Original language: German
Gisela Burckhardt has been fighting for years to improve the living conditions of women workers in the international textile industry. In her laudatory speech, Renate Künast thanks her for her tireless work.
What does it actually mean to be “well-dressed”?
We all strive for it, don’t we? At least, I think so. If all of us here in this room take a moment to reflect: “Well-dressed.” What comes to mind? Tasteful. Colors and cuts that suit us. Maybe even a piece from a higher-end brand?
Our award recipient today, Gisela Burckhardt, puts it crystal clear: “It has to be good fashion.”
And she also says: “Good fashion is fair.” For her, “being well-dressed” somehow only works in a special way.
Unlike what’s still prevalent today. What’s it like today? Shopping is getting faster and faster, and there are more and more “seasons.” At first, we had five: spring, summer, fall, winter, and Carnival as the so-called fifth season.
But now there’s early spring, spring, peak spring, and late spring—and to go along with that, a new collection hits the stores every two weeks. Customers rush from one rush hour of fashion dictates to the next. Here and there, a few special offers—like “now featuring organic cotton”—and suddenly the shelves are empty. At least something is happening.
But that little bit of change can’t hide the disastrous situation of female workers in the fashion industry’s global production and supply chain. Ever since Naomi Klein and her book *No Logo*, everyone has known this. Ever since the fire in Tazreen in 2012, everyone has known this. Ever since the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in April 2013, everyone has known this.
Everyone can know who the people actually are behind all our T-shirts, pants, shirts, and blouses—how they work, where they live, and where the value gets trapped in this global process.
First, being able to know at all—and then wanting to know—the path between the two is quite long. Our 2016 Anne Klein Prize winner is right in the middle of that journey. Gisela Burckhardt fights for transparency, change, and fairness—so that we are no longer “well-dressed” at the expense of others.
How did she get there? What exactly is her mission?
She studied education, French, history, and political science. For her dissertation, she focused on the work histories of women in Rwanda. And then she gained firsthand knowledge of the situation in many countries through extended stays: Nicaragua, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Malawi, Uganda, Senegal, Venezuela, and Peru. Along the way, she became a feminist. Later, she co-founded the nonprofit organization FEMNET with others.
I’d like to mention two quotes from her:
- “I didn’t come from the feminist movement, but from the left-wing post-’68 student movement. I didn’t become a feminist until I was living in Pakistan.” She worked with refugees there in Peshawar.
- “I witnessed firsthand in my entire social circle how women were treated as workhorses and baby-making machines. That made me incredibly angry.”
That’s how she began to make women’s rights her life’s work; she went on to become the founder and chairwoman of FEMNET , focusing on the international textile industry. She concentrated her efforts on Bangladesh and India.
I believe that in between, she came to realize that one side of the coin is the concrete situation of women on the ground, which urgently needs to be changed. That women’s empowerment is necessary. One example is the initiative in Bangalore, India, where the local organization Cividep is setting up kindergartens near factories to put an end to the inhumane situation of children being left entirely alone while their mothers work. Or the situation in Tamil Nadu, where very young women are lured into spinning mills and effectively become serfs. Behind high walls and barbed wire, they produce fashion for Europe. For us.
“In my advocacy for labor rights, my goal has always been to highlight the system of exploitation here and there as two sides of the same coin.”
Gisela Burckhardt doesn’t preach. She says, “Women aren’t just victims; they can also be strong. We need to encourage that.”
But the other side of the coin is the fundamental structures underpinning relations between nations—the principles and treaties governing their trade with one another. These are the legal rules that provide governments and companies with a clear framework—or, in some cases, fail to do so.
For 15 years, she has therefore been actively involved in the Clean Clothes Campaign to ensure that the global traveling circus of textile production cannot operate in secret. The goal is to establish different structures and a new legal framework.
Gisela Burckhardt doesn’t shy away from anyone in this effort. She takes on KIK and Lidl, against whom she has documented labor rights violations in Bangladesh. But she doesn’t stop there—the CCC is now supporting the lawsuit filed by the Hamburg Consumer Advice Center against Lidl to put an end to the false claim that the company produces “fairly” worldwide.
Neither TÜV nor the organization Social Accountability (SAI) are spared when it is made clear that, while they are high-quality organizations, they have seen nothing relevant—proof that they are, in effect, bought off or deceived at the production sites.
She praises—or rather, mentions positively—the 200 companies (55 of which are German) that have joined the Bangladesh Accord. This is an agreement established after the Rana Plaza disaster to disclose subcontracting facilities and inspect all of them, without exception, for structural safety and fire protection. Gisela Burckhardt always says: Hugo Boss isn’t among them. (So much for brand-name clothing.) In general, when it comes to the supply chain, companies must know it themselves and take responsibility for working conditions there, rather than just outsourcing orders somewhere.
And: KIK is repeatedly and persistently urged—whether it’s been a long time coming to finally contribute to the Rana Plaza compensation fund or in light of wage slavery here in the retail sector—to take action. Yes, it always has allies in this effort, in this case ver.di.
As you can see, this is by no means just about speaking out—no, the conditions need to change. More stakeholders need to be drawn into the effort. More people need to stand up for themselves.
Textile Alliance
Gisela Burckhardt is truly a respected expert in the textile sector, so it comes as no surprise to us that she is now a member of the so-called steering committee of the “Alliance for Sustainable Textiles” led by Federal Minister Gerd Müller. The focus there is now more on structural change—that is, on embedding social and environmental standards throughout the entire textile production and supply chain.
I’ll set aside all the debates about the limitations of this alliance itself, since it’s voluntary rather than establishing a universally applicable standard. I’ll also leave aside the fact that it’s limited to Germany because the federal government doesn’t dare to create clear, EU-wide regulations.
Gisela sees what’s possible right now; she sees opportunities and prospects and seizes them head-on. She lends her good name to the cause to make it clear that something must—and will—come of it.
Laws
As Gisela Burckhardt herself once said, “One thing doesn’t rule out the other.” Participating in the alliance doesn’t mean she’s limiting herself to this one area of cooperation; no, she continues to address other issues as well.
That is:
- She has fought for a voluntary compensation fund for the injured and the bereaved of Rana Plaza, administered by the International Labor Organization (ILO), including securing its financial resources. But voluntarism is not enough for her, because it’s about “rights for people and rules for companies.” Structural changes instead of handouts, especially when a disaster is so massive that it generates public attention and pressure.
- And so the call for legal regulations remains. A tool to counter the cover-ups of so many companies. At the EU level, the necessary binding rules are: establishing human rights due diligence obligations and introducing corporate liability. The UN Human Rights Council has, after all, formulated Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights as corporate due diligence obligations. But these are still voluntary in nature.
- Gisela Burckhardt is therefore calling on policymakers to define the framework within which responsible textile production should operate. It should include not only liability provisions but also mandatory traceability and transparency requirements. (That works out well—I actually just finished drafting a resolution for the Bundestag on this very topic.) This would allow us to take a close look and verify in practice whether the information provided is accurate.
- Which brings us to consumers, who can change their consumption habits through transparency and truly meaningful labels. Gisela doesn’t shy away from urging them to take a closer look. Why not start by buying products labeled with GOTS or Fair Wear Foundation certification?
But: nothing that aims to change established structures and value chains is truly easy.
Her credo, therefore, is: You have to be able to withstand resistance.
Endure it when you don’t simply take luxury labels or discounters at their word. Keep a close eye on the audit empires and the TÜV, refuse to let yourself be taken for a fool as a consumer, and certainly don’t believe politicians’ fine words alone.
When you ask around among other activists—which I’ve done—this is what you hear:
- “Gisela is a woman who doesn’t just have a utopian vision—she’s results-oriented.”
- Gisela is always very knowledgeable about her issues and has a deep understanding of the details.
- She confronts her counterparts with the uncomfortable truth. And she stays on top of it!
But it’s also said that:
- Gisela is one of the greatest pragmatists.
- She builds bridges. But she doesn’t compromise.
- And she’s taken seriously. Precisely because of that.
How does it all fit together? I think many of you here in this room have seen or experienced this before. This persistence and her clear, consistent pointing out of what the situation on the ground actually is. She precisely dissects exactly what the scandal is.
When it comes to the ultimate goal to be achieved, Gisela Burckhardt simply makes no compromises. But the tone and style of the debate are entirely focused on the issue at hand—on the fact that something should and must change.
That’s why—because she’s fixated on the result—she takes the players in the textile industry seriously, yet also recognizes their limitations. She’s cooperative and astute in her approach, but she never lets anyone take the wind out of her sails.
She is a bridge-builder—a solid bridge-builder. She builds structures that allow multiple stakeholders to cross over and truly reach the other side.
To truly achieve a different life situation for all the women throughout the entire textile production chain.
Dear Gisela, thank you for your tireless work, thank you for being a role model. Thank you for allowing some of us to walk part of this path alongside you. And above all, with all the millions of women affected worldwide in mind: Thank you for your work so far and for what’s yet to come.
Rights for people. Rules for companies. A worthy recipient of the 2016 Anne Klein Women’s Award. Anne would have been delighted.
