Because the joy and competition of play your own child experiences, shouldn’t be at the expense of another
Last week, as the world asked #WhoMadeMyClothes, supported by Fashion Revolution, a non-profit that works towards more sustainable garment-making practices, we asked kids and parents if they knew who made their footballs. Turns out they didn’t.
When someone says footballs are completely handmade, you can’t really imagine it, until you see the process, and realise that it’s really a craft, and every ball is touched by upto 10 people before you get to dribble one around a field. Jalandhar in Punjab and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh produce 75-80% of all the balls in India, according to the International Labor Rights Forum. Because it is labour-intensive, and it was believed stitching was best done with nimble hands, the industry has seen child labour and poor working conditions in the past, especially in the 1990s, with the biggest brands (Nike, Adidas, FIFA, Sherrin, Canterbury, Manchester United) all being tainted with allegations.
Things have changed, and the All India Football Federation uses balls only from FIFA-approved sports goods manufacturing companies that today have checks to make sure there’s no child labour, says Kushal Das, General Secretary. Shaji Prabhakaran, a FIFA scout says it’s not just about labour, but also about knowing where the materials come from. Legend International, in Jalandhar, though, made a conscious decision to go a step further: the Fairtrade way. The company produces five types of footballs for different levels of play.
“I heard about Fairtrade two years ago from a client. I went online and saw that Pakistani businesses already had this certification, and read about how the workers were benefited from it,” says Anuj Pasricha, who founded the company in 1994. The India Brand Equity Foundation says the industry employs over five lakh people, and this is where Fairtrade comes in.
“Only when you meet people and see the possibilities, does your own awareness grow, and you realise your own standards need improvement,” he says, candidly, of the company that mainly exports its gear. Pasricha talks of the beginning of the business, when he was getting samples ready. “I would sit in workers’ houses watching them stitch footballs, drinking tea with them, for two or three hours (the time it takes to stitch a ball). When we go to a mall, we don’t see the conditions of the people making it, or value their hard work; we only see the sheen,” he says.
So Legend took over a year, combed through a 400-page manual, updated its factory conditions to comply with Fairtrade norms, at the outlay of Rs. 20 lakh and opened its premises to inspection.
Stitching traditionally takes place in homes, and this had to be shifted to the factory, to ensure that only adults and not children were doing the work (about four-five footballs or 12-14 rugby balls can be stitched in a day, since there are fewer panels). Things like first-aid boxes, drinking water points, regular doctor check-ups, fire-protection and escape systems, a designated lunch area, tea and snacks, masks-gloves-aprons-shoes and education on why these were important, all had to be put in place. “It’s a process; there’s still a lot to be done,” he says.
The Fairtrade pricing stipulates that 10% of the price the company recieves on the ball goes to a worker’s welfare fund (a separate account audited by Fairtrade). A committee is formed from amongst the workers and they decide how they’d like to use the money. There is another 5% that goes to a sustainability fund (a compliance cost, only in the case of ball manufacturing). This year, at Legend, the 42 workers, out of which nine people are on the committee (with two women) is debating between additional water filters and an air purification or cooling system.
“But the wheel has to be kept moving,” says Pasricha, meaning that more orders are needed, both to be able to afford to get recertified and for the worker benefit. Initial certification costs about Rs. 2 lakh, with subsequent yearly recertification costing approximately Rs. 1 lakh. All of this pushes up the cost of a football by 15-20%.
Not everyone is a fan though. Anthropologist Prof Shiv Visvanathan, Vice Dean at the OP Jindal Global University, says it’s exemplar, “but unfortunately, exemplars don’t work in informal economies,” craft economies, unlike industrial ones. He’d like a larger debate on what organisations like Fairtrade bring, besides creating subcultures that are not the norm. The point, he says, is not to question the motivation, but to see how far they can spread. “Rights and justice for all only come when things spread.”
Pasricha feels that while Fairtrade is helping market the balls, more can be done to push the cause, creating a little more awareness about its benefits at the grassroot level. “If you see two balls in a shop, one Rs. 500 and the other Rs. 600, and they’re absolutely the same product, except that the more expensive one is Fairtrade, tell me, which will you buy, as a customer?” he asks, rhetorically. Right now, besides the Indian market (under the brand name Indpro, Rs. 469 upwards), the company supplies to Bala, in Scotland.
India has 164 manufacturers and 94 producers (from farming and allied sectors) that are Fairtrade-certified. Worldwide, there is a thousands -strong network, which Abhishek Jani, CEO, Fairtrade India, says they tap into. He says while laws are in place in India, Fairtrade adds another layer of checks and education, for both management and workers. He admits that “We need to create a Fairtrade marketplace,” meaning that this education has to be extended to the layperson who is eventually going out to buy that football. It’s only then that a parent will pause a minute to think about the fingers that stitched that football, and pay that little extra.
Know your football
Most footballs have 910 stitches with 32 panels, with 20 hexagonal and 12 pentagonal units.
A Fairtrade logo ensures there’s no child labour and that adult labour is being treated fairly.
The age grading is usually on the packing to make sure you buy the correct size.
A full-weight professional football (422-450 g, size 5, 68-69 cm circumference) will have three-four layers of cloth stuck to the inner surface, unseen to the eye. A practice ball may have two-three layers (400-420 g)
Study reveals 1/3 of India did no physical activity in past year; skipper Virat Kohli is not too happy
Technology has become all-pervasive among the millennial lot in urban India. That is no secret. And social media add to that. And what you have is a not-so-healthy formula, when it comes to bulging waistlines and low stamina levels.
At least that’s what a pan-India study, commissioned by Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, and sportswear brand PUMA, along with market research agency Kantar IMRB, has revealed while delving into the current state of physical activity and sports adoption .in the country.
The study, covering 3924 respondents in the age bracket of 18-40 years (both male and female), was spread across 18 cities - Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Cochin, Ghaziabad, Goa, Gurugram, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Patna, Raipur, and Surat.
It found that 1/3rd of the total population surveyed had not done any physical activity, even once, in the past one year. Most respondents in the study, which also assessed the barriers to playing sport regularly and the motivation behind it, blamed ‘lack of time’ as the main reason for not playing.
However, the research added that the same respondents also spent close to 4-5 hours on social media, watching TV, personal phone conversations and usage of various messaging platforms on a typical working day (all put together).
Skipper Kohli, a fitness freak himself, who also runs his own athleisure brand, Wrogn, was not very kicked with the findings.
“It is shocking to see that one-third of the country has not done any kind of physical activity in the last one year. When you are physically fit, you are more energised to take on challenges. I have experienced this personally, and therefore strongly believe in leading an active lifestyle,” the 29-year-old said. He also felt that the trend of technology and social media gaining preference over health and fitness had to change.
“Sports can be seamlessly integrated into our daily life – one can do it anywhere and at any time,” he added. · Interestingly, football-loving Goa topped the list with 89% of the respondents having played a sport at least once in the last 1 month, followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai. IT hub Gurgaon, and state capitals Raipur and Patna fared badly though.
“The study brings out alarming facts about India’s adoption of physical activity, and it is essential to take corrective steps to address this situation. Playing sports is a simple yet effective solution that can be implemented into everyday life,” Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India, said.
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Who made your football?
Because the joy and competition of play your own child experiences, shouldn’t be at the expense of another
Last week, as the world asked #WhoMadeMyClothes, supported by Fashion Revolution, a non-profit that works towards more sustainable garment-making practices, we asked kids and parents if they knew who made their footballs. Turns out they didn’t.
When someone says footballs are completely handmade, you can’t really imagine it, until you see the process, and realise that it’s really a craft, and every ball is touched by upto 10 people before you get to dribble one around a field. Jalandhar in Punjab and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh produce 75-80% of all the balls in India, according to the International Labor Rights Forum. Because it is labour-intensive, and it was believed stitching was best done with nimble hands, the industry has seen child labour and poor working conditions in the past, especially in the 1990s, with the biggest brands (Nike, Adidas, FIFA, Sherrin, Canterbury, Manchester United) all being tainted with allegations.
Things have changed, and the All India Football Federation uses balls only from FIFA-approved sports goods manufacturing companies that today have checks to make sure there’s no child labour, says Kushal Das, General Secretary. Shaji Prabhakaran, a FIFA scout says it’s not just about labour, but also about knowing where the materials come from. Legend International, in Jalandhar, though, made a conscious decision to go a step further: the Fairtrade way. The company produces five types of footballs for different levels of play.
“I heard about Fairtrade two years ago from a client. I went online and saw that Pakistani businesses already had this certification, and read about how the workers were benefited from it,” says Anuj Pasricha, who founded the company in 1994. The India Brand Equity Foundation says the industry employs over five lakh people, and this is where Fairtrade comes in.
“Only when you meet people and see the possibilities, does your own awareness grow, and you realise your own standards need improvement,” he says, candidly, of the company that mainly exports its gear. Pasricha talks of the beginning of the business, when he was getting samples ready. “I would sit in workers’ houses watching them stitch footballs, drinking tea with them, for two or three hours (the time it takes to stitch a ball). When we go to a mall, we don’t see the conditions of the people making it, or value their hard work; we only see the sheen,” he says.
So Legend took over a year, combed through a 400-page manual, updated its factory conditions to comply with Fairtrade norms, at the outlay of Rs. 20 lakh and opened its premises to inspection.
Stitching traditionally takes place in homes, and this had to be shifted to the factory, to ensure that only adults and not children were doing the work (about four-five footballs or 12-14 rugby balls can be stitched in a day, since there are fewer panels). Things like first-aid boxes, drinking water points, regular doctor check-ups, fire-protection and escape systems, a designated lunch area, tea and snacks, masks-gloves-aprons-shoes and education on why these were important, all had to be put in place. “It’s a process; there’s still a lot to be done,” he says.
The Fairtrade pricing stipulates that 10% of the price the company recieves on the ball goes to a worker’s welfare fund (a separate account audited by Fairtrade). A committee is formed from amongst the workers and they decide how they’d like to use the money. There is another 5% that goes to a sustainability fund (a compliance cost, only in the case of ball manufacturing). This year, at Legend, the 42 workers, out of which nine people are on the committee (with two women) is debating between additional water filters and an air purification or cooling system.
“But the wheel has to be kept moving,” says Pasricha, meaning that more orders are needed, both to be able to afford to get recertified and for the worker benefit. Initial certification costs about Rs. 2 lakh, with subsequent yearly recertification costing approximately Rs. 1 lakh. All of this pushes up the cost of a football by 15-20%.
Not everyone is a fan though. Anthropologist Prof Shiv Visvanathan, Vice Dean at the OP Jindal Global University, says it’s exemplar, “but unfortunately, exemplars don’t work in informal economies,” craft economies, unlike industrial ones. He’d like a larger debate on what organisations like Fairtrade bring, besides creating subcultures that are not the norm. The point, he says, is not to question the motivation, but to see how far they can spread. “Rights and justice for all only come when things spread.”
Pasricha feels that while Fairtrade is helping market the balls, more can be done to push the cause, creating a little more awareness about its benefits at the grassroot level. “If you see two balls in a shop, one Rs. 500 and the other Rs. 600, and they’re absolutely the same product, except that the more expensive one is Fairtrade, tell me, which will you buy, as a customer?” he asks, rhetorically. Right now, besides the Indian market (under the brand name Indpro, Rs. 469 upwards), the company supplies to Bala, in Scotland.
India has 164 manufacturers and 94 producers (from farming and allied sectors) that are Fairtrade-certified. Worldwide, there is a thousands -strong network, which Abhishek Jani, CEO, Fairtrade India, says they tap into. He says while laws are in place in India, Fairtrade adds another layer of checks and education, for both management and workers. He admits that “We need to create a Fairtrade marketplace,” meaning that this education has to be extended to the layperson who is eventually going out to buy that football. It’s only then that a parent will pause a minute to think about the fingers that stitched that football, and pay that little extra.
Know your football
Most footballs have 910 stitches with 32 panels, with 20 hexagonal and 12 pentagonal units.
A Fairtrade logo ensures there’s no child labour and that adult labour is being treated fairly.
The age grading is usually on the packing to make sure you buy the correct size.
A full-weight professional football (422-450 g, size 5, 68-69 cm circumference) will have three-four layers of cloth stuck to the inner surface, unseen to the eye. A practice ball may have two-three layers (400-420 g)http://www.goal.com/en-in/news/world-cup-absentees-players-who-will-miss-russia-2018-major/1eh7ftspzimkd1u8j4tf38sjb5
Study reveals 1/3 of India did no physical activity in past year; skipper Virat Kohli is not too happy
At least that’s what a pan-India study, commissioned by Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, and sportswear brand PUMA, along with market research agency Kantar IMRB, has revealed while delving into the current state of physical activity and sports adoption .in the country.
The study, covering 3924 respondents in the age bracket of 18-40 years (both male and female), was spread across 18 cities - Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Cochin, Ghaziabad, Goa, Gurugram, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Patna, Raipur, and Surat.
It found that 1/3rd of the total population surveyed had not done any physical activity, even once, in the past one year. Most respondents in the study, which also assessed the barriers to playing sport regularly and the motivation behind it, blamed ‘lack of time’ as the main reason for not playing.
However, the research added that the same respondents also spent close to 4-5 hours on social media, watching TV, personal phone conversations and usage of various messaging platforms on a typical working day (all put together).
Skipper Kohli, a fitness freak himself, who also runs his own athleisure brand, Wrogn, was not very kicked with the findings.
“It is shocking to see that one-third of the country has not done any kind of physical activity in the last one year. When you are physically fit, you are more energised to take on challenges. I have experienced this personally, and therefore strongly believe in leading an active lifestyle,” the 29-year-old said.
He also felt that the trend of technology and social media gaining preference over health and fitness had to change.
“Sports can be seamlessly integrated into our daily life – one can do it anywhere and at any time,” he added.
·
Interestingly, football-loving Goa topped the list with 89% of the respondents having played a sport at least once in the last 1 month, followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai. IT hub Gurgaon, and state capitals Raipur and Patna fared badly though.
“The study brings out alarming facts about India’s adoption of physical activity, and it is essential to take corrective steps to address this situation. Playing sports is a simple yet effective solution that can be implemented into everyday life,” Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India, said.
But few might be exception (less than 0.01 %) with other top priorities and/or health issues
Has anyone watched the story? First transfer of power to opposition party since independence after 61 years.