Supply Chain Act – Finally German brands have to take care for workers` lives

Today, November 24, 2022, marks the tenth anniversary of the Tazreen fire that killed over 110 textile workers in Bangladesh. Exactly six months later, more than 1,100 people sewing clothes for international fashion companies died in the rubble of Rana Plaza. The "Accord for Building Safety and Fire Prevention in Bangladesh" (Bangladesh Accord) was a response to these tragedies and has been successful in preventing such preventable disasters in the garment industry where all other programs have failed. The Bangladesh Accord is considered the most successful mechanism for improving workplace safety in the world. Yet, to date, some leading companies that have production in Bangladesh have not signed the Bangladesh Accord or its successor - the International Accord, which envisions extending the Accord to other countries such as Pakistan.

"20 years of social audits have not led to better working conditions; rather, the certificates have served as a free ride for companies. Signing the Accord means that companies also act responsibly themselves and do 
not benefit as free riders from others who have signed the Accord," says Dr. Gisela Burckhardt, Chair of the Board of FEMNET and an expert on human rights in the textile industry. "In January 2023, the German Supply Chain Sourcing Obligations Act (LkSG) will come into force. Then, companies will finally be legally obliged to act if they know about a risk in their supply chain. Companies have been urged countless times over the last decade to finally sign the Accord, now it's time to make it legally binding."

FEMNET has joined forces with the human rights organization ECCHR, which uses legal means to counter human rights violations by companies worldwide. Together with other supporters, FEMNET and ECCHR are therefore today addressing a public letter to those companies to which the German LkSG will apply from 2023 and which have not yet signed the International Accord: Tom Tailor, Deichmann, IKEA and Amazon.

"The German law must contribute to the effective protection of workers. We are convinced that the failure to sign the Accord is a violation of companies' duty of care," said Dr. Miriam Saage-Maaß, lawyer and Legal Director of ECCHR. "We will therefore explore the legal means available to hold companies accountable here."

The German NGOs are supported by those affected in the production countries. "Certifications and audits have not been able to save the lives of thousands of workers in Bangladesh and other countries such as 
Pakistan. These tools have proven time and again to be insufficient to ensure safety in factories. We join our German colleagues in demanding that the lives of workers here finally be effectively protected," said Kalpona Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment & Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF).

To counter injustice with legal interventions – this is the aim and daily work of the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights.

ECCHR is an independent, non-profit legal and educational organization dedicated to enforcing civil and human rights worldwide. It was founded in 2007 by Wolfgang Kaleck and other international human rights lawyers to protect and enforce the rights guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as other human rights declarations and national constitutions, through legal means.

Together with those affected and partners worldwide, ECCHR uses legal means to end impunity for those responsible for torture, war crimes, sexual and gender-based violence, corporate exploitation and fortressed borders.

Maria Bause
T: +49 30 69819797
M: presse@ecchr.eu

Philipp Jedamzik
T: +49 30 29680591
M: presse@ecchr.eu