At least 45 workers at a garment factory in Faridabad fell ill on May 10 after reportedly drinking water treated by the factory’s Reverse Osmosis (RO) system. Several workers were sent to the hospital after they complained of nausea and began vomiting, with some even falling unconscious. All of the workers are expected to recover.

The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) is asking the government for urgent assistance in an attempt to save the country’s struggling textile industry. The head of the group says that Pakistan’s textile industry has become “unviable” due to the excessive subsidies granted to the industry in several areas of the country. He also lamented

Barred windows and lax safety standards are being blamed for the high death toll following a massive fire at a sandal factory near Manila. At least 72 people have been confirmed dead following the blaze. While investigators are still trying to determine the official cause of the fire, witnesses say that there was a man

The newly-elected government of Sri Lanka has agreed to set a new minimum wage for all private sector workers for the first time, including those in the garment sector. The proposal would set the national monthly minimum wage at US$74, representing an increase of 15-35% for workers and bringing them closer to their public sector

The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) says that it grew by more than 18% last year with India and Bangladesh leading the way. GOTS officials say that at 338 new facilities, India by far posted the highest rate of growth, followed by Bangladesh at 89, Germany at 32, and Turkey at 21. GOTS says that

Leaders in the U.S. Senate have reached a deal to move forward with a vote on the proposed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) measure which would give U.S. President Barack Obama the authority to engage in trade negotiations unilaterally, including the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The deal includes a promise to vote on several other trade-related

Numerous foreign textile and garment firms are pouring investments into Vietnam hoping to position themselves to take advantage of several pending foreign trade deals, including the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Several major companies in places like Hong Kong and South Korea have already constructed multi-million dollar production facilities

Bahrain’s textile industry is bracing for a major economic blow as a traiff clause in the country’s Free Trade Agreement with the United States approaches its expiration date next year. The clause waives limits of how much yarn and fabric could be sourced from third parties to be used in products bound for the United

Hundreds of garment workers in dozens of factories across Bangladesh were injured on April 26 after the country was rocked by a major earthquake centered in neighboring Nepal. Authorities say that many of those injuries were caused as workers panicked while evacuating their factories fearing that the buildings would collapse. Over 5,000 lives have so

The Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia has released a statement reaffirming its commitment to a “high level of labor and social compliance” ahead of International Labor Day on May 1. The statement said that Cambodia “continues to be recognized as a pioneer in setting standards for labor and social compliance” and that the country’s example