Partnership for Sustainable textiles
The Textiles Partnership is committed to a social, ecological and corruption-free textile and clothing industry in which the rights of all employees are respected, the climate and the environment are protected, and in which integrity and knowledge of planetary boundaries guide all actions. The Partnership focuses on the implementation of corporate due diligence in Germany, as well as - especially - in the production countries. In doing so, it is guided by the fundamental international agreements of the UN, OECD and ILO. The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (LkSG) and initiatives at European level are also based on these guidelines and recommendations.
Real change requires the participation of all stakeholders
As a multi-stakeholder initiative, the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles brings together companies, associations, non-governmental organizations, standards organizations, trade unions and the German government. It is a platform for constructive exchange, mutual support and joint commitment. In addition, the Textile Alliance cooperates with European and international initiatives and organizations in order to disseminate best practices, increase the leverage for its commitment and avoid duplication of efforts. There are cooperations with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Fair Wear Foundation, Textile Exchange and Open Supply Hub, among others.
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Three central fields of work characterize the work of the Textiles Partnership
The initiative primarily works to ensure that due diligence obligations are implemented and more transparency is created in supply chains. In addition, the members address key challenges in the industry on an individual and joint level. These include living wages and purchasing practices, circular economy and climate, gender equity, and grievance and redress.
To achieve its goals, the Partnership works in three areas of work:
Due diligence implementation
- The initiative consistently aligns itself with the due diligence approach. Member companies regularly demonstrate publicly how they implement due diligence in their supply chains. This also includes that companies systematically analyze and prioritize the risks in their supply chains. From this, the companies derive their targets and measures to address the risks and achieve improvements.
Transparent supply networks
- In order to identify problems in the supply chain in the first place, to minimize existing risks and to ultimately improve the situation on the ground, companies need to know their own supply chain. However, creating transparency all the way to the beginning of the supply chain is (still) a challenge for many companies. But the members of the Partnership are rising to this challenge. On the Open Supply Hub platform, a list of production sites and supplier data of its members are published. In doing so, the members collectively contribute to publicly accessible, reliable supply chain information and thus promote transparency in the industry.
Effectively addressing focus issues
- Living wages and purchasing practices, circular economy and climate, gender equality, grievance mechanisms and remedy - the Textiles Partnership identifies these focus issues as key challenges facing the textile and apparel industry. At the same time, the initiative sees them as a major lever with a lot of potential for improvement. For all four focus topics, there is therefore a reference framework based on international guidelines and recommendations, which presents the goals the Textiles Partnership is striving for. Its members also implement joint projects in production countries for all focus topics. These projects have a direct impact on the ground and make a measurable contribution to the focus topics.