Get Involved Pack: In the Workplace

GET INVOLVED GUIDE: IN THE WORKPLACE Your guide to getting involved in Fashion Revolution Week 2020

Fashion Revolution encourages anyone taking part in the Fashion Revolution campaign at work to discuss it with management in their workplace. Please use your discretion when taking part and do not place yourself or your future employment prospects at risk.

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We are Fashion Revolution.

We are designers, academics, writers, business leaders, policymakers, brands, retailers, marketers, producers, makers, workers, trade unions and fashion lovers. We are the industry and we are the public.

We are world citizens.

We are you.

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mobilisation: social mobilisation seeks to facilitate change by encouraging and enabling a significant number of people to engage in interrelated and complementary efforts.

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advocacy: advocacy in all its forms seeks to ensure that people, particularly those who are most vulnerable in society, are able to: 2

1. Have their voice heard on issues that are important to them.

2. Defend and safeguard their rights.

3. Have their views and wishes genuinely considered when decisions are being made about their lives.

systemic: relating to an entire system, as opposed to a particular part.

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We campaign for a clean, safe, fair, transparent and accountable fashion industry.

We do this through research, education, collaboration, mobilisation1 and advocacy2.

The issues in the fashion industry never fall on any single person, brand, or company. That’s why we focus on using our voices to transform the entire system.

With systemic3 and structural change, the fashion industry can lift millions of people out of poverty and provide them with decent and dignified livelihoods.

It can conserve and restore our living planet. It can bring people together and be a great source of joy, creativity and expression for individuals and communities.

We believe in a global fashion industry that conserves and restores the environment and values people over growth and profit.

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photo: @green_parks

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Photo: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images

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Fashion Revolution week happens every year in the week surrounding the 24th of April. This date is the anniversary of the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse. Rana Plaza, a building in Bangladesh, housed a number of garment factories, employing around 5,000 people. The people in this building were manufacturing clothing for many of the biggest global fashion brands. @fash_rev

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Over 1,100 people died in the collapse and another 2,500 were injured, making it the fourth largest industrial disaster in history.

The victims were mostly young women.

To read more about the Rana Plaza disaster and the formation of the Fashion Revolution movement, visit our website: www.fashionrevolution.org org

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Current estimates suggest that 150 billion new garments are produced annually.

Source: Sustainable Apparel Materials, 2015.

Consumption Global fashion consumption continues to gain speed at unsustainable levels and relies on a culture of disposability.

Around the world, we produce too much clothing, from harmful materials, much of which ends up incinerated or in landfill.

We must rethink the nature of fashion consumption, adopting new ways of engaging with fashion, and calling on brands to rethink linear business models, honouring those who make our clothes and treasuring the clothes we own.

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Actions: host a clothes swap, #lovedclotheslast for dress down friday.

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Producing plastic-based textiles uses approx.

342 million barrels of oil each year.

Source: Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017

Composition The textiles we wear are made from precious natural resources and generate massive environmental impacts in their production. Plasticbased materials that now comprise the majority of our clothes are shedding microfibres into waterways and endangering human health and nature’s ecosystems. And, many of the fibres we wear use harmful chemical processes in dyeing and finishing, which compromises the health of worker and wearer.

Actions: research company policies, write an open letter, ask ‘what’s in my clothes.’

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77% of UK retailers believe there is a likelihood of modern slavery in their supply chain.

Source: Hult Research & Ethical Trading Initiative, 2016

Conditions From child labour on cotton fields to trafficking and forced labour in the garment industry, the fashion supply chain routinely exploits some of the most vulnerable people. We are calling for deeper transparency to help end modern slavery and uphold the human rights of everyone in the fashion supply chain.

Actions: research company policies, write an open letter, ask ‘who made my clothes?’.

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Over 90% of workers in the global garment industry have no possibility to negotiate their wages or conditions.

Source: IndsutriALL

Collective action From gender inequality to environmental degradation, the fashion industry continues to exploit people and resources. What we can’t achieve alone, we can champion together. When people join together their voices are amplified. This is as true for workers in the supply chain as it is for activists and campaigners. We want to mobilise everyone to join together and make change.

Actions: connect with others in your workplace, host an event.

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Since Fashion Revolution started, people from all over the world have used their voice and their power to demand change from the fashion industry. And it’s working. The industry is starting to listen.

We’ve seen brands being open about where their clothes are made and the impact their materials are having on the environment.

We’ve seen manufacturers make their factories safer and more of the people in the supply chain being seen and heard. Designers are now considering people and planet when creating new clothing.

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But the story is far from over. We are only just getting started. We can’t stop until every worker who makes our clothes is seen, heard and paid properly and the environments they live and work in are safe. We can't stop until the culture of consumption is changed and we learn to love and appreciate our clothes and the people that made them.

Together, we will create a revolution.

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YOUR VO CHANGE EV _____

BE CU FIND DO SOM

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OICE CAN VERYTHING _____

RIOUS D OUT METHING

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If you’re reading this guide, chances are you want to use the Fashion Revolution Week campaign to make some positive improvements in the environmental or social impact of the place where you work.

Whether or not you work in the fashion industry, businesses and corporations from all sectors are facing the imperative of sustainability, and some are too slow to act, or aren’t yet taking action at all.

This is a guide for individual action (though it can certainly benefit from multiple coworkers campaigning together). If you’re working for a brand that’s already taking action, and wants to get involved in Fashion Revolution Week, head over to our Get Involved Packs for brands, retailers, wholesalers and distributors.

That’s where you come in!

We can all have a profound impact in our workplace by standing up for what is right and challenging our employers to value people and planet above profit.

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Know your risks As with any form of activism, standing up to your employer is not without risks. Before taking any of the actions suggested in this guide, consider the potential negative outcomes that may take shape.

Might your actions lead to being treated differently or even terminated by your employer? If so, you’ll need to consider whether you are willing and able to deal with the consequences of workplace activism before taking any action.

Fashion Revolution encourages anyone taking part in the Fashion

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Revolution campaign at work to discuss it with management in their workplace.

Please use your discretion when taking part and do not place yourself or your future employment prospects at risk.

This pack encourages internal lobbying and workplace activism to positively influence your colleagues and employers.

It does not cover direct action. If you wish to organise direct action in your workplace we advise you to seek relevant union and legal advice.

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Action: Research what your company’s policies and commitments are Start by reading the Fashion Transparency Index, whether of not the company you work for is evaluated in it, you’ll still be able to benchmark where brands are at and the scope of progress in the industry.

From the issues listed in the ‘Policies and Commitments’ section of the Fashion Transparency Index you could pick the ones that you are particularly interested in and find out more.

Your company may publicly disclose policies and commitments on their website so read those.

Other policies and commitments may be available to staff so search your intranet or company documents or ask your colleagues where these policies and commitments are saved.

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Action: Connect with others in your workplace One of the simplest ways you can get involved is by connecting with colleagues in your workplace about Fashion Revolution Week.

• If you work in communications but want to know more about sourcing ask a colleague in that area to explain what they do.

• If there is a group of you who are all interested in the same issues you could start a meet-up at lunchtime to have a chat.

• If your workplace has an employee notice board, or something similar, you could ask if you can put up some information or post in a relevant group to find others who are interested.

• Propose ways of connecting with your suppliers during Fashion Revolution Week. You and your colleagues can find out more about who made the clothes your company produces. @fash_rev

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• If you’re involved in design, manufacturing, production or making, reach out to the companies you supply to show them who made the clothes and how.

• Propose hosting online calls or an email ‘penpal’ campaign. You could organise a public facing inconversation between people in your company and people in your supply chain either at a physical event or online.

• Submit pictures, videos and quotes from your designers, producers, makers and suppliers or to company newsletters, noticeboards and team social networks that you use as a company.

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Action: Attend or host an event. Make it a fundraiser If your company hosts events with or for staff, or is interested in doing so, you could propose to organise an event during Fashion Revolution Week. The event could be for staff only or more public facing for customers and external contacts. See our event guide for ideas.

If your company hosts fundraisers, or is open to doing so, you could propose to organise a fundraising event or campaign during Fashion Revolution Week. As we are a registered charity (No. 1173421), a corporate gift from a UK company could qualify for tax relief.

You could arrange a work social to a Fashion Revolution Week event. Events are listed on our website by location so pick one about a topic you are interested in and at a time that is convenient for you and other colleagues and arrange to go together. Your employer may be happy for you to attend an event during working hours as a team building trip or a research activity related to your job.

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Action: #lovedclotheslast for dress down friday You might work for a company that has a ‘dress down Friday’ or equivalent. Encourage your colleagues and people in your workplace to rediscover clothes that they love by sending out our ‘Haulternative’ and ‘Love Story’ packs.

You could use this to start conversations with colleagues about their clothes. Use prompts like ‘Who Made My Clothes?’ and ‘What’s in My Clothes?’ posters to start a discussion about how their clothes are made, what they are made from, how they care for them and what they love about them.

Take a picture of your outfit and share on social media with the hashtag #lovedclotheslast.

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boss@myworkplace.com

Who made my clothes?

Dear _______, We are your employees and we love working here. However, we also care about the rights and wellbeing of the people who make our clothes. In the 7 years since the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh, not enough has changed.

Too many people in fashion’s supply chain earn incredibly low wages, lack the ability to negotiate or unionise and many work in conditions of modern slavery.

It is very important to me that people working in our supply chain are seen, heard, paid properly and working in safe conditions.

This week is Fashion Revolution Week and we would like you to share where we, as employees, can find more information about our supply chain.

Sincerely, SIGNATORIES

boss@myworkplace.com

What’s in my clothes?

Dear _______, We are your employees and we love working here. However, we also care about the future of our planet, and the impact of the materials and chemicals in your clothes.

Right now, the fashion industry exploits too many resources, contaminating waterways with toxic chemicals, sending microfibres into our oceans and landfilling or incinerating the unsold goods at the end of the chain.

This week is Fashion Revolution Week and we would like you to share where we, as employees, can find more information about our environmental approach.

Sincerely, SIGNATORIES

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Action: Write an open letter If you want to know more about a particular topic or want to let your employer know that an issue is important to you and your colleagues write to an open letter.

You could use one of the templates on this page to draft your letter or create your own on an issue that matters to you.

Open Letters work best when they have a number of signatories including senior figures in the company and ask for particular information or actions. Ask your colleagues if this issue is important to them and if they want to add their name as a signatory. Address the letter to the CEO, the board or the people responsible for a particular policy area in your company.

We advise that, where possible, you speak to your manager or the person in your company that oversees the policy that you want to write about in your open letter and seek their support and advice. For example, you could ask the person who is responsible for equality, diversity and inclusion if you want to write about LGBT+ rights in your supply chain.

See also: Letter topics, Protected characteristics org

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Letter topics Here is a list of questions and topics to pose to your employers.

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Gender Equality

“What policies do you have in place to make sure harassment?”

Safe working conditions

“Do you conduct independent audits to every fact who make our clothes? Do we have any programs

Fair pay

“Do we know how many workers in our supply cha working to ensure that all of the workers in our su

Modern Slavery

“Do we publish your 2nd (processing facilities) an organisations perform due diligence around mod

Water Contamination

“Do we published a ‘Restricted Substances List’?

Waste + Landfill

“Do we incinerate your unsold stock? Do we send r reduce pre-consumer and post-consumer waste?

Carbon Emissions

“Do we publish our annual carbon footprint, for ou carbon footprint? What is our target carbon footpr

Animal welfare

“Do we publish an animal welfare policy? Do we s sourcing transparency initiatives, including the Le Responsible Wool Standard?”

Ocean Plastic

“Do we have a strategy in place to eliminate plast supply chain? Do we disclose what we are doing t

Deforestation

“Do we source viscose and man-made cellulose Is our leather supply chain traceable to the raw m

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The more information you ask for, the more comapnies are pushed to improve their social and environmental policies, and act transparently. We’ve drafted some things you can ask down below.

e women working in our supply chain don’t experience verbal, physical and sexual

tory we source from? Do we require mandatory fire & safety training for the people s or partnerships in place to improve worker health & safety?”

ain earn a living wage rate, as defined by Global Living Wage coalition? How are we upply chain can exercise their right to join a union?”

nd 3rd tier (raw materials) supplier lists to help NGOs and independent dern slavery further down the supply chain?”

Do we adhere to the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) commitment?”

returned items bought online to landfill? What practices do we have in place to ? What do we do with your offcuts, damaged goods and other supply chain waste?”

ur own operations and our entire supply chain? Do we have a goal to reduce our rint by 2025? Do we offset our emissions?”

source mulesing-free wool? Are we signed up to any animal welfare and animal eather Working Group, Responsible Down Standard, Traceable Down Standard or

tics from our packaging? Will we commit to eliminating virgin polyester from our to reduce microfibre shedding from clothing?”

materials from sustainably managed forests, through initiatives such as Canopy? material?”

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Action:

Legal protections

Whistleblowing In serious situations where there are certain types of wrongdoing you have witnessed in your workplace you may consider whistleblowing.

What is a whistleblower?

• You’re a whistleblower if you’re a worker and you report certain types of wrongdoing. This will usually be something you’ve seen at work - though not always.

• The wrongdoing you disclose must be in the public interest.

This means it must affect others, for example the general public.

• You can raise your concern at any time about an incident that happened in the past, is happening now, or you believe will happen in the near future.

If you are considering whistleblowing you should find out what your company’s whistleblowing policy is and what your legal protections are.

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A number of countries have legal protections around whistleblowing. For example, in the UK, you’re protected by law if you report any of the following: • a criminal offence, for example fraud • someone’s health and safety is in danger • risk or actual damage to the environment • a miscarriage of justice • the company is breaking the law, for example does not have the right insurance • you believe someone is covering up wrongdoing Outside of the UK you should research the legal protections for whistleblowing before campaigning on these issues in your workplace.

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Where to go If your company has a confidential whistleblowing procedure you could disclose the information internally.

However, you may wish to disclose the information to an external agency for example. truthteller.life • This website offers you a means to make a story happen, by disclosing information to the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) • The ICIJ shares the information it receives among the specialist journalists in its network to be verified and analysed, and then coordinate publication around the globe.

• Since it was established in 1997, the ICIJ has never revealed any of its confidential sources.

You should seek independent advice, for example from Citizens Advice before disclosing information.

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Ideas and inspiration There are many campaigns that have been specifically targeted getting people involved in their place of work. Engaging employers and their employees can show companies the issues that their workforce really care about and encourage them to make a difference.

Here are some examples of workplace campaigns and activism for ideas and inspiration: The Women’s Equality Party Out of Office campaign https://www. womensequality.org.uk/ outofoffice

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Stonewall’s Come out for LGBT at work campaign https://www.stonewall.org. uk/comeoutforLGBT/work Time to Change’s end to mental health discrimination campaign https://www.time-tochange.org.uk/get-involved/ get-your-workplaceinvolved Macmillian World’s Biggest Coffee Morning https:// coffee.macmillan.org.uk/ hosting/host-at-work/

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Other ways to get involved

Get involved Our citizens Get involved guide is your complete roadmap to taking part in Fashion Revolution Week 2020.

Attend an event During Fashion Revolution Week (20-26 April), thousands of events take place from fashion revolutionaries around the world. Find one near you.

Try a ‘Haulternative’ Fashion isn’t just about consuming more stuff. Check out our guide of ‘haulternatives’ to change the way we buy, make and use our clothes.

Brands & Retailers Brands and retailers can get involved with Fashion Revolution Week by sharing information about their supply chains.

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Host an event Put on a clothes swap, talk, workshop or film screening in your community, school or workplace this Fashion Revolution Week. Check out our guide to hosting an event.

Write a postcard to a policymaker Ask your local policymaker what they’re doing to create a fairer, safer, cleaner more transparent fashion industry.

Your voice has power, so use it!

Spread the word Use your voice to invite others to join you in taking part in Fashion Revolution Week. Find our social media assets, posters and campaign materials here.

Read up Educate yourself on the issues and get inspired by new ways to help create change.

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Its contents are the sole responsibility of Fashion Revolution and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.