We can only put a label on a garment if we are 100%
sure that the garment or shoe is made in good working conditions.
Before we can start labelling, we first need to be sure
that the company concerned has all the basic labour standards
included in its code of conduct, that these standards are
implemented in a way that benefits workers, and that there
is a credible organisation, not controlled by the company
itself, which verifies if this is really happening.
Only then can we "label" a company as producing
"Clean Clothes", and even then it will be complicated
to put a label on a garment claiming this. First of all,
it would have to be possible to trace an individual garment,
say a shirt, to an individual factory. Up to now, this isn't
possible globally. Secondly, violations can occur very suddenly
- in any individual factory. So, it is not possible to be
entirely sure that the particular shirt you want to buy
is perfectly "clean".
The CCC believes it is more correct to state if a company
is giving a guarantee that it is doing everything in its
power to ensure that its suppliers are respecting its code
of conduct, if it has a programme to try to prevent violations
from happening, and a process to react adequately if something
does, and if it is actively cooperating with trade unions
and NGOs at the local and international level to achieve
this.
Companies that achieve this could be put on a list of those
that are more progressive. At present, such a list does
not yet exist.
What we do have is a list of companies that are members
of credible multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs), "credible"
in the sense that the CCC believes they are taking viable
steps to improve the working conditions in supply chains.
This is all we have, for now, to point us in the right direction.
More information on MSIs can be found at www.cleanclothes.org/faq/faq34.htm.
The Dutch CCC is member of an MSI called the Fair Wear Foundation
(for more information see www.fairwear.nl). But the Fair
Wear Foundation and similar MSIs have to be careful not
to promise what they cannot deliver. The labour situation
in a workplace can change overnight: tomorrow there can
be a fire, or a strike, or a worker can get sexually harassed...
and it will take time before this problem is communicated,
investigated, and solved.
In the meantime, it is now widely accepted - by both companies
as well as campaign groups - that companies should not cut
and run from suppliers with bad working conditions, but
use their leverage to improve the situation. Once a company
knows that a problem exists and therefore that the clothes
are not "clean" its job is to stay and solve the
problem.
For more FAQs about the CCC, please visit: www.cleanclothes.org/faq
