeguards against garment failure, strengthens brand reputation and cements customer satisfaction and loyalty. Bangladesh amongst 10 worst nations for workers: Report The world’s second largest garment exporter, Bangladesh, boasts of a labour-intensive industry that provides employment to a large chunk of the country’s population. However, when it comes to workers’ rights, the scenario apparently is not encouraging… A recent report by International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) – a labour rights group, has included the country amongst the ‘10 worst countries for workers’. The ITUC Global Rights Index 2017 report states that the continued suffering inflicted by the Government and employers on trade unionists in the country led to Bangladesh receiving a rating of 5, indicating ‘no guarantee of workers’ rights’ there. The Index ranks 139 countries based on 97 internationally arrests and discrimination are the main contributors to the repression of labour organizations in Bangladesh. The other countries on the 10-worst list are: Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Turkey and UAE. recognized indicators to assess where workers’ rights are best protected ‘in law’ and ‘in practice’. The other countries on the 10-worst list are Colombia, Egypt, Guatemala, Kazakhstan, Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Turkey and UAE. According to the report published on June 13, police brutality, mass 26 Apparel Online Bangladesh | AUGUST 2017 | www.apparelresources.com The report further highlights the reaction to the readymade garment workers’ protests in Ashulia, the apparel hub of Bangladesh (in December 2016) as a major example of such repression. 35 union leaders and workers’ rights activists were allegedly detained following the week-long strike, while complaints were filed against thousands of workers. The study shows that the country needs to step up and protect its workers’ interest(s) and safeguard them to continue the tremendous growth it has been noticing, especially in the garment industry, over the years.