An alliance of responsible garment industry representatives calls upon the European Parliament to develop more effective mandatory human rights due diligence

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A comprehensive group of business and multi-stakeholder initiatives and manufacturer associations  present their joint recommendations on the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive 

Business and multi-stakeholder initiatives from the garment and textile  industry, namely amfori, Ethical Trading Initiative, Fair Wear Foundation, Sustainable Apparel Coalition,  Transformers Foundation, and manufacturer associations from the Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative,  are allying to advance effective mandatory human rights due diligence at the EU level. Together, these  organisations represent the majority of brands and retailers from EU market countries and represent  garment manufacturers that makeup around 50 % of extra-EU imports of garments and textiles. Coming  from a sector classified as high-risk by the OECD, their knowledge and experience is critical in developing  effective due diligence mandates in the garment industry. 

In their joint recommendations on the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (EU CSDD) Directive,  the organisations emphasize the necessity for a comprehensive due diligence approach that is risk-based. They argue that when well-designed, mandatory due diligence positively affects all parties  across the supply chain: responsible businesses will profit from an EU-wide level playing field, and  suppliers, including their workers, will benefit from the responsible purchasing practices of their  customers. 

The organisations, therefore, offer guidance to EU decision-makers on how to further develop the EU  CSDD Directive. The directive must capture the responsibility of companies to respect human rights and  the environment in their supply chain as formulated in the UNGPs and OECD guidelines. Most  importantly, it must offer clarity and legal certainty. 

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