The International Labour Organization (ILO), Brazilian Association of Textile Retail (ABVTEX), Brazilian Association of Textile Industry (Abit), Instituto C&A (the Brazilian office of C&A Foundation), Instituto Lojas Renner and Zara Brazil have announced a partnership to promote decent work in the textile and garment industry of São Paulo, which Brazil’s vibrant financial centre and among the world’s most populous cities.
All the bodies will engage in the initiative: “Improving working conditions and management capabilities of sewing shops in São Paulo”. With a three-pronged approach, the initiative will: raise rights awareness and empower populations vulnerable that work in sewing shops, raise risks awareness and empower populations vulnerable that work in sewing shops, raise risks awareness and do management training for sewing shop owners (especially micro, small and medium enterprises), and build the capacities of institutions at federal, state and local levels for to develop and implement policies to improve working conditions in sewing shops, especially focusing on migrant male and female workers.
“This new ILO partnership with the fashion industry and retail sector in Brazil will help the country to promote socially and economically sustainable supply chains, offering decent work to workers of the sector,” said Peter Poschen, Director of ILO Office in Brazil.
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The interventions should help transform the management structure of the textile and apparel supply chain, stressing the strategic importance for companies to prevent risks that arise from the exploitation of labour of vulnerable populations, such as migrants, women and children living in poverty. Over the past years in Brazil, more and more emphasis has been placed on dealing with these issues given the arrival of a growing number of migrants from other Latin American and African countries.
Besides labour exploitation, the lack of proper occupational safety and health conditions is also a serious problem in irregular and informal sewing shops. Brazil has the fifth largest textile industry in the world, employing millions of people and generating profit to thousands of companies. Like in all industries such risks exist and require specific actions to be mitigated, both as part of a business strategy and to promote human and labour rights.
Edmundo Lima, Executive Director of ABVTEX, said that this major initiative aimed at decent work in the fashion production chain has as a distinguishing feature – besides joint efforts for sustainability in the fashion industry and retail sector – the critical technical and institutional support of ILO to improve management of sewing shops in the State of São Paulo and, consequently, improve working conditions in the sector.”