captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- ax fell, and welcome to "global 3000." this is what we have coming up. frisky business -- we visit h&m workers in cambodia who literally work until they drop. green pioneer's -- haole small bavarian village leads the way on alternative -- how a small bavarian village leads the way of alternative energy. and, and powering women.

-- been powering women. if fashionable and affordable. that is the way many customers see the retail chain h&m. they maintain tight control over all steps of designing clothing, but most production takes place in asia where wages are low. h&m is promoting itself as a champion of corporate responsibility. its own code of conduct promises workers a safe environment and fair pay. suppliers have to agree to these standards who is ultimately responsible when worker rights are abused? that is when it gets complicated. most do not look at what is behind the glamorous fashion facade. >> they have been waiting for hours to be the first customers when h&m opens its doors in singapore, the first branch in

southeast asia. h&m has 2300 stores in over 40 countries. singapore might be one more step forward. the swedish fashion company has a simple recipe for success. >> we love h&m. >> why? >> because their clothes are amazing and cheap. >> quite surprising. it is an international brand. since it is so cheap -- do not know why, but if they can deliver cheap drugs, i do not mind buying. >> -- cheap goods, i do not mind buying. >> another post is opening. it is not a fashion store. 4000 workers are employed at this textile factory. the european company places orders wherever the clothing can be produced at the lowest price, and cambodia produces

very cheaply, but they come at a price. not long ago 300 women at the center collapsed. it is 11:30 a.m., time for lunch, and the only break of the day. most of the women only have a little bit of rice and a few vegetables. this is a seamstress working for 30 cents an hours. -- an hour. she saw what happened and as one of the fuel willing to talk of bought it. >> we were afraid when the first ones collapsed. more of them kept killing over. we could hardly breeze. the chinese supervisors just lock the doors, but that made the panic worse. there was a smile. i have no idea what it was. my fingers and toes suddenly got cold. i could hardly move some. i asked if i could go out, but they would not let me. >> what happened next was a

chemical fumes, heat, a lack of fresh air? why did hundreds of women collapse? we are not allowed to film inside the factory so we asked to speak with the manager. after half an hour, we are told the manager is not there and none of the supervisors are willing to speak with us. >> so, we do not get an interview? >> it is a conspiracy of silence. the textile industry in cambodia will a great deal of power. [applause] >> come down in singapore. the latest h&m store has opened, and even the staff seems overjoyed. the h&m manager for asia has brought gifts along -- a voucher for the first five customers worth 200 u.s. dollars, over

three times the amount of a salary for a textile worker in cambodia. we soon find a clothing. even though h&m says it follows a code of conduct for labor conditions. >> we have been looking into why this is happening. this is a moment we are investigating. >> so, the investigation is going on right now? >> the investigation is going on right now. yes. >> as the better factories program is also financed by major companies, it is no surprise to take a hands-off approach. >> it is about the working conditions. at the end of the day, it is the responsibility of the factory to look into the working conditions and to comply with a loss. >> 350,000 people work for the textile industry in cambodia,

selling garments for companies like to boast about from the working conditions. anyone that whole mess is called telepathy is a public-relations shots. just a few weeks ago, most textile factories were issued a clean bill of health. >> h&m has to live up to promises. the code of conduct has to be enforced at the suppliers. they cannot just write about themselves on the internet. they have to make sure suppliers comply with the law. >> the legal minimum wage is just under 45 euros a month for eight hours a day, six days a week, but that is not how she works. she is here 12 to 15 hours a day, seven days a week. these women are the weakest link

in h&m's supply chain. >> the short term concerned -- the cannot gain overtime. -- and not reject overtime. if a worker rejects over time they will be faced with a termination. >> we try one more time to speak with the h&m supplier. we want to know why 300 textile workers collapsed. the manager is here we are here outside of the company. can we talk to the general manager? this is german television. >> we her conversation in the background, but the reply is short and to the pointer >> he said he does not want to interview -- and to the point. >> he said he does not want to interview with you. >> they would not answer our questions.

nine women share a primitive bamboo hut, three of them sleep in this corner. life here is a world away from the public image of h&m. the women try to survive and tend to 20 u.s. dollars of month. >> life here is hard, but we have to force ourselves. we do not have a choice. spend as little as possible so we can send the rest to our families. it is just not enough. >> last year, colombian textile exports increased to 3 billion u.s. dollars, but women are still struggling to survive. >> i do not expect much. i just want decent working conditions. our supervisor should not scream at us. i want to be treated like i am human. >> every day she wakes up worried she will lose her job or

she will be the next worker to collapse. >> now, we would like to take you to a small german village that is in the process of writing climate history. it is -- its inhabitants are pioneers of renewable energy from biogas to wind energy and solar power. they are working on better ways to integrate renewals into the electricity grid. high-tech country life as you have never seen it before. >> with wind turbines and solar collectors, the village is doing its bit to combat global warming. the mayor has been an advocate of renewable energy sources for

15 years. his first allied for a shift was a farmer. -- allied for a shift was a farmer. >> everything that happens anywhere depends on people, whether they get on with one another or not, and whether there is resistance. we have the good fortune that many influential people have taken up this issue and they're pushing it forward. a single individual does not stand a chance. >> these produce the raw material for renewable energy, farm. the energy farmer, as he calls themselves, loads this into a tank where bacteria breaks it down into the high-energy fuel methane. he then sells the product to the municipal utility company.

>> 20 years ago i realize this is the only way to do things. i am a farmer who works with nature. renewable energy means working with nature, not against it. so, i was convinced. i need this conviction in order to convince others, so that this could develop and expand. >> the village has receive various environmental awards for its efforts. here, one in four houses use solar energy. he heats his home with it. like all producers of renewable energy he profits from government subsidies that make it easier for people to join the effort. >> the petals cost 15,000 euros. we got a subsidy, a little more than 4500 euros, and it will take about seven years before

they pay for themselves depending on how much sunshine there is. >> in many places in germany, there is resistance to expanding sustainable sources of energy, but not here. the people in this community have realized that they could earn money with a green commodity. >> everybody who owns a share in the wind turbine or who looks up to the village heating system has low priced heat. everyone profits financially. that is an important factor in gaining popular support. >> many people elsewhere think wind turbines are a block on the landscape but here they are seen as a lucrative investment. the village operates nine turbines and plans to install two more in the near future.

an excess of renewable energy brings problems of its own the amount of current fluctuates, and in extreme cases the system can overload, leading to a power failure. so, a research project is measuring just how much electricity as consumed every second. in the future, surplus power will be used to charge batteries for electric cars. >> the people responsible for this project think that we already have the prerequisite that all of germany will have in 2020 or 2022. there are wide variety of sources being fed into the electrical grid. our villages the ideal place to field test aspects of such a system.

>> he is writing -- this village is writing climate protection history citizens wanted to mount solar panels on the roof of the church but that would have violated local conservation laws. >> in parliament of women is that the center of the united nations women. the project is run in 80 countries. in the palestinian territories, only 50% of women go to work. hear, the u.n. supports an initiative offering politicians -- palestinian women a chance to earn a living for themselves and their families. ♪ >> it is early morning, and she is on her way to work in town. >> i learned to cook at an early age, even before i got married at 17.

>> she used to cook just for her family, but now she is putting her skills to use to improve her own quality of life and that of others. she lives in a small town in the west bank. the local economy has been crippled by decades of checkpoint restrictions and conflict. people do not have much money, and food prices are soaring. many men here have either no work at all, where they do not earn enough to feed their families. a supplementary income from their wives would help, but only a fraction of the women here work. she is now one of them, thanks to the united nations program.

she works at a school canteen, where she uses culinary skills to provide healthy meals made from basic ingredients, and at a reasonable price. her clientele? hundreds of school girls. >> i like doing stuffed chicken. everyone likes that. also, yogurt soup. >> the job has improved life in many ways for her and her family. >> first, it helped me psychologically, then financially as well. i never used to have an income of my own. we were always dependent on my husband's earnings. >> the food cooked feeds

several thousand school children, and it is good, wholesome food. these girls are fit and healthy, and fewer of them are overweight now. in the old days, one in four suffered from anemia, which made them too tired to pay proper attention in class. the problem is largely a thing of the past. the women at the women's center provide meals for more than 1500 schools, which means half a million students profit from the program. >> we are concerned not just about getting enough calories into children that nutritional levels are at such a level we can insure academic achievement. >> she and her fellow cops are making that possible. -- cooks are making that possible.

>> you see the effect not just on individuals. you see it on families and communities. the number one priority we are hearing is that women need income that they can somehow depend on. >> the u.n. program now covers some 20 rural communities in the palestinian territories, providing work for several hundred women. the kitchen alone prepares food for 1500 pupils every day. the work generates a very welcome income, although it did initially meet with resistance from one -- from many of the women's husbands. they were not comfortable with the notion of working women, but they have since become used to the idea, partly because their wives now contribute to the family budget, so many husbands

are not supportive of the project, including her husband. he lost his job recently. his wife's income has enabled the couple to open up a little store which he runs. >> she is now helping in all areas of life. her job at the school canteen even helps to pay for our children's studies. i could not cover the school fees on my own. >> and, that independence has had various benefits, not just in terms of money. >> i used to be shy around other people.

i am not stronger, and more self confident. hopefully, i can keep the jobs and keep getting better, and i can work for the rest of my life. >> she is enjoying the fruits of her labor. she now has a certain amount of independence, and the hope of a brighter future. >> while pesticides are fundamental ingredients of today's mass production of food, they're also a risk factor for both farm workers and consumers. still, the demand is huge. in 2010 alone, the global turnover in pesticides was some 30 million euros, t. to 0.5 million pounds -- 2.5 funds are sprayed around the world every year, but there are alternatives.

in costa rica, farmers are testing a fungus to be pests the natural way. -- beat pests the natural way. >> crop sprayers are kept very busy in costa rica. it is a real magnet for pests. the biggest problem and banana plantations is caused by a small worms that attack the roots of the plants. this biologist says that worldwide, 30% of the plants succumb to pest infestation every year. even powerful pesticides can not eliminate the worm. scientist ed costa rica's state banana research institute have long been searching for new

solutions. they need alternatives because pesticides are harmful to the environment into humans. >> the worms feed on the routes and reproduced there. they produce and enzyme that they used to penetrate the routes into the sells, and destroy them. they go deeper, causing rust, and then they lay their eggs in the roots, so the roots finally die off. >> this is in northern germany. hear, a new weapon has been developed. using a unique technology, they grow a fungus that eats up the worms. they have named it bioact. the spores are bred in a for mentor and then freeze-dried.

bringing the fungus to market took 15 years of research, and considerable investments. >> it takes a very long time to develop a product like this. part of this is the approval procedure, which also takes time. it is a bit of a paradox, but we get to submit our product to the same ecological studies are required of the chemical industry. >> back in costa rica, this petition has been testing the fundus for two years. -- this plantation has been testing the fundus for two years the results are surprising and are being presented to other banana growers. instead of using 50 kilograms of highly toxic pesticides, 400 grams of fundus will do the job. -- fungus is doing the job.

>> we are phasing out all chemicals the world health organization has classified as toxic one. we want them phased out by 2013. in costa rica, and central america, which stopped using these chemicals, so for us, it does, it just the right moment. >> the fundus does not just get rid of the worms, it also boosts yields. bandannas treated grow larger. the field test -- bananas treated grow larger. the field test showed a 30% increase. antonio. out a field test on his plantation. -- carried out a field test on his plantation. he now wants to promote the new

method. >> as soon as the other banana growers say the benefits, the use of biological products will increase on a huge scale. >> for now, the helicopter will remain in service. chemicals are still used to combat many other tests, but biological pesticides are off to a good start. >> next week, we start a new series on africa. here is more. ♪ >> a new start for africa, a continent in change. our new series on "global 3000" covers the movers and shakers in african society. local stories produced together with local journalists -- we've

report on the challenges faces the continent and the advances being made. a new start for africa on the latest addition of "global 3000 3000. >> and, today, for me and the -- global