With dna merch we not just simply sell t-shirts. We want to shed light on alternative and democratic ways of working and have therefore consciously chosen to produce our t-shirts in a self-organised worker cooperative. What’s more, we want to do our part to improve the situation for workers in the garment industry. That is why we use one percent of our sales to support the global workers’ network ExChains.

Alone in India, 3.5 million people are working in the textile and garment sector. However, only 3 percent of them are organised. This means that they cannot enforce their rights and concerns against corporations and the state. But in the current economic system it is exactly this collective power and strength of independent worker unions, which is needed to turn poor working conditions into good or at least better working conditions.

This is where the work of ExChains comes into play. On the one hand, workers are made aware of their rights through campaigns and personal communication; on the other hand, joint strategies are developed to put pressure on the big brands. This is done across country and company borders because the workers who are organised in ExChains come from factories in South Asia as well as from retail shops in Europe.

dna merch is therefore both a Berlin t-shirt company and part of an international campaign for good working conditions!

More information under exchains.org