Leather goods in FC Barcelona’s fan store can be traced to Topsia sweatshops

Exporters of leather items are focussing on improving the working condition of the artisans to avoid being blacklisted by the European market.

A leather wallet or a key-case adorning the retail racks of FC Barcelona’s fan store at the Camp Nou stadium is often crafted by young, underpaid city hands in a Topsia sweatshop, most likely without the brass of Europe’s top club even aware of the source.

Some fan-merchandise leather accessory items of EPL clubs like Aston Villa and Manchester City are also stitched together in such city hellholes, with the exporting agents from Delhi or Mumbai concealing the supply chain.

“The legal requirements and the stiff penalty structure have forced many small players to operate from these hellholes,” admits Darshan Singh Sabharwal, the president of the Indian Leather Products Association (ILPA).

The association, which has over 150 member units and channels Rs 2,300-crore worth of export of leather accessories from the state to Europe, the Americas, East Asia and the Gulf, is aware that the days of the sweatshops are numbered.

“The latest buzz for an export company is social compliance or ‘buyers’ audit’. We expect this to be made mandatory by the middle of this year by Europe’s top guns, and we are gearing up to meet the challenge,” said Paresh Rajda, the chairman (east) of the Council of Leather Export.

The council, along with ILPA, has put in place a “basic education system in social compliance” to improve the perception of Calcutta in the European export market. Core groups have formed to work with NGOs to drive home the message of social compliance to sweatshop owners, who employ over 2 million hands in and around the city.

The association has also urged the state to address infrastructure, fire-fighting preparedness and “rigid” labour laws.

“We have eradicated child labour from our manufacturing system to a large extent but a lot needs to be done for improving workplace atmosphere. We have proposed setting up of at least 250 units in leather accessories, which would have healthier working conditions, adhering to European norms,” Rajda adds.