Ban demanded for killer sandblasting for faded jeans
Ban demand for killer sandblasting process for faded jeans
APRIL 1, 2012 BY
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – The sandblasting process used to fashionably fade jeans carries severe health risks and companies are not doing enough to end the deadly practice, says Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC). The group in a report called “Deadly Denim”, released 29 March in Geneva, calls for a worldwide ban.
The report highlights what it calls severe health hazards linked to sandblasting used to manufacture designer jeans in Bangladesh.
Shanaj, who stays at home as a housewife is teaching the children of garment workers on the roof of a house. She only charges 200-300 taka a month. Most garment workers do not make enough money to send their children to school - August 2009, Dhaka, Bangladesh (photo/caption, CCC / Jasmina Akhtar)
CCC is an alliance of organizations in 15 European countries, including Switzerland, whose members include trade unions and NGOs representing women’s rights, consumer advocacy and poverty reduction groups, among others. It focuses on assuring decent working conditions in the garment industry.
The report details how mechanically blasting tiny sand particles onto denim exposes workers, who often receive little or no protective gear, to serious respiratory problems including silicosis, a lung disease, and even death.
A worker can develop acute silicosis after just weeks of exposure to high concentrations of the dust.
MD Raihan, a former jeans sandblaster present at the release of the report in Geneva, explained that he had never received gloves or a mask for work, though “when buyers came we were provided with this equipment, but once buyers left, this equipment was taken away”. He stopped working after 18 months, as he had become increasingly ill.
A “Killer Jeans” campaign by CCC in 2010 prompted many fashion companies to stop using sandblasting but CCC says the method is still employed and must be banned.
It is calling on the International Labour Organization and the World Trade Organization to expand their silicosis bans, which cover the mining and construction industries, to include denim production.
Sarah Iqhal, one of the report’s authors, explains that working in a sandblasting room is “like being in a sandstorm in the middle of a desert”.
The industry has a high turnover, with many people exposed to these health hazards, says Christa Lugenbuehl of the organization’s Swiss group. “Workers often cannot work for more than one to two years in sandblasting due to their diminishing health.”
Luginbuehl calls for brands to “change their designs” and employ methods that are less hazardous.
Stricter regulations in developed countries have lead to sandblasting processing being moved to areas with fewer controls, according to CCC, including Turkey, Egypt, China, Bangladesh and Mexico.
Turkey banned the process in 2009 following a study linking sandblasting to silicosis. Fifty-two deaths in the country have since been attributed to garment sandblasting, according to the Clean Clothes Campaign report.
Links to other sources: Fair Trade Center, Ecouterre
