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Reports of the activities of the different European CCC's between september 1999 and january 2000

Reports per country

Sweden

I. Sportswear campaign

· Throughout the autumn we have disseminated 5000 cards to consumers asking the sportswear retailers in Sweden about their products. We made debates with retailers, collecting footprints from consumers (swedish variation: people have to put their shoe in paint and then on the paper) and sending to the companies as "Christmas-greeting" later!), talks in schools, work shops etc.
· From 3-7 Dec Alice Kwan visited from HKCIC. We made an Anti fashion show and a public program, mostly youth as participants. We also arranged a meeting with companies, tarde unions and NGOs on 6th of Dec about China.
· We decided to continue this campaign in the spring with another 5000 cards.

II. Companies reaction

· Intersport
CCC Sweden visited the Intersport steering committee after an invitation from Lars Wiesner, responsible for logistic of Intersport in Sweden. The invitation followed on a debate that we had invited him for on 1st of October. Intersport is a Swiss corporation. They have an code of conduct since several years. Half of their products are their own labels.

They had one hour to present the campaign. On suggestions that they check on their code, their reaction was strongly against. They seem to think that it is impossible for them as buyers to ask questions about for example wages. On the garment side, they simple trust that the agent in Hong Kong see to that the suppliers follow their code. They do not even visit the factories. They have an agent in Hong Kong that puts order to "hundreds" of suppliers in China. In general, they seem to think the idea of asking suppliers after special information on the demands of the code (as for example wages-slips etc) would be out of the question. They simply trust the agent or supplier whom have the contract and have signed their code. On answering our questions in the Sportwear campaign about accepting independent control, they say yes, of course! They were willing to give CCC Sweden all the adresses of their suppliers, to check them for violations. They seem to think that letting us get into factories would save them the work and the money.

CCC Sweden said to give the adresses, but argued that it is a very risky strategy, giving us addresses without having proper internal monitoring by them. And that independent verification could not be instead of them doing continuous monitoring by themselves, otherwise we will just continue to find things wrong in a never ending story. In january Intersport told they will add to all the orders the code, plus the information that checks from them or other parties might take place as independent verifiction to the production(!). We have asked again for addresses but did not yet have an answer.

· Stadium

Will have a code from march. They did not let us see it before it is ready.

· The Other companies do not want to communicate much with us at all.

IV: Project on Independent Verification

  • The Project on Independent Verification/Sweden, started one year ago, initiated from the Swedish Clean Clothes Campaign and realized through a letter of intent with the four Swedish garment retailers: H&M, Indiska, KappAhl and Lindex.
  • Three pre studies were made, by local NGO's in Tirupur/India, in Dhaka/Bangladesh and in Shan Tou/China, in order to find out if workers at all knew about code of conducts, their labour rights and who they turned to if they faced problems in their workplaces. The unions mentioned by most of the workers were then visited and interviewed.
  • Early autumn -99, the Pilot board was established. It consists of representatives from the four companies: H&M, Indiska, KappAhl and Lindex. And four NGO:s: Fair Trade Center, Swedish Save the Children, Church of Sweden Aid and Red Cross Youth Association. And four unions: LO/The Swedish Confederation of Trade Unions, The Swedish Union of Industrial Workers, The Swedish Union of Commercial Employées and ABF/Workers Education Association.
  • The President of the Pilot board is independent from all the others, Mr. Tomas Brytting is an Associated Professor in the Center for Ethics and Economics in Stockholm School of Economics. There is also a secretariat, Mr. Ola Andersson and the Project coordinator, Mrs. Renée Andersson.
  • Criterias on how to work in the Pilot board of Independent Verification and the implementation and criterias for the Pilotstudy was decided on by the Pilot board in October-99. The interviews with workers for the pilot study started in Tirupur and Dhaka in October-99. They were, just like the pre study interviews, made outside the factories.

Flanders

I. Euro 2000

EURO 2000 Appeal
- 50 organisations signed the appeal (25 part of the coalition, 25 new ones)
- FC Schone Kleren, symbolic football team composed by artists, politicians, sportspeople; they signed the appeal. Good for the press. CCC-NL has idea for making a Euro 2000 calendar, pictures of the symbolic footballteams could be added.

Media
- Press conference on Dec 10th
- International Action on Dec 12th
- Media coverage TV, radio, newspaper
Adidas workshop
Brussel, Dec 17th; With David Husselbee (Adidas) and Bettina Musiolek (German CCC)
Aim: present the 'living wages in the sportswear industry' action. Good meeting to put the campaign in broader (international) context.

II. Plans Euro 2000

· Send appeal to 1st and 2nd division football clubs; 1st division women's competition
· Street action in Brugge, April 29th One of the issues: living wages in the sportswear industry
· Football tournament, Antwerpen, May 27th, 50 teams (existing or new ones) finals between well known Flemish artists, politicians, sportspeople
· Schoolpackage, Contest and appeal
· Present a Challenge to Adidas as part of World Shake Campaign, the aim is to get 50.000 people to make a demand to Adidas, in support of living wages. The demand has to be presented as a challenge for Adidas, so it has to be concrete. End is 6 may.
· Special News Letter, Solidarity appeal
· Other materials: 'Injustice scores badly': flyer, poster, balloons, T-shirts

III Other

- A newsletter was made with an overview of the European monitoring projects.
- An information session, will be organized in Leuven, Jan 17th with Kristina Bjorling (Swedish CCC) and Neil Kearny (ITGLWF) to discuss different monitoring options (CCC model, SA 8000)

A fashion show project has started organized by the KBG (elderly movement)

FIRST PHASE: training of models (February 2000) There are about 200 models (their own). Clothes are a.o. from C&A, M&S, and some smaller companies. Practical training can also include a Clean Clothes Workshop consists of: Introduction, Short video on working conditions in the garment industry and CCC, Witness (from the Philippines) with slides

SECOND PHASE: fashion show (May 2000)
This is a fashion show for KBG members. They expect about 3500 participants. The aim is to show the elder people take interest in their appearance. KBG signs contract with big garment retailers. In the program their is room for CCC: Brochure and Contest. All participants get a clothes hanger with CCC info.

THIRD PHASE: local groups (Autumn 2000)

French Speaking part of Belgium

I. Actions around the Drawing of the Euro 2000 matches (12/12/1999)

State of affairs with Euro 2000 at that time Stressed by the campaign and the proximity of public events, Euro 2000 had just recognised the FIFA Code, including this code in all its sponsoring contracts. Euro 2000 also included the WFSGI code in all the licence contracts (see Alain Courtois letter translated in english and distributed by email).

10th december
- publication of the appeal in Le Soir (5000 signatories and two Division One football teams (Mouscron and Charleroi),
- publication of the appeal in a flemish newspaper
- common press conference in Brussels, by the flemish Schone Kleren and Vêtements Propres campaigns, with Simy Gulzar from Women Workers Organisation, Pakistan and Mike Verstraeten, one of the Red Devel, the belgian national team…).

In the CCC press file: Nike and Adidas profile files, 4 cases of violation (Tainan in Indonesia, Par Garment in Thailand, Formosa in Salvador and Savina in Bulgaria), soccer ball report, presentation of Working Women Organisation, state of affairs with Euro 2000)

(national radio, regional television, Le Soir, Le Matin, La Dernière Heure)

12th december Drawing of the matches (and one of the most rainy days of the year 1999…)

About one hundred people participated in the action with the aim to be visible, to attract the press and to distribute press files. We did not ask for any authorization to be there but we had informed the organisators about our presence. Therefore we were tolerated while being closely watched by the police.
The Vêtements Propres campaign came with a barrel band and a bus. The flemish Schone Kleren was organising street football… On the road to Dusseldorf, the dutch CCC came with witnesses from Indonesia, Philippines and China). The most efficient time for distribution of information was around 5 oclock when personnalities and journalists left the palace.

Results

- About 300 press files were distributed.
- A representative of the marketing agence responsible for the Euro 2000 sponsoring contracts came to discuss with us.
- The french speaking belgian national television (RTBF) shown images and interviews of Denis Lambert and Simy Gulzar during the main information broadcast sunday evening. Some other television chains took images of the action.

13th december RTBF Ecran Témoin
One of the most popular broadcast of the RTBF consisted in one hour and half debate about "football industry and child labour"… Nike and Adidas were finally "not available". Participating in this debate: Alain Courtois, two football players amongs them the football star in the french speaking part of the country, Enzo Schiffo; Michel Bonnet, ILO adviser on child labour, Claude Akpokavie, WCL, Denis Lambert and Carole Crabbe (CCC),

Concrete results:

- Possibilities (to be further discussed) to have a visible presence during the tournament.
- Possibilities to go further in the action, demonstrating that Adidas is not respecting the FIFA Code an therefore the sponsoring contract.

Germany

I. Campaign „FIT FOR FAIR"

- The focus of activities this year is the campaign „FIT FOR FAIR
- Better working conditions in the Sportswear industry" in the framework and aftermath of the Euro 2000 campaign which is also supported by a Catholic youth network and the metal workers' youth.
- Specific Information material includes a comic booklet, a post card directed to adidas, a newspaper and a signature letter. Between March and June sporting and youth events will be held specifically highlighting the role of adidas. Part of these events is „the Back to producer"
-action in which adidas (also Puma, Nike etc) garment and sportsshoes will be sent back to the companies because of (social) quality defaults.
- On June 3rd 2000 a central action composed of marathons, an event at the entrances of the premises of Adidas and Puma as well as talks to these two companies will take place hopefully with the participation of other European CCCs. The FIT FOR Fair campaign is due to go on after the Euro Football Match up to the end of the year.

II. Companies

- After the second talk to adidas in October 1999 there is now a possibility to come to an agreement with adidas, GMIES and the German CCC concerning independent monitoring of Formosa and other suppliers of adidas in El Salvador. Details are just now being under discussion.
- After having published a code of conduct without a section on independent monitoring on December 6th 1999 the German Foreign Trade Association is now interested to hear the respective opinion of the CCC. The same applies to the company Steilmann - one of the leading garment producers in Europe.

III. TV programme on Nike football shirts with poisonous TBT

- On January 4th 2000 the prominent German TV programme „Plusminus" reported about extremely high degrees of the poisonous „Tributylzinn" (=TBT) discovered in football shirts of Nike. The retailers Kaufhof and Karstadt immediately stopped the selling of these shirts in all stores and the second most famous German football club Borussia Dortmund also withdres these shirts from ist fanclub shops.
- Other companies like adidas said that they are testing if TBT is in their products. Nike countered the disclosure with a study from an institute which cleanes the Nike image by alleging that the TBT dosis was minimal - a result also confirmed by the Berlin Federal Institute of Consumer Protection. But the public debates go on - with new revelations to come as the author of the TV programme recently said. The CCC tries to uncover the links to producer countries in the South or East - so far without success.

IV. SA 8000

- The German round table on codes of conduct and independent molnitoring initiated by the German Trade Union Federation (DGB) North-South Network decided to issue a public statement on SA 8000 emphasizing a) the intolerable shift of the responsibility of labour rights improvements to the producers and b) the continuing lack of aedequate democratic participation along the monitoring process. This statement is planned to be published during the next weeks.

Switzerland

I. Postcard action:

Public campaign to send postcards to 15 enterprises in Switzerland - which was a great success. Till the end of the year we got the confirmation from the peoples sending cards, that they send all together more than 42 000 cards.
Almost all enterprises answered to the individuals and to CC-Switzerland. Like this we got in contact with the firms and started a discussion. Also the media worked well and gave us a good support. To continue the campaign the publicity and the cards are the social capital we now can invest in the implementation of the CC-Model Code including a system for implementation, monitoring and independent verification

II. Contacts with enterprises:

We tried to get in further contact with about 8 of the enterprises (the others like H&M are supervised by other CCC-Countries) and asked them to follow the CC-Model and to sign a declaration (letter of intent) with us, in wich they get the obligation for the implementation of the code and to commit to the other points from the CC Model.

The very concrete result of these negotiations is, that two enterprises (Migros and Mabrouc SA) - Migros is the biggest supermarket chain of Switzerland - took over the entire model code and signed the letter of intent. 2-3 other companies are in discussions if they follow an international standard like SA 8000, an other Monitoring company (Link) or if they join the co-operation with CCC-Switzerland.

Migros as a first step send their code to all 500 suppliers At a seminary on 21st and 22nd of February 2000 we start a pilot-project ..

III. Study on monitoring:

To get an overview to existing monitoring systems and to further develop criteria for the implementation and for an independent monitoring we gave a research assignment. The study is now finished in French language (75 pages) and can be ordered from us (will soon be placed on the web-site for download): Le monitoring indépendant (ou vérification indépendante) de Julien Reinhard. We handle it as a working-paper.

This study takes up the question of monitoring / control theoretically first, then discusses existing monitoring systems (SA8000 and LINK and AIP-FLA in the USA), then gives an overview to CCC-Projects in Europe (specially to the pilot-projects in Holland: EHH, Sweden: Rena Kläder and the UK: ETI). Finally it resumes two fair trade initiatives in Switzerland (STEP and Max Havelaar) and gives some recommendations for the further CC-Campaign.

IV. Other activities:

· T-shirt exposition with cartoon-imprints to CCC-topics;
· Discussion meetings and project-teaching at schools;
· 2-days event with children at the cultural centre Red Factory Zurich;
· CC-Campaign during Lent in spring 99 and the publication of a brochure to the Campaign and of two CCC-Newsletters;
· The registration of the Name Clean Clothes Campaign will be done within a few months.

FRENCH CCC

I - Campagne 2000 : « pour l'école, consommons éthique » (« for schools :
be ethical consumers »)

Aims :

  1. consumers education for development (individual and collective/public consumers). Publics consumers (in 2000: town councils, because they finance publics schools for children untill about 12 years old) are a new target for the french campaign. Towns and in general, public administrations, schools, universities, hospitals, post offices... are important consumers. The movement in favor of a social label will be stronger if such institutions are involved in our project. The mayor (chairman of the town council) can be also an important national political leader. It can help to have more support from the government.
  2. lobby toward companies (suppliers of schools paid by towns budgets) and retailers where parents and children buy clothes, shoes, books, school bags... for the reopening of schools, to enlarge and strengthen the involvement of companies.

Products :

All the goods bought by towns, teachers and families for schools with a special focus on clothes and shoes (purchases of clothes and shoes - often sportswear - represents more than 30% of the family budget for the reopening of schools, in august and september each year)

Tools for the campaign toward the mayors :
· Law voted by the french parlement in may 1999 saying that towns (among other public institutions), schools and families should not buy products made by children (it is not an obligation but an incitation. The main problem for the implementation of the law is that there is no social label). The law also says that children should be educated/informed on children rights. The french CCC will use that law to convince towns to become « ethical consumers » and to participate in the creation of a social label and in the information/education of the inhabitants of the town (children and adults) in favor of ethical consumption. Of course, we will ask the towns to take engagements on all the workers rights included in our code de conduct (not only on child labor).
· Results of our campaign before the european elections in favor of a social label (and the Howitt resolution) : all the political parties have sent a letter of support to our action. It will facilitate our contacts with mayors,especially conservatives ones.

Actions :

January: 3 trainings for local volunteers (25/30 volunteers each time)

February-september: saturday 26th is the begining of the campaign toward mayors.
· Goal : between february and september 2000 we want 50 town councils to vote a political statement saying that they want to be ethical consumers and will act concretely in that way (first initiatives : school budget).
· They should ask their suppliers to give informations on their purchase policy : do they have a code of conduct, how is it implemented, monitored...? They could create a working group of « ethical consumers town » (for exemple, inside the « french mayors association ») They should start working on a charter based on our code of conduct et promoting it toward other towns and companies (their suppliers). They could also work on pilot projet of monitoring, on the setting up of a social labelisation system. They will be asked to participate in information and education actions for the citizens of the town (including support for local CCC's actions)...

May-september: 20th of may is national action day : beginning of an education/lobby campaign toward big french retailers linked with the family puchase for the reopening of schools.
· After 3 important petitions/post-cards campaign it was necessary to find a new campaign tool on companies (to avoid the risk to have less involvement from our local volunteers because they feel that we always ask the same action).
· We will diffuse a « report card » (« carnet de note ». At school, teachers send such a document to the parents each 3 month : for example : mathematics : 12/20 ; litterature 8/20...) We will adapt that document to evaluate the social behaviour of retailers (do they have a code of conduct, is there independent monitoring...) : for example : Auchan 14/20, Promodes : 13/20, Carrefour : 10/20, Décathlon : 5/20 ; Intermarché, Casino... 0/20. It will be sent to the medias et distributed to the consumers (100 000 mark report will be printed)

September: Reopening of school, press conference giving the results of our campaign

Documents

  • Campaign Handbook for volunteers
  • Brochures
  • Leaflet
  • Exhibition (5 posters)
  • Campaign poster
  • Signalethique (newsletter, 4Nrs/year, external communiction tool)
  • Info ESEpress (Monthly newsletter, internal communication tool)
  • Internet

II - Campaigns 2001-2003

· 2001 : 2nd part of our school campaign (in may : town council election)

· 2002/2003 : Toy campaign (probably) with action before christmas 2002 linked with AMRC work, campagns on Disney, Mattel, toy's R Us, Artsana-Chicco...

· Each year, last saturday of january : national action day of the french CCC

III - Other actions (pilot monitoring project...) Pilotproject in Madagascar as part of the agreement with Auchan. Probably local NGO will do the monitoring, testng what methods are possible. Aim: make a 'reference tool' that can used more widely. Two people from Madagascar to visit France in april or may.

Austria

I. Information work

- Three part documentary for TV. One part is now being finished, someone is in sri lanka. Two parts were already done and already aired, one on maquila's in mexican area, one more general.
- A german version of the dutch/english jeans brochure was made.
- A postcard action will start soon, they are printing the cards now. A4 format, background info plus cards, three to be send to retail shop, one to send back to ccc. There will be and accompanying email action, same action but you can then send in the card via internet. Internet version ready about a month from now.
- They organized a little bit of street theater, parliament action
- A questionnaire for retailers was made, similar to the Swiss model, to get more info on austrian retailers and get grading done.

II Plans:

- Pressure/lobby versus local governmens; planning similar to france, get general support and work on government procurement. They approached city of vienna, got appointment
- 'go fair' womens races, in may/june/september, part will be hopefully vienna city marathon, of course only sidelines. Involved should be celebrities, schools, information on the sidewalk. Main organisers will be frauensolidaritat, focus not directly on euro 2000 (football); too male-oriented. Maybe link to the olympics.
- ideas for organizing a race: go through schools physical education teachers, sports clubs in the villages/small towns, ask for starting fees, use these for solidarity actions.
- 8 march 'movie and action' day
- october: international forum on womens' work in the informal sector, around the same time witness-speakers tour

UK

Most of our activities have focused on LBL's campaign for a Living Wage.

1) Threadbare: A report on Wages in the Fashion Industry was produced. The Report is divided into: the clothes trade in Britain; six country case studies; what is a living wage?; who pays for a living wage? LBL campaign. Does not include: company specific case studies (see CCC's case study of Nike in relation to wages, part of Euro 2000 materials); an analysis of present work on formulae, for reasons made clear in the report.

2) Arist Merdeka Sirait (AMS) of Sisbikum and Bandung Eko Saputro (BES) of GBSI were in the UK to take part in launching the campaign. They participated in:

· Press launch , Interview with BBC Asian Network, Interviews and subsequent articles in Independent and Guardian.Other media coverage International Union Rights Journal and Ethical Consumer.

· Meetings with companies:

· C&A, with Chris Williams, Winfried Sternemann (Director of SOCAM) and John Greene (Head of Corporate Communications): W. Sterneman explained how SOCAM operates and the limitations on how much they can control when goods are sourced via importers who may themselves use agents. Are building up a supplier data base in Brussels to which LBL was offered access. The presence of our guests means that we then focused on PT Yae Yung. A meeting is to be fixed in early 2000 to discuss living wage issues. Another meeting with C&A on PY Tae Yung was organized by CCC-NL, and with German companies by CCC Germany when the fired leader from the unions came in december.
· Meetings with Marks and Spencer and Benetton.
. Meetings with NGOs and Trade unions.

3) Street actions took place in Manchester, Reading, Birmingham, London and Newcastle.

4) Over 25,000 living wage cards have been distributed since September 1999.

5) We also organised a regional conference on child labour and produced LBL bulletin number 8 and an update on sports shoes.

Note: The Ethical Trading Initiative is setting up a working group on the living wage issue.

Netherlands

I. Fair Wear Charter Foundation

· lots of debates leading to new schedule: management system guidance to be finalized in february, pilots (with extra coordinator) to start in february, run untill after summer 2000, follow-up discussion on monitoring/verification mechanism to start january 2000
· several (smaller) companies interested

II. Nike action
· outside demonstration/stakeholder meeting, lots of police & we were forcibly removed, 4 arrested and 1 photographer wounded.
· inside 4 people with shares, aim to get reaction on international letter to NIKE shareholdermeeting. No possibility to speak, when attempted also removed
· good press coverage, all newspapers (national and regional)

III. Action week 6-12 december
· aim was to launch the concept of CC communities plus attention for euro 2000 and Fair Wear Charter Foundation. Two guests, one from SEWA/India and one from Indonesia (Sisbikum).
· Two info-meetings with various local groups were organized, one in Groningen and one in Wychen. The idea was to present the manual to all the four majors of the Euro 2000 cities, together with the guests, but all four refused (on account of Euro 2000)

IV. Euro 2000
· advertisement half page in the Volkskrant on monday 12/12 (sports section). Signed by one premier league football team (Willem II, currently 4th in the premier league), 3 celebrities, 400 consumers/footballfans, lots of politicians (entire social democrat fraction and the greens plus several chrisian democrats) and unions/ngo's more or less as to be expected.
· NIKE send all who signed a long letter, we send them plus NIKE all a to-the-point reply
· Meeting planned with KNVB (national football federation) and with the city of Amsterdam
· Vignet for the Vignet campaign has been designed, and a leaflet combined with matches-booklet for fans
· Skate tour still planned

V. Workshop for schools
· follow-up of air files, together with 5 youth organisations. interactive CD-ROM. Called 'news-factory'
· First preparatory stage is a workshop, budget for the workshop available, material almost finished. Next stage depending on funding and commitment organisations

VI. Ecological
· Research via AKB in supply/demand biological cotton
· film made for AKB in India on pesticides use plus consequences of genetical engineering for cotton

VII. Companies
· KBB/Vendex concern and We International still the main focus. KBB/Vendex now has a code on holdinglevel, but both the holding and the subsidiaries are giving unsatisfactory answers. Campaign to start in spring.

· C&A: meeting organised on PT Tae Yung when union leader from Indonesia visited, CCC secretariat. AKB and SNM (large environmental NGO) had meeting with C&A division risk management, talked a.o. on traveling exhibition environment and child labour along C&A shops in germany and austria; suggested showing their film to C&A dusseldorf
· Street action organized on GAP action day, 27 november, in front of America Today, KBB/Vendex subsidiary selling GAP clothes

VIII. Other
· Leaflet on CC Communities printed, distributed a.o. to libraries, after this people can get the manual and workshop Lee & Company
· Dutch Newsletter send out
· Participated in Workshop on Clothes and Sportswear organized by FNV as part of their Eastern Europe conference, guest from Bulgarian Clothing Workers Union working for a.o. Umbro present
· Extensive documentation send to ILO for TCF meeting april 2000 (see letter)
· Participated in SA 8000 annual conference
· Participated in IEPCE starting conference
· Worked with IRENE on paper to present at ILO Social Dialogue Workshop dec. 1999
· Meeting with Green Left party bureau

Spain

I. Sportswear campaign
The campaing 'social manufacturing default' is aimed at Adidas and Nike. More then 10.000 postcards were send, and approximately 400 pairs of shoes were collected. In february they will be returned to Nike central HQ in Barcelona and Adidas in Madrid. Media coverage has been good.

II. National Coalition.
Next march in Basque country there will be a national platform meeting evaluating the first two years and strategizing for the future. In february the translation of the Wallonian book on the CCC will be presenten "la moda al desnudo".

III. Other
The 8th issue of the national newsletter was send out. Spain will keep on coordinating the central -american contacts. A study has been done on the working conditions in the clothing industry in Spain.

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