The EU and its Member States should recognise SLCP as an accelerator and solution provider to European Human Rights Due Diligence implementation

SLCP calls on the European Commission and EU Member States to adopt human rights due diligence using a blended approach. This involves not only mandatory legislation but integrated and coordinated policy measures. SLCP’s Converged Assessment Framework (CAF) is a globally recognized tool that is positioned to support and implement European due diligence efforts.

 As textile & garment supply chains become increasingly globalized, European production and consumption cannot be seen without a global context. Minimum conventions on facets of working conditions such as wages, working hours and health & safety are often not met, with the Covid19 pandemic only exacerbating the adverse impacts on workers, particularly in low wage countries outside of Europe. 

The European Textile Strategy should be a sustainable and globally focused solution. The solution needs to actively involve the global landscape of textile production to create sustained change for the industry. 

SLCP supports the Commission’s intention to prioritize textiles as part of the EU Strategy.  We believe sustainability can only be reached in the garment and footwear industries when social and labor concerns are addressed throughout global supply chains. The Commission and EU Member States should do this by adopting mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence legislation as part of the policy mix. This should be aligned with both the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment & Footwear Sector and the EU’s Due Diligence initiative. 

Companies (manufacturers, brands and retailers) need appropriate tools to comply with the policy and legislation. On the other hand, in order to drive decisions and monitor the effectiveness, policy makers need credible, comparable, and actionable verified data on social conditions in value chains. SLCP’s CAF was created in full alignment with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and is adopted at scale and widely supported. For this reason, SLCP and its partners are well positioned to support the implementation of social & labor supply chain aspects of the European Textiles Strategy and for national regulation.

To read the full Position Paper submitted to the European Commission as part of its Public Consultation for the European Textile Strategy, follow the link below.