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Civil society groups publish joint vision for TGLF sector
27 Apr '20
3 min read
Pic: Shutterstock
A coalition of campaigners for fair trade, human and workers’ rights, environmental protection and transparency recently urged the European Commission, European Parliament members, European Union (EU) member states and other stakeholders to back a strategy to initiate a global redesign of the textile industry’s broken business model for the post-coronavirus world.
As the European Commission is poised to start developing a new ‘comprehensive strategy for textiles’ in the coming months, a group of 65 diverse civil society organisations recently set out its vision for the global textile, garments, leather and footwear (TGLF) sector.
They released a non-official (or shadow) strategy in which they propose a set of legislative and non-legislative actions that the EU can undertake to contribute to fairer and more sustainable TGLF value chains, according to a press release from The Netherlands-based Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) network.
The sector has long been characterised by labour and human rights abuses along with the immense pressure it exerts on the environment and climate.
"It is time for EU leaders to step up and make the necessary regulatory reforms, as industry initiatives have clearly failed. The current health and economic crises has a devastating impact on workers in the supply-chain and further brings to light the fragility and power imbalances of the sector. This shadow Strategy will offer EU decision-makers a way forward on what to do to ensure that the textile sector's development supports workers' rights and livelihoods instead of actively undermining them," Muriel Treibich, CCC’s lobby and advocacy coordinator said.
Representing the coalition, Sergi Corbalán, executive director of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office said: “Voluntary industry action has failed to bring about a fair and sustainable textile industry, so it’s time for EU leaders to reset the industry’s structure”
The civil society vision for a comprehensive EU textile strategy contains recommendations including legal obligation for companies to take responsibility for not only their own activities but their whole supply chain and not shirking responsibility by signing a multi-stakeholder partnership; stricter environmental rules that cover how textile products sold in the EU are designed and produced, legal and financial responsibility on producers for when their products become waste, as well as meaningful measures to promote transparency;legal obligation for brands and retailers to honour contracts and end the culture of unfair purchasing practices that gives them impunity to cancel orders without honouring payments; and make governance reforms and better law enforcement in producing countries part of the solution to sustainability issues faced in the value chains.
As the European Commission is poised to start developing a new ‘comprehensive strategy for textiles’ in the coming months, a group of 65 diverse civil society organisations recently set out its vision for the global textile, garments, leather and footwear (TGLF) sector.
They released a non-official (or shadow) strategy in which they propose a set of legislative and non-legislative actions that the EU can undertake to contribute to fairer and more sustainable TGLF value chains, according to a press release from The Netherlands-based Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) network.
The sector has long been characterised by labour and human rights abuses along with the immense pressure it exerts on the environment and climate.
"It is time for EU leaders to step up and make the necessary regulatory reforms, as industry initiatives have clearly failed. The current health and economic crises has a devastating impact on workers in the supply-chain and further brings to light the fragility and power imbalances of the sector. This shadow Strategy will offer EU decision-makers a way forward on what to do to ensure that the textile sector's development supports workers' rights and livelihoods instead of actively undermining them," Muriel Treibich, CCC’s lobby and advocacy coordinator said.
Representing the coalition, Sergi Corbalán, executive director of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office said: “Voluntary industry action has failed to bring about a fair and sustainable textile industry, so it’s time for EU leaders to reset the industry’s structure”
The civil society vision for a comprehensive EU textile strategy contains recommendations including legal obligation for companies to take responsibility for not only their own activities but their whole supply chain and not shirking responsibility by signing a multi-stakeholder partnership; stricter environmental rules that cover how textile products sold in the EU are designed and produced, legal and financial responsibility on producers for when their products become waste, as well as meaningful measures to promote transparency;legal obligation for brands and retailers to honour contracts and end the culture of unfair purchasing practices that gives them impunity to cancel orders without honouring payments; and make governance reforms and better law enforcement in producing countries part of the solution to sustainability issues faced in the value chains.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
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