Ecobreves – ARGENTINA : Social and Environmental Certification for Textiles

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 5 2012 (IPS) - Argentine government certification to promote better social and environmental conditions in the textile industry has been granted for the first time to a clothing company. Clothing manufacturer Ombú has received the first Shared Social Commitment certification, awarded by the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI). But “there are others currently being processed,” INTI representative Javier Armesto told Tierramérica.

“We received thousands of applications, but only seven fulfilled the basic requirements,” he said. “The biggest challenge in this sector is proving that workers throughout the production chain are duly registered,” he noted.

To earn certification, companies must prove that they do not use child or forced labor, that workers in the entire supply and production chain are legally registered, that working conditions are hygienic and safe, and that the company’s operations respect the environment.

According to INTI figures, unregistered workers are employed at some point in the supply and production chain in 70 percent of companies in the textile sector, which makes it difficult to earn certification.