Issue 350
November 20, 2015
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Welcome to the  WRAP Weekly Newsletter! Please enjoy it and thank you for being a loyal reader. 
The WRAP Up
Last week we certified 28 factories in 10 countries:
Bangladesh, China, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam. 

WRAP's U.S. office will be closed from 6:00 pm GMT on Wednesday, November 25 through 10:00 pm GMT on Friday, November 27 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday. We will re-open on Monday, November 30. Additionally, there will be no newsletter published for the week of November 23.

 
 
 
Bangladesh
Leaders from Bangladesh say that they plan to push the United States and other developed nations to grant duty-free access to their garment exports during the upcoming World Trade Organization (WTO) summit. The country's Commerce Minister notes that Bangladesh is one of the largest duty payers to the United States and that garment exports have maintained significant growth. The conference will be held in Kenya next month.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) has teamed up with the Bangladesh Institute of Management (BIM) to embark on a new capacity building initiative aimed at increasing cooperation between workers groups and mid-level factory managers. The new effort will equip all parties with the tools needed to engage in meaningful, constructive dialogues about labor conditions and workers' rights within the garment industry. The ILO says it hopes to train at least 2,700 people by the end of this year. ( Fibre2Fashion)
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WRAP Blog 
Latest Entry:
By: Clay Hickson
Cambodia
At least 370 workers among 7 different Cambodian factories, including some garment factories, fainted while on the job between November 19 and 20. Officials say that all of the factories were located in a single Special Economic Zone near Phnom Penh and that the likely cause of the episode was pesticide being sprayed on nearby rice fields. Local police say that they had previously instructed the farmer to only spray his fields on Sunday. ( AP )

India
A new study from the Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM) says that the country's export competitiveness has been eroded by the real appreciating value of the rupee. The study says that a rupee devaluation of 10-15% against the Euro would provide a "shot in the arm" for exports, though it also notes that falling oil prices and a overall slowdown in global export production were also behind the decline in India. ( Fibre2Fashion)

Indian-made apparel needs to become more competitive in terms of price and quality if it wants to compete in the Australian market, according to Indian diplomatic officials. During the recent International Sourcing Expo in Melbourne, Australia, India's Consul General to that city noted that Indian exporters should must focus on upping their production of value-added goods if they hope to compete with China and get a piece of the estimated US$6 billion Australian market. A total of 65 Indian exhibitors attended this year's fair. ( Fibre2Fashion)

India and Bangladesh have agreed on a set of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to implement the Agreement on Coastal Shipping signed by the two countries in June. The SOPs were finalized during a recent bilateral meeting in New Delhi and will streamline coastal shipping between the countries, making short-haul routes between Eastern India and Bangladesh cost-effective. ( Business Standard)

The government of Kerala has announced a new initiative to support women entrepreneurs in the garment manufacturing sector. The Women Entrepreneurs Collaborating And Networking (WECAN) initiative would assist female business owners with logistics such as infrastructure, mentoring, networking, and financial affairs. The WECAN initiative hopes to identify and support at least 1,000 women during its initial phase. ( Fibre2Fashion)

Leaders within India's silk industry say that it has the potential to become completely self-reliant to meet the demands of the local silk market by 2020. Officials say that while the country currently imports silk from China to augment the current domestic supply, advances in production technology will allow the country to wean off of these imports in the near future. It is estimated that India producer over 16% of the world's silk. ( Fibre2Fashion)

Jordan
Jordan's garment and textile sector continues to remain strong, even in the face of ongoing unrest in neighboring Middle East nations, according to the Jordan Garment, Accessories, and Textiles Export Association (JGATE). The group says that the industry is projected to grow by as much as 10% this year, driven primarily by growing exports to the United States, the country's primary purchaser. ( Just Style)
*NOTICE: This article requires a paid subscription 

Spain
Spanish denim company Jeanologia says it has eliminated potassium permanganate (PP) from its production process. PP is a substance most commonly used to create the appearance of wear on new jeans, though it has also been blamed for causing respiratory issues in the workers who apply it. The company now says that its production cycle no longer contains any dangerous techniques. ( Fibre2Fashion)

Sri Lanka
Leaders in Sri Lanka's garment industry say they are pushing for a five-fold increase in the country's garment exports by 2020. Speaking at a recent trade event in Colombo, the country's Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade noted that they hope to increase Sri Lankan garment exports to US$50 billion by the year 2020. Apparel is the country's top export revenue earner, accounting for 40% of sales. ( Fibre2Fashion)

Switzerland
More needs to be done to improve working conditions within the global garment industry, according to attendees at the recent United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva. Leaders from global apparel brands, supplier countries, organized labor, and human rights groups were all in attendance at the conference, where it was also agreed that the industry must go further than relying on corporate codes of conduct and audits in order to uphold workers rights. Delegates also agreed that buyers and suppliers must increase their collaboration in order to protect workers. ( Women's Wear Daily)
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United States
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has initiated an investigation into the likely impacts of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), raising some concerns that this could delay consideration of the implementing legislation by Congress. The investigation was requested by the U.S. Trade Representative earlier this month and the results must be submitted to the President no later than May 18, 2016. Analysts say that while Congress typically waits to review an impact report before considering implementing legislation for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA), this is not a legal requirement and the bill could be submitted before the USITC investigation is complete. ( Just Style)
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Vietnam
Vietnam's Industry and Trade Minister says that the country is prepared to make the most of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. During a recent conference, minister Vu Huy Hoang noted that the TPP would give Vietnam an opportunity to enhance its domestic production capacity for products all along the supply chain. Vietnam is widely expected to be one of the largest benefactors of the agreement. ( Fibre2Fashion)

About WRAP
Headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, U.S.A., with regional offices in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Hong Kong S.A.R., and representatives in India and Southeast Asia (Thailand and Vietnam), WRAP is an independent, objective, non-profit team of global social compliance experts dedicated to promoting safe, lawful, humane, and ethical manufacturing around the world through certification and education.
To learn more about WRAP, please visit www.wrapcompliance.org.

Notice: The WRAP Weekly Newsletter is a collection of links to current news articles, relevant to social compliance. While most articles are freely available, some may require a paid subscription to access. WRAP is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

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