Bringing stakeholders together for effective Human Rights & Environmental Due Diligence (HREDD)
Blogpost, 3 April 2023
Human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD) are necessary to hold industry stakeholders accountable for how their actions affect the people and the planet. Discussions on HREDD were at the core of the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector, where The Industry We Want (TIWW) played an active role. The Forum brings together key stakeholders across the sector to discuss critical issues and risks related to due diligence and to support alignment across policies and industry initiatives. Different sessions fostered constructive dialogue on shared responsibility, trust-building and long-term, equitable relationships, such as focusing on collaborative approaches to buyer-supplier relationships.
While in Paris during OECD week, TIWW harnessed the opportunity to bring together stakeholders from across the supply chain to facilitate challenging and constructive exchanges that disrupt industry norms. The 2023 Industry Dashboard, presented at TIWW’s side session, highlighted stagnating progress and a need for closer collaboration along the supply chain across purchasing practices, wages and GHG emissions. With this, the Industry Dashboard encourages a shift in power dynamics which is essential for a resilient sector. Engaging with production country voices is a key driver in bringing about this shift and supports requirements for companies regarding HREDD.
During the side session, Pan Brother’s Anne Patricia Sutanto addressed the importance of striving towards more responsible purchasing practices by being “solutions-oriented”, and urged the industry to discuss those solutions “openly, not shamefully”. Indeed, TIWW recognises purchasing practices as a critical leverage for change in the garment and footwear sector for realising social and environmental goals.
Moreover, Evelyn Astor of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) referred to the ‘endemic of low wages across the industry’. She recommended that governments prioritise regulation and set and enforce living wages that are — in a transparent way — developed in collaboration with trade unions and/ or worker representatives. Evelyn’s call reflects TIWW’s approach of pushing for policy change. We continue to proudly support the Good Clothes, Fair Pay campaign, which demands legislation that helps achieve fair pay for textile and garment workers worldwide.
When discussing the challenges around decarbonisation, CDP’s Dedy Mahardika implored the necessity of “listening to the voices of [those] who are most affected by climate change”. As an industry-wide convener with close ties to production countries, TIWW is able to platform these voices and push for collaboration. By regularly and consistently measuring emissions, the initiative can also hold the industry to account and set the pace for delivering on climate goals. This approach — of using data to achieve ambitious goals — is shared by the OECD, as Dr Matthias Altmann acknowledged during the session.
Part of TIWW’s mission is that systemic change can only be achieved when solutions are found together. Therefore, TIWW led a dialogue between retailers and other stakeholders on how to align approaches when tackling shared obstacles in implementing effective HREDD across their supply chains.
Furthermore, TIWW supports policy and initiatives that help to level the global playing field through responsible purchasing practices, such as the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices (CFRPP) and the FTAO led Unfair Trading Practices Directive.
It was promising, therefore, to hear Matthijs Crietee from the International Apparel Federation (IAF) remind the audience that “due diligence is not implemented through buying power but through collaboration” during the plenary session TIWW co-hosted with the OECD. Luu Tien Chung from Vietnam Textile & Apparel Association (VITAS) reflected Crietee’s words, noting that “when enterprises fulfil all human rights due diligence standards, they will be able to address the power imbalances between factories and buyers.”
Facilitating challenging exchanges between knowledgeable and diverse stakeholders is part of TIWW’s mission to drive systemic change and implement HREDD. Enhancing collaboration, building trust and shaping shared visions in the sector are critical next steps for the industry to take on.
Read more about TIWW at the OECD Forum: https://www.fairwear.org/stories/reflections-on-the-oecd-forum-2023-2/