Partnership Initiative
Learning and Implementation Community (LIC)

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The challenge

The purchasing practices of European retailers and brands have a significant impact on human rights and environmental conditions along textile supply chains. For example, low prices, which are partly lower than production costs, and insufficient lead times for orders contribute to human rights violations such as extremely low wages, excessive overtime and serious labour accidents. As the incorporation into the European Supply Chain Due Diligence Act (CSDDD) shows, responsible purchasing practices are an essential lever for minimising risks and preventing or ending negative impacts.

Our approach

In the Learning and Implementation Community (LIC), member companies of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles work together with their producers to integrate the principles and practices of the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices (CFRPP) into their processes and thus improve their purchasing practices. The five principles define responsible purchasing practices and back them up with concrete practices that can enable effective and partnership-based cooperation between purchasing companies and producers as well as the payment of living wages in production facilities. To this end, individual action plans are developed and implemented within the framework of the LIC. The Partnership companies exchange their experiences and good practices via regular peer learning formats.

Our goals

The objective of the project is to put the principles and practices of the Common Framework into practice by the participating Partnership companies and to adapt purchasing practices in order to improve the situation of workers in the production countries in the long term. Close cooperation with the manufacturers is an important prerequisite for achieving this objective.

Facts and Figures


Project duration	08/2023 – 04/ 2025
Focus topic	Living Wages and Purchasing Practices
BMZ focus topic	Poverty and Hunger
Project countries	Global
Involved Partnership members	Hugo Boss AG, KiK Textilien und Non-Food GmbH, WEITBLICK GmbH & Co. KG, Sympatex Technologies GmbH, Hch. Kettelhack GmbH & Co. KG, ALDI Nord Deutschland Stiftung & Co. KG
Implementation partners	KAYA&KATO GmbH, MSI Working Group for Responsible Purchasing Practices: Fair Wear Foundation, Ethical Trading Initiative, Ethical trade Norway, Solidaridad; GIZ Global Project “Initiative for global solidarity”