2010-11 fair trade center - fashion victims - a report on sandblasted denim copy

7/31/2019 2010-11 Fair Trade Center - Fashion Victims - A Report on Sandblasted Denim Copy

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a report on sandblasted denim


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2 | RappoRt om DDlig Denim2 | RappoRt om DDlig Denim


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Fashion victims - a RepoRt on sanDblasteD Denim | 3

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summaRy 4

intRoDuction 5

aims anD methoD 5

the sanDblasting technique 6

sanDblasting anD silicosis 7

incReaseD Fatalities in tuRkey 8

expoRting hazaRDous WoRk methoDs 9

alteRnative methoDs 10

DiFFiculties FoR the consumeR 10

a compaRative vieW oF 17 companies opeRating in sWeDen 11

conclusion 16

RecommenDations to goveRnments in pRoDucing countRies 18

RecommenDations to companies 18

RecommenDations to consumeRs 18

ReFeRences 19

Fashion victims a report on sandblasted denim


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4 | Fashion victims - a RepoRt on sanDblasteD Denim

Treating denim to make the abric look worn or aded is common withinthe clothing industry. Dierent methods can be used to create the desiredinishing eect. One such method is sandblasting, which can be extremelydamaging to workers health i perormed without suitable protective equip-

ment. The large amounts o silica dust generated during the process can cause silicosis, apotentially lethal pulmonary disease, as workers inhale o tiny particles o silica. In 2009,Turkey prohibited manual sandblasting with silica, something that resulted in a majordecline o the practice throughout the country. Until that time, manual sandblasting hadbeen commonplace, especially within the inormal sector. Sandblasting has oten beenperormed by migrant workers1 during long work shits, in cramped, unhygienic treatmentrooms without ventilation or saety equipment. In some cases workers even slept on site.

At the time that this report was published, approximately 50 people in Turkey haddied as a direct result o exposure to silica dust whilst sandblasting denim. According toan estimate rom the Turkish Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers about 5000people working in the clothing industry in Turkey have developed silicosis.

Since the ban was introduced in Turkey the sandblasting industry has moved to othercountries, such as China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and parts o Northern Arica. Littleis currently known about the situations acing sandblasting workers in these countries,but NGOs and trade unions ear that the conditions are similar to those ound in Turkey.

In this study, the Fair Trade Center has investigated the way in which 17 clothing andtextile retailers work with the dangers presented by sandblasting. We have discoveredthat three o these companies (Whyred, Nudie Jeans and Varner-Gruppen) are using the

method. Whyred was not able to conirm whether or not the sand being used containedsilica. When we irst got in touch with H&M, Fabric Skandinavien, Gina Tricot, Inditex,hlns and Tiger o Sweden these companies revealed that they were using sandblastingtechniques or some o their garments. However, during the compilation o this reportall the aorementioned companies conirmed that they have decided to phase out sand-blasting methods rom their production. Kappahl and Lindex stated that they had stop-ped using this method beore the Fair Trade Center investigation. H&Ms decision toban sandblasting shows that even where a comprehensive sandblasting policy is in place,including demands that workers should be educated about the associated risks, companiescannot guarantee that they are in ull control o the sandblasting methods used by theirsuppliers.

Knowledge about sandblasting among the clothing companies is generally low with

respect to the techniques, the type o sand being used, where in the suppliers supplychain the blasting is perormed and in which country production is located. Surprisinglyew companies have taken any preventative steps to deal with the issue. Many companieshave pointed to the act that they use alternative methods to sandblasting, but it is verydiicult or the consumer to distinguish between denim garments that have been sand-blasted and those that have been treated using other methods. From a health and saetyperspective no method is entirely ree o risk. The clothing companies thereore have aresponsibility to prove to consumers that their jeans and other denim products are notputting those involved in their production at risk.

Summary

1. The migrant workers largely came rom rural areas or nearby countries such as Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan.


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Introduction

A

pproximately ive billion pairs o jeans are produced worldwide each year. Jeanshave been a popular item o clothing or several decades with a long manuacturinghistory. Jeans were irst used by dock workers in Genoa several centuries ago as they

valued the material or its durability. However, it was not until the 1950s that jeansbecame globally popular thanks to popular culture.2 During the 1970s design and tailoring wascentral to denim culture, but it was not until the mid 1980s that manuacturers started usingmethods to make the material look worn. The irst such method involved tearing the denimusing brushing-techniques. Worn-out jeans continued to be ashionable during the 1990swith brands such as Diesel and Replay supporting the trend. However, not until the ollowingdecade did the ashion o wearing pre-torn jeans become popular throughout the Westernworld, thus requiring new methods including sandblasting. 3

Whilst sandblasting to achieve a worn-look on denim is a relatively new phenomenon withinthe clothing industry, the method as such has been widely used within the mining and buildingindustries or many decades. Manual sandblasting with silica was banned in the EuropeanEconomic Community in 1966 due to the severe risks associated with the inhalation o silica

dust. The UK prohibited this practice even earlier in 1950.4 Whilst Sweden ollowed suit in1992, sandblasting in ventilated blast rooms and wet sandblasting during which the material ismixed with water were exempted rom the ban. 5

Following the imposition o strict regulations on sandblasting in many European countries,the clothing industry has largely outsourced production to as yet unregulated regions. Sincethe turn o the century sandblasting has largely been located in countries such as Turkey, Syria,Bangladesh, Mexico, India and Indonesia. Since then it has moved even urther to unregulatedregions such as South East Asia and North Arica. Silvana Cappuccio, a health and saety expertat the International Textile Garment & Leather Workers Federation, states that productiontends to move to regions where labour is cheap and legislation is weaker. 6

2. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 46, http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd

3. Marsh, Graham & Trynka Paul, Denim rom cowboys to catwalks, pp. 114-1174. Akgun, M. et al. An epidemic o silicosis among ormer denim sandblasters, European Respiratory Journal Volume 32 #5, p. 13025. Arbetsskyddsstyrelsens rattningssamling: Kvarts 1992:16, paragraph 10, p. 46. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 46, http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd

Aims and method

The Fair Trade Center hopes that the report will highlight the way in whichclothing companies handle the risks associated with sandblasting.

The study can be divided into two sections one covering backgroundinormation and the other ocusing on corporate aspects. The background

inormation has been compiled using various reports and articles, as well as other relevantsources made available by the Swedish Work Environment Authority amongst others. Inaddition, interviews about sandblasting and silicosis were conducted at the European RegionalOrganisation o Workers in the Textile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear sectors conerence in

Istanbul held on 29 June-1 July 2010.The corporate part is based on a survey containing questions about sandblasting, which was

sent to 17 clothing companies. Once the answers had been processed urther questions wereasked. Some o the companies had speciic policies or demands concerning sandblasting andthese have been researched separately. All 17 companies are active on the Swedish market andsome are proiled as denim companies. All 17 companies were contacted via email or telephonebetween June and September 2010. In most cases the companys CSR representative respondedto our questions, and in other cases we have had contact with environmental oicials,production managers, supply managers or marketing directors.


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There is a wide variety o denim

available on the market today.Denim is the abric and jeansis the name commonly given to

the garments. Jeans are either let untreatedor treated to achieve a worn look. The lattercan be achieved in a number o ways, depen-ding on the desired inish. Methods includemanual or mechanical sandblasting, washing,stone washing, chemical treatment, laser tre-atment, or manual treatment using sandpaper.Sandblasting is most requently used to treat

jeans, but it can also be used on other denimgarments, such as skirts, dresses or jackets.The sandblasting technique involves

removing the dark indigo pigmentation romthe garment. Propelling a stream o abra-sive material (sand) against the abric underhigh pressure gradually sotens and lightensthe denim. The desired inishing result canbe achieved by increasing or decreasing theexposure. Whilst some actories use sealedblasting cabinets with ventilation, othersrequire workers to operate the machinery in

treatment rooms. The type o blasting ma-terial used can also dier. Certain materialscan be reused and others are disposable. Insome cases ventilation in the cabinets sucksthe blasting material through a ilter, so that itcan be reused on another item o clothing.

SandblaSTing worker in bangladeSh wiThouT SuiTable proTeCTive equipmenT

photo: CCC germanY

The sandblastingtechnique


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7. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 46, http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd8. Quartz is a crystalline mineral o silicon dioxide (Si02). When heated quartz transorms into tridymite, or kristobalit. Both these minerals are modications ocrystalline silicon dioxide. (AFS 1992:16).9. Inormation rom the Swedish Work Environment Authority, Quartz-dust can cause silicosis10. Silvana Cappuccio, International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation, at the European Regional Organisation o Workers in the Textile,Clothing, Leather and Footwear sectors conerence in Istanbul held on 29 June-1 July 2010.11. Yesim Yasin, Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers, at the European Regional Organisation o Workers in the Textile, Clothing, Leather andFootwear sectors conerence in Istanbul held on 29 June-1 July 2010.12. WHO, Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 24, Crystalline Silica, Quartz, p. 18 http://www.who.int/ipics/publications/cicad/en/cicad24.pd13. Yesim Yasin, Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers, at the European Regional Organisation o Workers in the Textile, Clothing, Leather andFootwear sectors conerence in Istanbul held on 29 June-1 July 201014. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 46, http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd15. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 46, http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd

16. Todays Zaman (Turkish newspaper),, http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=15630117. Pro. Dr Zeki Kilicaslan, Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers, at the European Regional Organisation o Workers in the Textile, Clothing, Leatherand Footwear sectors conerence in Istanbul held on 29 June-1 July 2010.

Sandblasting can expose workersto extreme health hazards. Some

acilities use natural sand contain-ing silica meaning that workersinhale crystalline silica dust particles duringproduction, causing serious damage to therespiratory passages.7 These particles areso tiny that they are invisible to the nakedeye.8 The body is unable to expel the silicaparticles causing diseases such as silicosis.The particles penetrate the pulmonary alveoliand the connective tissue, gradually impairinglung capacity and their ability to oxygenatethe blood. Symptoms include shortness o

breath, and as the disease develops, thisis common even when resting. This putsadditional strain on the heart eventuallyleading to death.9 However, silicosis can beprevented i symptoms are diagnosed at anearly stage.10

Silicosis is one o the oldest knownoccupational diseases and when ullydeveloped it is chronic. Until recently,silicosis was only ound among workerswithin the mining, construction, stone and

excavation industries. It was also commonamong workers at iron oundries, steel plantsand glass and ceramic manuacturers.11

According to the WHO, workers candevelop three types o silicosis depending onthe concentration o dust they are exposed to:

1) Chronic silicosis, which usuallydevelops ater 10 years or more o workingin environments with relatively lowconcentrations o dust.

2) Accelerating silicosis, which developsbetween 5-10 years ater irst being exposed

to the dust, or:3) Acute silicosis, which develops ollowingexposure to high concentrations o crystallinesilica dust, and causes symptoms to appearrom within a ew weeks to 4-5 years aterirst being exposed.12

Sandblasters within the clothing industryare most likely to suer rom acute silicosis.The symptoms have been extensive and, incomparison with other industries the diseasehas developed much more quickly withinthis industry, which is likely to be a result o

the uncontrolled work environments withinthat indu stry.13 Several actors make sand-blasting dangerous: continuous exposure todust, cramped work spaces, long workinghours and, in many cases unhygienic work-shops and no protective equipment. More-over, the treatment rooms are oten poorlyventilated because employers ear that thedust will spread which may incur additionalcosts.14 Sandblasting is oten outsourced tosubcontractors o clothing companies direct

suppliers.15

The work is oten perormed inuncontrolled, unregistered workshops in theinormal sector. Many workshops are alsolocated in remote areas, or in the basementso such workshops.16 Another problem isthat the subcontractors tend to replace thealternative blasting material with silica sandonce inspectors have let.17

Sandblasting and silicosis


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18. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 46,http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd19. Fair Wear Foundation, Annual Report 2009, p. 34, http://airwear.org/images/2010-06/w_annualreport_2009.pd20. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 47,http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd21. Hurriyet Daily News (Turkish newspaper),http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=denim-blasting-workers-ask-or-their-rights-2010-06-2122. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 46,http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd23. Ibid.24. Akgun, M. et al. An epidemic o silicosis among ormer denim sandblasters, European Respiratory Journal Volume 32 # 5, p. 129825. Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim, p. 46,

http://hesa.etui-rehs.org/uk/newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_46-47.pd26. Pro. Dr Zeki Kilicaslan, Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers, at the European Regional Organisation o Workers in theTextile, Clothing, Leather and Footwear sectors conerence in Istanbul held on 29 June-1 July 2010.

Clothing and jeans manuactur-ing are an important part o theTurkish e conomy. The in dustryhas expanded since the 1970s

and by 2 008 Turkey was one o the worl dslargest jeans exporting countries with saleso 2.3 billion USD.18 It is estimated that 3million people work in the Turkish clothingindustry.19 According to inormation rom the

International Textile Union approximately300 000 people work in the denim industryand 10 000-15 000 o these work with sand-blasting, most o whom are young peoplerom rural areas, or migrant workers romnearby countries such as Romania, Bulgaria,Moldavia, Georgia or Azerbaijan.20

Turkey is the irst country where silicosishas been identiied within the textileindustry.21 Since 2000 the number o peopleworking with sandblasting has risen conside-

rably with increasing cases o silicosis beingreported rom 2004. This enabled researchersand doctors at Atatrk University in Erzurum(northeastern Turkey) to link jeans manu-acturing with silicosis.22 The irst two casesconcerned two men aged 18 and 19 who hadworked in the industry or about ive years.The irst had reported trouble with a drycough, dizziness and weight loss or threemonths. The second had had respiratoryproblems or our years. The workers were13 and 14 years old when they started at the

sandblasting workshop working eleven hours aday, in a room with no windows or ventilation,with only a ace mask or protection. Bothmen died shortly ater being diagnosed.Compared to other industries, the textileindustry workers developed silicosis veryrapidly being diagnosed ater only ive years.23Another study rom 2008, that included 157workers, showed that the average age o wor-

kers was 23, and that the youngest had startedworking at the age o ten. Both the workinghours and work environments were describedas appalling and in some cases the workerswere permanently exposed to the dust as theyalso slept in the workshops.24

In March 2009 Turkey imposed a banon the use o materials containing silicawhen blasting denim. The aim was tohalt the spread o silicosis. The ban wasintroduced ollowing pressure rom the

Solidarity Committee o SandblastingLabourers, a committee that concerns itselwith sandblasting workers, unions, medicalpractitioners and NGOs. In addition tothis the government stated that it wouldbe closing 60 sandblasting workshops, thatregulation would improve, and that workersrights to pension plans would be guaranteed.25By July 2010, 46 people had died rom sili-cosis, all o whom had developed the diseasewhilst working within the clothing industry assandblasters. 26

Increased fatalities in Turkey


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27. The website o The Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers, http://www.kotiscileri.org28. The Caravan (Indian newspaper), August 2010, http://caravanmagazine.in/PrintThisStory.aspx?StoryId=36529. The Caravan (Indian newspaper), August 2010, http://caravanmagazine.in/PrintThisStory.aspx?StoryId=365


According to the Solidarity Committee oSandblasting Labourers approximately 600workers have been diagnosed with silicosis inTurkey in the last decade, but the Committeeears that this number could rise to almost5000. The act that many o the workers are

or have been employed within the inormalsector or at unregistered companies meansthat they do not have any proo o employ-ment, which means that they are not eligibleor social security beneits or compensation.The Committee demands that all sandblastingworkers should have the right to medical care,including a physical examination and treat-ment, guaranteed by the government, regard-less o their social security status. Further, theCommittee demands that workers who havebeen diagnosed with silicosis should be given

the immediate right to social security andpensions, even during ongoing legal battles.27

Exporting hazardous work methods

Activists and unions in Turkey earthat the worst type o sandblastinghas now been exported to othercountries. At the European Textile

Union Conerence held in Istanbul earlierthis year Yesim Yasin rom the SolidarityCommittee said that the conditions in sand-blasting industry in Bangladesh resembledthe situation in Turkey. This was conirmed inthe Indian union newspaper The Caravanin August 2010 by an Indian journalist whovisited a sandblasting workshop in the sub-

urbs o Dhaka, Savar Upazila. The workerswere men in their twenties and only usedpieces o cloth to cover their aces. The a-cility had no ventilation whatsoever, and theblasting material being used was natural sandrom a nearby river. The workshop employedabout 30 workers, and the workshop managerinterviewed claimed that there were almost a

hundred similar sandblasting workshops thattogether blast 150 000 garments per month.Just like in Turkey it is common or clothingcompanies to use subcontractors to do thesandblasting, which makes it diicult or theconsumer to trace garments.28

In Bangladesh, no link has yet beenestablished between sandblasting andsilicosis. According to The Caravan,general practitioners, nurses and employ-ment lawyers know too little about the risks,and it is currently very unlikely that poorly

remunerated textile workers can aord tovisit a lung specialist i they are ill.29 At thetime o writing there is very little inorma-tion about the work environments in othercountries involved in sandblasting, includingBangladesh, China, Pakistan, Italy, Syria,Indonesia and countries in northern Arica.

worker SandblaSTing in bangladeSh.photo: CCC germanY


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30. Pro. Dr Zeki Kilicaslan, Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers, via email on 15 March 2010


It is virtually impossible or the consumer tospot the dierence between manually treatedjeans and jeans that have been mechanical lysandblasted, or treated using other methods.Technical expertise in jeans manuacturing is

needed to be able to identiy which treatmentmethod has been used on a speciic garment.It is thereore diicult or consumers to makea conscious choice.

Alternative methods

Difculties for the consumer

Dierent methods can be used to

achieve a worn look on denimgarments. The reason thatsandblasting with natural sand

prevails is that it is cheaper. Installing moreadvanced industrial equipment is expensiveand the availability o natural sand is vast.

The most common orm o sandblasting ismanual blasting, but sandblasting can also beperormed mechanically in blasting cabinetswhere the process is more controlled. Thelatter requires the sandblasting actories tomake more investments.

There are numerous methods to teardenim. Some involve the use o chemicals(e.g. potassium permanganate or hydro-gen peroxide) whilst others make use ostone-washing, sandpaper, brushing or laser.However, no method is entirely ree o riskwith respect to health and saety. Heavyexposure to potassium permanganate can

cause manganese poisoning and stone wash-

ing with materials other than pumice stonecan pose a serious health hazard to workers.Using sandpaper or the brush method toachieve a worn look can put workers at risko occupational asthma due to dust exposure.The use o laser requires considerable invest-ments and can be dangerous i the workersail to wear protective eye equipment. 30

Since sandblasting and other methods otreating denim are a new phenomenon in theclothing industry it has so ar been impossibleto determine which method is sae rom a

health and saety perspective. Regardless owhich method is being used though, work-shops should be suitably built and equipped.Moreover, all workers should use appropriatesaety equipment, including ace masks toprevent the inhalation o dangerous dustparticles, goggles, ear plugs and protectiveclothing.


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Acne claims that sandblasting is not used in production o its garments. Most o Acnes jeans are ma-nuactured in Turkey. The company has previously used sandblasting methods in denim production inItaly. Acne does not have a specic sandblasting policy, but it has taken an active stand against the useo sandblasting. Acnes production manager Therese Munthe states that the company has stopped usingsandblasting because o reasons concerning working environments. During autumn 2010 Acne has beenconsidering the introduction o a specic sandblasting policy.

Filippa K claims that sandblasting does not eature in its production. Instead they use stone washing ormanual scraping to achieve the desired tear eect on its denim garments. Supply manager Elin Larssongave the ollowing statement: As ar as I can see [the company] has never used sandblasting...Thereason we dont use sandblasting isnt an active decision, but more o a design issue. But i we were to usesandblasting methods we would make sure not to endanger the health and saety o the workers. I thatwere the case, we would choose an alternative method. Filippa K makes no specic demands concerningsandblasting.

aCne

Filippa k

A comparative view of 17companies operating in Sweden

When the Fair Trade Center rst contacted Gina Tricot the company claimed that one o its two suppliersin China used sandblasting. This supplier outsourced this process to a subcontractor. At the end oJune 2010, Anna-Karin Wrors, the companys CSR spokesperson told the Fair Trade Center: We willshortly be considering our stance on [sandblasting] and whether we will establish a specic policy againstsandblasting. Gina Tricot does not provide any training to workers involved in sandblasting. During atelephone conversation in August 2010, Wrors stated that the company was still considering whetherto impose a ban on sandblasting or not. She also stated that sandblasting only represents a small part o

Gina Tricots production. On 10 September 2010 Wrors got in touch with us again to inorm us that thecompany was imposing an immediate ban on the use o sandblasting.

gina TriCoT

FabriC SCandinavien (WeekDay/mtWtFss, cheap monDay och monki)

When the Fair Trade Center rst got in touch with Fabric Skandinavien the company said that itsproduction involved the use o sandblasting. A couple o weeks later, in August 2010, the CSR managerIrene Hglund claimed that Fabric Skandinavien had stopped using sandblasting. Hglund also statedthat sandblasted products only accounted or a very small part o its total production. Later, Hglundexplained that the company had researched and reviewed the need or sandblasting and had concludedthat none o its orders required sandblasting. During the initial contact with the company it was claimedthat it used contractors with sandblasting acilities in China and Turkey. At the end o September,Hglund said that the company did not have any Turkish suppliers with sandblasting acilities but that itdoes use Chinese suppliers. Fabric Scandinavien makes specic demands regarding sandblasting, whichare the same as those made by H&M (see below). Fabric Skandinavien has not provided any training to

workers at suppliers with sandblasting production acilities.


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Indiska claims that sandblasting does not eature in its production. The companys CSR manager, ReneAndersson states that design and work environment issues are the reasons that Indiska does not allow theuse o sandblasting. The companys denim production is located in China at a supplier that uses manualscraping to create the tear eect on its garments. Indiska does not have a specic sandblasting policy.

H&M claims that sandblasting no longer eatures in any part o its production, but that the process hadpreviously been used at some o its suppliers in Turkey, Bangladesh, China and Pakistan. Sandblastinghad been perormed by its direct suppliers and their subcontractors. From 2005 H&M started working

with the issue o sandblasting and in mid 2006 the company implemented a specic policy regarding thepractice. H&Ms CSR product manager Henrik Lampa divides the policy into three main parts: demandsregarding blasting materials, ventilation and saety equipment. For example, blasting material may notcontain more than one percent crystalline silica (quartz). The supplier needs to veriy this by takingsamples. Another demand is that the production acility must have an air extractor in each treatment roomand the air rom the work station should fow orwards in order to minimise dust particles and enableltration o the air. The nal demand requires workers to use saety equipment that conorms to interna-tional standards concerning exposure to dust particles. Lampa explained that these were the minimumstandards that H&M would accept with respect to sandblasting. He added that when the demands wereimplemented in 2006, H&M started working with the suppliers that ailed to live up to the standards setout in H&Ms policy, so that they could try to get them up to the level we demanded in our minimumrequirements. The demands were part o the standard audit programme at sandblasting workshops. In a

telephone interview on 6 August 2010, Lampa conrmed that some workshops still did not reach the mini-mum requirements set by H&M, and that H&M had discovered silica sand in their production acilities.

To complement its demands concerning sandblasting H&M also started to educate workers. Lampaexplained the introduction o training programs as ollows: In this case we did it to increase the standards,and to make the workers aware o the risks involved, and that i it wasnt handled correctly, it could behazardous to their health. It was also a matter o motivating them to use saety equipment, as managershad told us that they had tried to get the workers to use the saety equipment, but workers did not want todo so because they ound it harder to breathe. It was thereore important to make workers understand whythey should use the saety equipment.

Lampa says that H&M has reduced the use o sandblasting over the years and that it has now decidedphase it out o production. The method has been abandoned completely in the last ew months. In a

press release dated 8 September 2010, H&M stated that sandblasting was to be phased out, and that therewould be no more orders requiring the use o sandblasting rom 31 December 2010. Lampa added: Wewill continue to audit the workshops so that they can live up to our minimum requirements...so that theworkers within the acilities we work with are not being exposed to unacceptable risks and to minimizethe risk o our products ending up [being sandblasted]. Lampa explained H&Ms incentive or the banon sandblasting as ollows: I you make a mistake when choosing blasting materials, and sand containingsilica suddenly appears in production, the risk level suddenly alls to an unacceptable level. Rather thanthe risk level alling rom an acceptable to a less acceptable level, it instead becomes entirely unaccepta-ble.

indiSka

h&m


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J. Lindeberg claims that sandblasting does not eature in any part o its supply chain. Sandpapering isthe most common method used to treat denim. J. Lindeberg does not have a specic policy concerningsandblasting. The sustainability coordinator at J. Lindeberg, Ylva Sellberg made the ollowing statement:Given the vast problems associated with sandblasted products, we would, however, careully check allthe necessary conditions at suppliers beore making such a decision.

Inditex states that sandblasting eatures in its production at its subcontractors in Bangladesh and China.The company uses tearing methods or 80% o its denim production o which 5% is perormed using sand-blasting. During 2009 Inditex observed the increasing awareness about blasting materials containing

silica and during the summer o 2010 the company put together a specic sandblasting policy. This policystipulates demands concerning blasting materials, saety equipment, ventilation and dust collection. Inaddition to company demands, Inditex also began perorming controls within the ramework o its SocialAudit Program. In early September 2010, the companys CSR manager, Aleix Gonzalez Busquets saidthat silica sand was being used in approximately 15% o the sandblasting workshops that supplied Inditex.By the end o October the company stated that manual sandblasting and sandblasting that includesmaterial with more than one percent silica no longer eatures in its supply chain. Moreover, the companyannounced that it expects to exclude all types o sandblasted products beore the end o the year. Inditexhas not provided any specic training or workers involved in sandblasting.

J. lindeberg

indiTex(zaRa, massimo Dutti, pull & beaR, beRshka, stRaDivaRius, oysho, zaRa home och uteRqe)

Kappahl claims that sandblasting no longer eatures in its production. When asked whether the decision

not to use sandblasted denim represented an active stand against the practice, the companys CSR managerEva Kindgren replied: We have actively urged all buyers to nd alternative methods that produce resultssimilar to those achieved using sandblasting. Kindgren also stated that these methods did not containharmul substances that could cause cancer. Nowadays Kappahl uses dierent spray methods to achieve thesame results as sandblasting. Kappahl used to work with sandblasting in its production workshops in China,Bangladesh, Turkey and Pakistan, both at the laundry acilities o direct suppliers and at subcontractorsspecialising in laundry and washes. Kappahl has a sandblasting policy that stipulates that blasting material maynot contain more than one percent silica. The policy does not place any demands on its own suppliers thatsandblast or other clients. Kappahl has not provided any specic training to workers involved in sandblasting.

kappahl

Lindex claims that sandblasting does not eature in its production. The company used to permit theuse o sandblasting provided that its 2007 sandblasting policy was ollowed. Some o the rules set outin the policy stated that blasting material could not contain more than one percent silica, that saetyequipment should be used, that the workers should undergo training about the health risks, and thatthey should undergo regular health checks. Sandblasting was perormed in Turkey, Pakistan, Bangladeshand China. The companys CSR manager, Sara Winroth, explains why Lindex has phased out the useo sandblasting: We want to make do without sandblasting techniques i we can as we are aware o therisks associated with poor saety routines. The demands that apply to both direct suppliers and subcont-ractors are monitored by means o inspections at the production units where sandblasting is perormed.Winroth continues: One cant be 100% sure that the demands are being ollowed, because this would

involve being on site the whole time, and we do not have the capacity to do so. Today Lindex uses othermethods to achieve the right look, including manual scraping with sandpaper and spray techniques, aswell as brushing, mostly using potassium permanganate.

lindex


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RnB Retail states that it does not use sandblasting in its own denim production, but sandblasted jeansrom other brands can appear in its range o products. When asked about whether this is an activedecision, RnB Retails CSR manager, Mimmi Brodin, states that work environment issues and design arethe reasons why the corporate group does not have sandblasted jeans in its range o products. RnB Retaildoes not have a specic sandblasting policy. In October 2010, Brodin announced that RnB Retail wasgoing to compile a written list o demands not to use sandblasting in production.

Sandblasting no longer eatures in Tiger o Swedens production. The company had previously usedsandblasting in its jeans production, then working with a subcontractor in Italy. The company does nothave a specic sandblasting policy. Tiger o Swedens marketing manager, Per Hkans, was unable to tellus which type o sand was used as blasting material. Hkans states that the majority o Tiger o Swedenstreated jeans were scraped manually, and that the sandblasting that previously occurred in production waslimited. The company does not provide any training programs or sandblasting workers. In an emailconversation at the end o September, Hkans stated that Tiger o Sweden had decided to abstain rom

using sandblasting in uture collections rom autumn 2010.

Nudie Jeans makes use o sandblasting in production o its garments. That said, less than 5% o thecompanys jeans are sandblasted. The companys CSR manager, Melker Lindstrm, says that the volumesdier rom season to season. The blasting is perormed in Italy at ve dierent laundry acilities that are

subcontractors to Nudie Jeanss main supplier. I one season includes three sandblasted products, wework with three dierent laundry acilities at the most, says Lindstrm. When the Fair Trade Centerrst contacted the company, it did not know which type o sand was being used in the blasting process.A month later Lindstrm stated that the company does not use silica when blasting. Nudie Jeans doesnot have a specic sandblasting policy. Lindstrm also states that: Considering the volumes o ourproducts that are sandblasted this isnt a very big question or us. Nudie Jeans do not provide any trainingprograms or workers involved in sandblasting, and Lindstrm added: This is also a question o structure.These laundry acilities have many customers, but Nudie jeans do not provide any special training orthe workers that sandblast our products. When asked how Nudie Jeans can guarantee that the blasting isperormed saely at their subcontractors in Italy, the company responded by saying: We currently visit oursuppliers every week during production periods, which gives us a good idea about how, where and whenour products are being produced.

rnb reTail (bRotheRs & sisteRs, Jc och polaRn o. pyRet)

Tiger oF Sweden

nudie JeanS

varner-gruppen(cubus, DRessman, caRlings, bikbok, solo, levis stoRe, vivikes, uRban)

Varner-Gruppen uses sandblasting in its production, both at direct suppliers and subcontractors in China.Sandblasting was previously perormed in Turkey, but they now work with chemicals and sandpaper scra-ping to achieve the worn eect on denim. The CSR manager, Annabelle Ingeborg Lebure, was not ableto tell us which chemicals were being used. The company does not have a specic sandblasting policy,but Lebure says that the sandblasting process must ollow the groups saety demands, concerning the

use o saety equipment, that the blasting material cannot contain silica sand, and that the blasting musttake place in a separate area. Varner-Ggruppen does not provide specic sandblasting training or workers


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WeSC claims that sandblasting does not eature in its production. The companys CSR manager, RickardJosephson, says that this is due to actors concerning work environments and design. Ive been to a lot oworkshops and eel that it isnt a good process or anyone, says Rickard Josephson. He continues: Yourealise that this is a very unnatural process. The work environments are substandard and even i you userelatively good equipment it isnt good or the people working with it. Instead o sandblasting WeSC usemanual sandpaper scraping to treat denim. WeSC does not have a specic sandblasting policy, because, as

Josephson explains: it is a part o the communication between the product developer and merchandiserresponsible or the production o garments at the supplier.

Whyred uses sandblasting in its production. It takes place at two o its direct suppliers located in Turkey.Previously, the process was also perormed by suppliers in Portugal and Italy. CSR manager Jonas Claesonsays: We dont do that many jeans but see it as more o a complement to our other products. We dontwork that much with wash-techniques, but o course we do sometimes. It is very minimal, not because o

reasons concerning work environments, but our collections mean that we have very little to do with it.Whyred has no specic sandblasting policy, and it does not provide any training or workers involved insandblasting.

weSC

whYred

When the Fair Trade Center rst contacted hlns at the end o August 2010, the company claimed thatit used sandblasting in its production. hlns own brand had produced a jean or the autumn collectionthat had been sandblasted. The method is being used at one o the two suppliers that hlns works within China. When the Fair Trade Center asked hlns about the type o sand being used in the process,

the company was unable to provide an answer. A month later the company stated that they it did not usesilica sand in blasting, but instead used chemicals to achieve the desired worn-out eect on denim. hlnsdoes not have a specic sandblasting policy, but acting Inormation manager Carina Kampe says: Thesuppliers we employ claim that they use saety equipment when treating the jeans, and that the treatmentis perormed in an isolated cabinet. hlns does not provide any training or these workers. On 23September 2010, Kampe stated that as o 1 October 2010, we will not be placing any sandblasting orders,and we will ollow up the sandblasting issue with our suppliers.

hlnS

at subcontractors acilities. Lebure says: We havent heard about work-related accidents linked to thisprocess in our supply chain. However, we ully understand that this is a process that requires great careto be taken. At the end o September 2010, Lebure stated that the company had started an internalassessment process about sandblasting at Varner-Gruppens suppliers. She revealed that this had shownthat Cubus, BikBok and Dressman are currently not using sandblasting. Lebure also says that sand-blasting represents a small part o the companys total production. She adds: We will continue with the

evaluation and will present our stance on the process as soon as we have more inormation.


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Sandblasting o jeans and denim can cause chronic lung disease i perormed without suitable

protection. Everyone who buys these garments should be able to be sure o the act that noworker has died, or will die, as a result o the way they were manuactured. Inhaling silicadust can cause silicosis, an incurable and lethal lung disease. How exactly such sandblasting

is being perormed varies rom case to case, and probably rom country to country. There has not beenany documentation to describe the situation acing sandblasters in China, India, Bangladesh or Pakistan,or example, but unions and NGOs ear that the working conditions in these countries resemble thoseidentied in Turkey.

The Fair Trade Center study revealed that sandblasting continues to eature in the production othree (Whyred, Varnergruppen and Nudie jeans) o the 17 clothing companies interviewed. During thecompilation o the report H&M, Fabric Skandinavien, Gina Tricot, Inditex, Tiger o Sweden and hlnsinitially conrmed their use o sandblasting, but they later inormed us that the process would be phased

out o production rom autumn 2010. Kappahl and Lindex have already banned sandblasting. Whilst manyo the companies cite design reasons or the act that they do not sell sandblasted garments, many alsoclaim that this is a matter concerning work environments. The act that H&M implemented a ban againstthe use o sandblasting demonstrates that even companies that have a specic sandblasting policy that isregularly ollowed up and involves training or workers, still cannot provide them with ull control oversandblasting in their supply chains.

The study also reveals that clothing companies know very little about sandblasting, and surprisinglyew o them are aware o the associated risks or have taken preventative action. A typical argument romthese companies, even those in the process o phasing out the practice, is that sandblasting accounts or avery small proportion o total production. However, this is something that the Fair Trade Center regardsas being an irrelevant deence since the workers concerned are exposed to potentially atal workingconditions. All companies have a responsibility or this regardless o the production volumes.

Beore the use o blasting materials containing silica was banned in Turkey the method was wides-pread. According to research by the Turkish Solidarity Committee, the practice has signicantly declinedsince the introduction o the ban. This also demonstrates that government action can have a signicantimpact on controlling (acute) silicosis. Many o the companies involved in this study have reported thatsandblasting is perormed by both main suppliers and subcontractors. Earlier Fair Trade Center studiesshow that clothing companies, and companies in other sectors, have less control over the working condi-tions at subcontractors compared to main suppliers, since it is oten the main suppliers who control thesubcontractors. It is thereore more likely that subcontractors will breach corporate ethical guidelines setby these companies.

When the Fair Trade Center rst contacted the companies, six o them (Gina Tricot, Varnergruppen,Whyred, Nudie Jeans, hlns and Tiger o Sweden) were unable to conrm which type o sand was being

used to blast their garments. Three companies (Gina Tricot, Tiger o Sweden and Whyred) have still notstated which sand is being used during sandblasting, whilst the other companies claim that they do not use

Conclusion


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silica sand. Both Inditex and H&M have conrmed that sand containing silica has been used in actories

supplying them.Only ve companies (H&M, Fabric Skandinavien, Inditex, Kappahl and Lindex) make specic

demands on how sandblasting should be perormed in their supply chain. The other companies (e.g.Gina Tricot, Filippa K and hlns) reer to the general demands on health and saety, and workingconditions, as dened in their codes o conduct. The Fair Trade Center does not consider this to beenough. Companies should make specic demands concerning sandblasting, and they should apply theprecautionary principle to monitor the working conditions in their supply chain.

Dierent methods used to achieve a worn look on denim vary in terms o results, costs, and health andsaety. All o these methods entail an element o risk and not one is completely risk-ree rom a healthand saety perspective. It is thereore dicult or the Fair Trade Center to recommend one methodover another. Other studies, by the Clean Clothes Campaign, or example, show that recommendations

regarding health and saety are seldom ollowed in the textile industry. Colouring o textiles, or example,is oten perormed in the inormal sector, where workers are not given the necessary saety equipment andnot properly trained about the considerable health risks involved.

There are also considerable diculties involved in identiying which method has been used to treatdenim rom a consumer perspective. To determine whether a garment has been sandblasted (with orwithout the use o silica sand) or treated using other methods requires technical expertise about jeansproduction. Clothing companies thereore have a responsibility to prove to consumers that their jeans anddenim garments have not put workers at risk o developing silicosis or other potentially atal occupationaldiseases. One o the positive results o this study is that many companies have reacted quickly byclaiming that they are in the process o phasing out the use o sandblasting. But companies should not bewaiting or NGOs to draw their attention to the problems. They should work more preventively, alwaysperorming risk assessments when new production methods are introduced. The question remains as to

whether the problems with sandblasting are just the tip o the iceberg.


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4Ban the use o sandblasting in their supply chains i they have not already done so4Companies that have used sandblasting should compensate aected workers, byproviding medical treatment and relieving nancial burdens resulting rom their ill health

4Publicise all inormation concerning production (e.g. country/countries o production,suppliers perorming sandblasting and audit reports)

4Set up mechanisms that enable companies to prove to consumers that their productshave not been sandblasted

4Join credible multi-stakeholder initiatives that have experience o responsible production

4Cooperate with other companies to ensure that sandblasting will become a problem othe past as quickly as possible

4Cooperate with local organisations and unions in the producing countries

4Ensure good internal communication about the risks o sandblasting and other nishingtechniques between the CSR, design and purchasing departments

4Ask or denim products that have not been sandblasted

4

Demand that brands ban sandblasting rom their supply chains4Demand inormation about the production process

4Demand that companies should even make demands on other brands

4Demand that companies should pay compensation to aected workers and their amilies

4Follow the debate on sandblasting

4Legislate against the use o sandblasting in textile nishing

4Ensure that the required mechanisms and structures to monitor health and saety rulesare in place and that they are unctioning well

4Provide disability pensions to silicosis victims

Recommendationsto companies

Recommendationsto consumers

Recommendations to

governments inproducing countries


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Telephone inTerviewS and email ConTaCT:

Andersson Rene, CSR manager Indiska

Brodin Mimmi, CSR manager RnB Retail

Clason Jonas, ormer CSR manager Whyred

Gonzalez Busquets Aleix, CSR manager or technique Inditex

Hkans Per, Marketing manager Tiger o Sweden

Hglund Irene, CSR manager Fabric Skandinavien

Josephson Rickard, CSR manager We SC

Kampe Carina, acting Inormation manager AxStores

Kindgren Eva, CSR manager Kappahl

Lampa Henrik, CSR product manager H&MLarsson Elin, Supply manager Filippa K

Lebure Annabelle Ingeborg, CSR manager Varnergruppen

Lindstrm Melker, CSR manager Nudie Jeans

Munthe Therese, Production manager Acne Studios

Sellberg Ylva, Sustainability coordinator J Lindeberg

Winroth Sara, CSR manager Lindex

Wrors AnnaKarin, CSR spokesperson Gina Tricot

oTher inTerviewS:

Cappuccio Silvana, International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers Federation

Pro. Dr. Kilicaslan Zeki, Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers

Yasin Yesim, Solidarity Committee o Sandblasting Laborers

oTher SourCeS:

4Akgun, M. et al. An epidemic o silicosis among ormer denim sandblasters, European Respiratory Journal

Volume 32 # 5 4

4Arbetsmiljverket, Inormationsbroschyr, Kvartsdamm kan orsaka silikos Arbetskyddsstyrelsens ratt-

ningssamling: Kvarts 1992:16, paragra 10, www.av.se/dokument/as/AFS1992_16.pd

4Cappuccio, S. HesaMag #01 2009, Jeans, the human cost o a ashion victim: http://hesa.etui rehs.org/uk/

newsletter/les/HESAmag_1_UK_4647.pd 4The

4Caravan, August 2010. http://caravanmagazine.in/PrintThisStory.aspx?StoryId=365

4Fair Wear Foundation, Annual Report 2009, http://airwear.org/images/201006/w_annualreport_2009.pd

4Hurriyet Daily News, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=denimblastingworkersaskortheir rights-

20100621

4Marsh, Graham & Trynka Paul, Denim rom cowboys to catwalks, The Solidarity Committee o Sandblas-

ting Laborers, http://www.kotiscileri.org

4Todays Zaman, http://www.todayszaman.com/tzweb/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=156301

4WHO, Concise International Chemical Assessment Document 24, Crystalline Silica, Quartz, http://www.

who.int/ipcs/publications/cicad/en/cicad24.pd

References


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2010-11 fair trade center - fashion victims - a report on sandblasted denim copy

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