News - The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles (Textiles Partnership)

© Julia Merkel ⁇ BMZ

Ten years of the Textile Alliance: A critical consideration of advantages and disadvantages

The Textile Alliance celebrated its tenth anniversary on 28 November 2024 with a high-level event at the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). In addition to Minister Svenja Schulze, FEMNET CEO Dr. Gisela Burckhardt also participated in the panel discussion and contributed key points from a civil society perspective. Another highlight of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.

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10 years of the Textile Alliance. Achieving more together. A statement by civil society in the Textile Alliance

FEMNET has been involved in the Alliance for Sustainable Textiles since its foundation in 2014. Together with three other NGOs, we publish a statement on the occasion of the 10th anniversary in order to give more emphasis to the declared goal of the alliance.

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Titelblatt der Studie 'Behind the Seams'

Comprehensive Study on the Challenges for Grievance Mechanisms in Textile Supply Chains

With its latest study, our partner organisation Cividep offers a comprehensive insight into the challenges and solutions of grievance mechanisms in the Indian garment industry. The focus is particularly on the role that multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) such as the Textiles Partnership can play in effectively supporting local mechanisms. In addition to the presentation of the numerous existing, but mostly non-functioning complaint options, as well as an overview of existing "back-up" approaches, the study therefore also formulates demands and recommendations for all stakeholders of an MSI.

Behind the seems - Evaluating the effictiveness of grieviance mechanisms for workers in the export garment industry
2023, 70 Pages, 1,2 MB (PDF-Datei)

Where we stand and where we want to go – social and environmental supply chains

Review of civil society representatives in the Sustainable Textiles Alliance (2023)

The Textile Alliance adopted a new structure in 2022/2023 and revised its reporting formats. With the German Supply Chain Act and the ongoing processes for an EU Supply Chain Act, the framework conditions changed, which required further development from analysis to implementation. The focus is now on the implementation of due diligence and impact on the ground in the areas of purchasing practices and living wages, gender equality, complaint mechanisms and remedies, as well as the circular economy and climate. The aim is to go beyond legal requirements and achieve continuous improvements in the producing countries. The initiative brings together companies, NGOs, trade unions, standard organisations and the German government to drive social and ecological transformation.

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© hceebee - flickr.com

Stop forced labour in the cotton harvest in Turkmenistan. The textile alliance avoids a clear position for a boycott

Bonn, Berlin, Dachau. In Central Asian Turkmenistan, state authorities force tens of thousands of people from state and private companies as well as universities to work in the cotton harvest every year. This makes Turkmenistan one of the states in which forced labour is systematically and state-organized.

The textile alliance, set up to implement fair working conditions from the cotton field to the hanger, remains inactive. NGOs requested the recommendation to all member companies to stop the processing of cotton from forced labour in Turkmenistan and to sign the call for a boycott of Turkmen cotton (Turkmen Cotton Pledge of the Cotton Campaign). By refusing, the Textile Alliance misses an opportunity to contribute to the abolition of a state-organized forced labour system. In the run-up to the 2023/24 cotton harvest, clear positioning could have increased international pressure on Turkmenistan.

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© J.F. Briggs

Review of the representatives of civil society in the Textile Alliance after one year of the Traffic Light Coalition

In November 2021, civil society in the Textile Coalition called for a more effective and effective Textile Coalition from the newly launched Traffic Light Coalition. What developments have taken place in the Textile Alliance and how should its restructuring be assessed?

It took around a year for the Textile Alliance to adopt a new structure, which was decided at the General Assembly in November 2022. In the following, the representatives of civil society in the Textile Alliance give an assessment of the new structure.

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© J. F. Briggs

The Alliance for Sustainable Textiles gives itself a new structure

It was adopted at the end of September – the General Assembly on 30 November 2022 launched the implementation of the new concept for the Textile Alliance. In the future, the work of the alliance will focus on three basic elements. Member companies are obliged to provide information on production sites and supplier data in their own supply chain and to engage with concrete projects on site in the textile production countries. The Textile Alliance wants to achieve greater impact on the ground with the help of projects.

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Stronger criteria needed: A look at problems and gaps in the Green Button and Textile Alliance

In view of a legal regulation for large companies to comply with their due diligence obligations from January 2023 (Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, LKG), the question arises as to what role voluntary measures such as the Green Button or the Alliance for Sustainable Textiles (Textile Alliance) could have in the future.

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Textile alliance: The Partnership Initiative Tamil Nadu 2.0 successfully starts the second phase

The joint commitment to improved complaint structures in spinning mills and the promotion of stakeholder dialogue continues. The Tamil Nadu Alliance Initiative started its second phase in November 2021. Now the main focus is on around 40 spinning mills in the four districts of Coimbatore, Dindigul, Erode and Tiruppur.

In addition to the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and FEMNET, the four alliance companies Tchibo, the Otto Group, KiK and HUGO BOSS AG are once again participating in the project. As in the first project phase, the local NGO SAVE organizes the implementation on site.

Rising numbers of infections and renewed lockdowns in the Indian state caused delays. But now the project is gaining momentum and the first training sessions and factory visits could take place.

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© SAVE, India

ILO Convention 190 to be ratified

As part of the Textile Alliance, FEMNET has proposed to ask the Federal Government in an open letter on Women's Day on 8 March to finally ratify the ILO Convention 190 against Gender-Based Violence in the Workplace. A total of 32 alliance members, including 17 companies, have signed a letter to Minister Heil (Ministry of Labour) and Minister Schulze (BMZ).

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