Forced labour

• OTTAWA, ON, Feb. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ - On 06 March 2024, Claigan Environmental Inc. ( www.claigan.com ) will be presenting a webinar on EU Batteries, Russian Steel, Canadian Forced Labour.
• In August 2023, the new EU Battery Regulation entered into force.
• On the same day, the UK implemented a corresponding import ban as part of The Russia (Sanctions) (EU Exit) (Amendment) Regulations 2023.
• Webinars - Supply Chains - EU Batteries, Russian Steel, Canadian Forced Labour
  To Register for 10am Webinar:
  To Register for 2pm Webinar:

• The Canadian government recently passed the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act.
• The new law is designed to address forced labour and child labour in supply chains by requiring companies to disclose their efforts in eliminating labour abuse from their supply chains.
• The legislation, known colloquially as Canada’s Modern Slavery Act, does not require large Canadian companies to actually take actions to prevent or reduce the risk of forced labour and child labour in their supply chains.

Remembering Rana Plaza

• This new Canadian law comes a decade after the tragic collapse of the nine-storey Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh that killed nearly 1,130 garment workers and injured over 2,500.
• The disaster raised concerns about the ability of voluntary corporate initiatives to address labour rights violations and protect workers.
• Remarkably, only one Canadian garment company — Loblaw Companies Ltd., the parent company of the Joe Fresh brand — has signed the accord.

Lululemon report

• Our report, Lululemon’s Conundrum: Good Corporate Social Responsibility Initiatives and the Persistence of Forced Labour, examines Lululemon’s efforts to address potential labour abuse in its supply chain.
• In 2021, KnowTheChain — which evaluates companies’ efforts to address forced labour risks in their supply chains based on international labour standards — ranked Lululemon first among 129 apparel and footwear companies for its measures to address forced labour risks.

Lululemon supplier concerns

• Despite this, Lululemon has not signed the 2021 International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry.
• Two reports found that from 2018 to 2019, workers at a Lululemon supplier factory had to work two to three nights without being allowed to go home or take necessary breaks.
• While a 2022 follow-up investigation determined this situation had been rectified by Lululemon and the supplier, some workers reported they still felt unable to refuse overtime requests.

Corporate transparency issues

• Employees are encouraged to report any violations to this code internally through Lululemon or externally using third-party tools such as the international Integrity Line.
• However, third-party complaint avenues pose challenges, including requiring tech access, trusting unfamiliar third parties and filing a complaint that protects one’s anonymity while still providing enough detail about worker issues.
• Another code Lululemon has in place is the Vendor Code of Ethics and its accompanying Benchmarks policy.

Reliance on local labour laws

• Lululemon’s measures to address forced labour largely rely on the labour laws in the countries in which the suppliers are located.
• Relying on local labour laws is a major shortcoming of many corporate initiatives, since they often fall short of international legal norms and are not well enforced.

Due diligence legislation needed

• Disclosure laws, like those in Canada’s new act, will not require Lululemon to reveal the type of information needed to ensure its suppliers are not abusing workers.
• Nor does the new law require large multinational corporations to take any steps to eradicate labour abuses in the supply chains.
• If Canada is to truly eradicate force labour in global supply chains, it needs mandatory due diligence legislation that involves supply chain workers at every stage of the process — before another disaster like Rana Plaza occurs.

• The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) today announced that it has secured 279 megawatts (MWDC) of advanced thin film solar panels from First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR) for its planned Lawrence County Solar Project in Lawrence County, Alabama, which is expected to commence commercial operation in 2027.
• The project reflects TVA’s growing emphasis on solar in the region, which, by 2025, is also expected to become the home of one of the largest fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing facilities in the United States, when Arizona-headquartered First Solar commissions its fourth American factory.
• View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230725007566/en/
  The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) today announced that it has secured 279 megawatts of advanced thin film solar panels from First Solar for its planned Lawrence County Solar Project in Lawrence County, Alabama, which is expected to commence commercial operation in 2027.
• “As America’s Solar Company, we’re pleased that our technology will power the Lawrence County Solar Project,” said Georges Antoun, chief commercial officer, First Solar.

• EDMONTON, Alberta, July 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Solar , Inc. (NASDAQ: FSLR) and Capital Power Corporation (“Capital Power” or “the Company”) (TSX: CPX) announced today that Capital Power has secured its first order for approximately 1 gigawatt (GWDC) of responsibly produced, ultra-low carbon thin film solar modules.
• The Series 6 Plus modules, which will be delivered between 2026 and 2028, will support Capital Power’s growing development portfolio.
• “We are excited to partner with First Solar and its responsibly produced ultra-low carbon solar technology, which supports our solar development pipeline,” said Chris Kopecky, Senior Vice President and Chief Legal, Development and Commercial Officer, Capital Power.
• “We are pleased that Capital Power selected Responsible Solar technology to power its assets reliably, affordably and sustainably.”
  Committed to net zero by 2045, Capital Power’s balanced approach to power generation includes a focused effort on solar energy growth across North America.