Latest news with #BHRRC
Al Jazeera
2 days ago
- Business
- Al Jazeera
Fashion brands accused of shortcuts on climate pledges overlooking workers
Fashion brands including luxury label Hermes, sportswear giant Nike, and fast fashion chain H&M are in the hot seat amid new allegations of climate greenwashing after making commitments to slash carbon emissions in Asia, which is home to more than 50 percent of global garment production. A report released this morning by the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), titled, The Missing Thread, analysed 65 global fashion brands. It found that while 44 of them had made public commitments to reduce carbon emissions, none had adopted what is known as a 'Just Transition' policy, a concept first introduced during COP27 in Egypt in 2022. A Just Transition ensures that workers are not left behind as industries shift towards a low-carbon economy. Only 11 companies in the study acknowledged the climate-related impact on workers in their social and human rights policies. Just four provided any guidance on managing heat-related stress. Only two companies among those deemed the most ambitious by the report mentioned the welfare of workers. These included Inditex, the Spanish retail giant that owns the fast fashion company Zara, and Kering, the parent company of Gucci. 'Decarbonisation done without workers as critical and creative partners is not a just transition, it's a dangerous shortcut,' said Natalie Swan, labour rights programme manager at BHRRC, in a news release. Currently, the global textile industry relies on 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources per year, such as oil and fertiliser. At current trends, the fashion industry is on track to be responsible for more than 25 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. 'The fashion industry's climate targets mean little if the people who make its products are not taken into consideration,' Swan said. 'It's not enough to go green. It has to be clean and fair.' 'Brands must stop hiding behind greenwashing slogans and start seriously engaging workers and their trade unions, whose rights, livelihoods and safety are under threat from both climate change and the industry's response to it. A just transition is not just a responsibility, it's a critical opportunity to build a fairer, more resilient fashion industry that works for people and the planet.' Al Jazeera reached out to Nike, Hermes, H&M, Inditex and Kering. None of them responded to a request for comment. The effects of climate change have already hit much of Southeast Asia hard. Garment workers in countries including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam have experienced extreme weather events such as surging temperatures and severe flooding. In Bangladesh, workers reported fainting from heat-related illnesses. According to the report, factories allegedly failed to provide fans or drinking water. Similar challenges were noted in Cambodia, where temperatures regularly exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) during a 2022 heatwave. A third of workers said they had already lost work due to automation. In Bangladesh's garment sector, 30 percent reported job losses stemming from technological changes. These shifts have disproportionately affected female workers, who are less likely to receive training on new technologies and are often excluded from on-the-job learning opportunities that could help them adapt to evolving industry demands.
The Independent
19-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Meta and Uber among firms ‘linked' to alleged corporate migrant worker abuse
Meta, Uber and Deliveroo are among the firms that have been linked to cases of alleged abuse against migrant workers last year, according to an analysis. The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), a non-government organisation, gathered publicly documented information from NGOs, governments and the media between January and December 2024. It found 665 cases and 489 named companies linked to cases, which also included Carrefour, Aramco, Giorgio Armani, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Toyota, Samsung and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). At least 218 migrant workers were reported to have died from alleged corporate abuse or neglect in the past year. Of these, 71 cases were linked to breaches in occupational health and safety standards. The research also found the gig economy to be linked to a growing number of cases with companies like Uber and Deliveroo repeatedly associated with allegations of abuse using gig workers. Mega-events and giga-projects, such as the 2024 Paris Olympics and Saudi projects like the Line city in the region of Neon, presented particularly intense risks to migrants and migrant construction workers, according to the BHRRC. Meanwhile, the sector with the highest number of reported deaths was manufacturing, with 44 across 15 cases, including seven factory explosions, the research found. Isobel Archer, BHRRC's senior researcher in labour and migrant worker rights, said: 'The reported cases we have tracked are almost certainly only the tip of the iceberg. 'We continue to see resilience among migrant workers fighting for and demanding their rights in the most egregious conditions, and the onus is on companies to right these wrongs. Some of the world's biggest brands are also the world's worst offenders. 'These companies must safeguard the rights of the migrant workers who are being exploited in service of profit and, at the least, remedy those harms that have already occurred.' A Deliveroo spokesperson said: 'Deliveroo is committed to providing the flexible work riders value, along with attractive earnings and protections, such as sickness cover, insurance and training opportunities. 'Rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us. We listen to riders and always closely examine any issue raised.' John Lewis said the two cases it was linked to in the analysis were associated with an ongoing investigation at a factory in Jordan, which does not supply its own brand products but two brands widely stocked at a number of retailers. An M&S Spokesperson: 'We do everything we can to protect the people who work in our supply chains with a zero-tolerance policy for exploitation or abuse of human rights. 'We take any allegation of this nature very seriously, immediately investigating with our suppliers and acting swiftly to ensure the welfare of workers in our supply chain is protected.'
Yahoo
19-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Meta and Uber among firms ‘linked' to alleged corporate migrant worker abuse
Meta, Uber and Deliveroo are among the firms that have been linked to cases of alleged abuse against migrant workers last year, according to an analysis. The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre (BHRRC), a non-government organisation, gathered publicly documented information from NGOs, governments and the media between January and December 2024. It found 665 cases and 489 named companies linked to cases, which also included Carrefour, Aramco, Giorgio Armani, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Toyota, Samsung and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF). At least 218 migrant workers were reported to have died from alleged corporate abuse or neglect in the past year. Of these, 71 cases were linked to breaches in occupational health and safety standards. The research also found the gig economy to be linked to a growing number of cases with companies like Uber and Deliveroo repeatedly associated with allegations of abuse using gig workers. Mega-events and giga-projects, such as the 2024 Paris Olympics and Saudi projects like the Line city in the region of Neon, presented particularly intense risks to migrants and migrant construction workers, according to the BHRRC. Meanwhile, the sector with the highest number of reported deaths was manufacturing, with 44 across 15 cases, including seven factory explosions, the research found. Isobel Archer, BHRRC's senior researcher in labour and migrant worker rights, said: 'The reported cases we have tracked are almost certainly only the tip of the iceberg. 'We continue to see resilience among migrant workers fighting for and demanding their rights in the most egregious conditions, and the onus is on companies to right these wrongs. Some of the world's biggest brands are also the world's worst offenders. 'These companies must safeguard the rights of the migrant workers who are being exploited in service of profit and, at the least, remedy those harms that have already occurred.' A Deliveroo spokesperson said: 'Deliveroo is committed to providing the flexible work riders value, along with attractive earnings and protections, such as sickness cover, insurance and training opportunities. 'Rider retention rates are high and the overwhelming majority of riders tell us that they are satisfied working with us. We listen to riders and always closely examine any issue raised.' John Lewis said the two cases it was linked to in the analysis were associated with an ongoing investigation at a factory in Jordan, which does not supply its own brand products but two brands widely stocked at a number of retailers. The PA news agency contacted Meta, Uber, Carrefour, Aramco, Giorgio Armani, Marks & Spencer, Toyota, Samsung and the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) for comment.
