Apparel Orgs Call for Global Ban on Sandblasting in Garment Industry
The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) and global apparel buyers and manufacturers have issued a joint Call to Action urging a global, industry-wide ban on the practice of sandblasting in the garment industry. Apparel sandblasting involves projecting fine sand with compressed air to create a worn look on denim and other garments, and can be extremely damaging to the health of workers if proper safeguards are not followed.
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Signatory companies to this Call to Action agree to: ban the practice of sandblasting throughout their supply chains; work with their suppliers in a transition towards alternative methods; take the necessary measures to ensure that the ban is effectively applied throughout their whole supply chain.
The ITGLWF called for a ban on sandblasting in July 2010, after the impact of sandblasting on workers’ health had come under scrutiny in Turkey. In September 2010, Levi Strauss & Co. and Hennes & Mauritz AB (H&M) became the first to implement a global ban on sandblasting in their supply chains. Since then a number of other leading brands and retailers, such as Bestseller, C&A, Carrefour, and Esprit, have also announced the elimination of sandblasting in their supply chains.