FAB-L was honoured to be invited as a panellist to speak at the launch of the Fashion Transparency Index 2022.
Fashion Revolution is a unique organisation that is revolutionising the textiles and garment industry worldwide by encouraging the transparency of major brands across the globe. Fashion Revolution scores and rates Big Brands all over the world according to how transparent they are in all aspects of their business, especially when it comes to their supply chains and their responsibility towards their carbon footprint, climate change and pollution.
These ratings can then be used as leverage for other NGOs and media to demand change or take action. FAB-L got to learn the difference between transparency and sustainability, and now understands the importance of transparency.
It was a very good, informative and engaging event. The findings and statistics in the report show how much work, effort and research Fashion Revolution has put into it. Having read reports by the ETI and Nottingham University Rights Lab, it’s interesting to see that even though reports are produced by unrelated organisations but the findings and solutions in the reports are similar.
For example, the Fashion Transparency Index 2022 highlights that worldwide “Only 13% of brands disclose how many of their suppliers’ facilities have trade unions”. The report then advocates that “Organising and bargaining are vital tools for workers. In fact, they are the primary and often the only means for workers to gain improved conditions and wages.”
Similarly, the reports from ETI and Nottingham University both identify that there is no union presence in the textiles industry in Leicester and one of the long-term solutions to tackle exploitation is through an unionised workforce.
The event was also attended by various high-profile media agencies like British Vogue, WWD, Vogue Business and Drapers among many others. FAB-L was referenced in this Just-Style article.
The report also covers the importance and the need, for all civil rights, workers’ rights and NGO’s to come together as one, if we want to revolutionise the fashion industry. It has inspired us to plan a future FAB-L “friends of garment workers” event where we aim to bring together NGOs, agencies and charities from all over the country to join up and learn how everyone can work together.
Since the launch of FAB-L and with the support of brands and unions (GMB, UNITE & TUC Midlands), we have helped 80 garment workers with various issues ranging from welfare rights to recovering their missing pay and facilitated fashion workers to express their views directly to both regulatory bodies and brands.
