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Workshop: Risiken in der tieferen Lieferkette adressieren

News
19.08.2022

Workshop: Risiken in der tieferen Lieferkette adressieren

How can companies better record risks along the entire textile supply chain in order to fulfil their social and ecological due diligence obligations in a more targeted manner? In a workshop at the Textile Partnership working meeting in May, around 30 members exchanged views on this.

Für Unternehmen ist es wichtig, die sozialen und ökologischen Risiken in ihrer Lieferkette zu analysieren und zu priorisieren. Bislang beschränkt sich die Risikoanalyse jedoch häufig nur auf direkte Zulieferer (Tier 1) und dringt nicht bis in tiefere Stufen der Lieferkette vor.

Ziel des Workshops „Beyond tier 1 – due diligence risks in the deeper supply chains” war es deshalb, Herausforderungen und Lösungsansätze zu diskutieren, wie Unternehmen Risiken gezielter und systematischer erfassen und so auch in der tieferen Lieferkette ihrer Sorgfaltspflicht besser nachkommen können.

Die Risiken können sich je nach Stufe der Lieferkette oder Produktionsland unterscheiden:

Quelle: Textilbündnis-Handreichung: Schritt für Schritt durch den Review-Prozess.

Input von Silvia Mera

Zu Beginn des Workshops gab Silvia Mera Einblicke in ihrer Arbeit bei von GoodWeave International und wie sie dort, mit Zulieferbetrieben zusammenarbeiten und die Arbeitsbedingungen in den Betrieben überprüfen. Laut Mera sind zwei Aspekte besonders wichtig:

  • Effektive Standards (z. B. Verhaltenskodex), die sich auf alle Ebenen der Lieferkette beziehen,
  • Inspektionen und Überwachung (z. B. unangekündigte schnelle Fabrikaudits) Abhilfe und Vorbeugung (z. B. Bewusstseinsbildung, bei Heimarbeitern auch auf Ebene der Familie)
Vertrauter Austausch, anstatt einseitiger Top-Down Maßnahmen

Risiken zu ermitteln, gestaltet sich vor allem dann schwierig, wenn Unternehmen keinen direkten Kontakt zu ihren Lieferanten haben oder ihre tiefere Lieferkette nicht kennen. Die Komplexität und Vielzahl an Akteuren erschweren den Austausch über soziale und ökologische Risiken. Diese Distanz lässt sich nicht mit einseitiger Kontrolle seitens der Unternehmen verringern, sondern erfordert den langfristigen Aufbau vertrauensbasierter Beziehungen in der tieferen Lieferkette.

Einheitliche Standards und Instrumente können helfen, Akteure in der tieferen Lieferkette zu motivieren, Risiken gemeinsam mit Geschäftspartnern zu adressieren und auf Missstände aufmerksam zu machen.  Gleichwohl fehlten bislang einheitliche Standards, an denen Unternehmen sich orientieren können. Im Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (FSLM) sahen die Teilnehmenden ein geeignetes Tool, das produzierende Unternehmen anhand von neun sozialen Kategorien unterstützt, die Arbeitsbedingungen in ihrem Betrieb zu analysieren und zu verbessern.

An Ende des Workshops stand dieses Fazit: Derzeit gibt es keine umfassenden Standards oder Empfehlungen, um sozialen und ökologischen Risiken in der gesamten Lieferkette systematisch anzugehen. Für Marken bedeutet dies, dass sie viel Zeit und Mühe aufwenden müssen, um mit ihren mit ihren Tier-2-Lieferanten in Kontakt zu treten und vertrauensvolle Beziehungen aufzubauen, um die Arbeitsbedingungen zu verbessern.

Risikobasierter Ansatz im Textilbündnis

Eine individuelle Risikoanalyse anhand von elf sozialen, ökologischen und Korruptions-Risiken (Sector Risks) ist daher Grundlage der Berichterstattung im Textilbündnis (Review-Prozess). Basierend auf den Ergebnissen der Risikoanalyse und Risiko-Priorisierung leiten die Unternehmen Ziele und Maßnahmen ab, um potenziellen Risiken vorzubeugen und tatsächliche negative Auswirkungen abzumildern.

Weitere Infos zum Review-Prozess: Der Review-Prozess – Bündnis für nachhaltige Textilien (textilbuendnis.com)

 

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Xhaferi-Salihu: Climate transition as risk and opportunity

News
18.08.2022

Xhaferi-Salihu: Climate transition as risk and opportunity

Guest commentary by Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu

Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu leads the work at the United Nations on the engagement of various industries for climate protection. She also played a leading role in the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. At the Textile Partnership working meeting in May 2022 , she participated as one of six experts in the panel discussion “Mitigating climate risks in the textile and garment industry: How to achieve the 2030 goals of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action“.  

Below you can read excerpts from her guest article in the Textile Partnership Annual Report 2021. The full article can be found in the online Annual Report 2021.

More and more actors in the textile and fashion industry are becoming active

Over the last three years, it became apparent that many organisations in the textile sector were intensifying their climate protection efforts. More and more companies focused on energy efficiency, renewable energy and low-carbon logistics. Others have set targets for low-carbon materials and are focusing on circular economy and regenerative agriculture. 

Xhaferi-Salihu observes many innovations, but also points out that these have not yet taken place on a large scale and that the efforts of individual actors are not sufficient to achieve the necessary substantial changes.

Climate change is not a question of business competition and can only be tackled together

These changes required great leaps in energy efficiency, renewable power generation and the development of cutting-edge technologies. Xhaferi-Salihu points out that more and more solutions are emerging and companies should consider all available tools and use those that are best suited for them.

What is needed is an "inclusive multilateralism". By this, the expert means mutually reinforcing intersections between all actors involved. She sees this as perhaps the only chance to advance ambitions that will lead to the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the SDGs:

"This sector can do so much to not only take direct climate action but influence the action of others. The Paris Agreement shows that we, as a people, as humanity, should and can work together towards positive change. But we must all work together to make it happen – in all parts of society and in all parts of the world for the benefit of all people for generations to come."

The benefits outweigh the costs in the long run

Climate protection and adaptation are associated with considerable costs. In the long run, however, these expenses pay off. This insight is also gaining ground in the financial world - in favour of companies that have a plan for low-carbon and resilient development. Xhaferi-Salihu's urgent appeal: the fashion industry must seize this opportunity.

You can find the whole article in the online Annual Report 2021.

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Kreislauffähige Produktklone: Start der 2. Phase

News
15.08.2022

Recyclable product clones: Start of the 2nd project phase

Now that the first phase has been successfully completed, the aim is to include further product categories.

In 2021, the Recycling Working Group of the Expert Group on the Circular Economy launched the project "Recyclable Product Clones" . The aim is to develop more sustainable and recyclable updates of products, to counter conventional linear designs with alternative approaches and to develop innovative solutions for recyclable products.

Product clones refer to the reproduction of an object that is made from recycled raw materials and meets the criteria of longevity, recyclability and circularity. Thus, the product clone is not a copy, but an improvement of the original. The style and basic functions of the original are retained. This process reduces the ecological footprint of the product as much as possible.

In cooperation with the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology (FTB) at Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences, nine Partnership companies had ten of their products, including outdoor trousers, a wedding dress and socks, analysed in the first phase of the project with regard to criteria that are crucial for a sustainable circular economy: Circularity, longevity, purity of type and recyclability.

The follow-up phase of the project is based on the same foundation: identify levers for adjustment, alternative solutions and new concepts. In phase 2, design constructions are now being drafted for further product categories in order to derive product-specific recommendations for companies. Thus, companies will receive specific guidelines on how they can improve their products in terms of a sustainable circular economy. Five Partnership companies are participating and have some of their jackets analysed. The results are to be presented in spring 2023.

These members are participating:

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"Complaints are not the end of the world, but important"

News
28.07.2022

"Complaints are not the end of the world, but important"

How can complaints mechanisms be made more effective and easier to access for workers? This question was discussed by around 30 Partnership members at a workshop.

Access to complaints mechanisms, redress and legal support are important components of corporate due diligence. Workers in the textile industry need channels or points of contact to raise awareness of workplace grievances and receive support and redress.

Awareness of rights and trust in complaints mechanisms

Arbeiter*innen müssen ihre Rechte kennen und wissen, wie und wo sie Missstände melden können. Dafür haben sich unter anderem niedrigschwellige Apps bewährt. Auch Trainings helfen, Beschäftigten in Produktionsstätten für ihre Rechte zu sensibilisieren und ihnen die Thematik näher zu bringen.

Complaint structures exist both within factories and across factories or even countries. If they function well, i.e. are accessible to those potentially affected, this leads to more complaints. The Partnership members at the workshop see this as a positive sign: "Complaints are not the end of the world, they are important."

All actors in the textile supply chain, such as suppliers and business partners, should therefore see reporting of workplace grievances as a productive and necessary element for transparent dialogue and a more sustainable textile industry. It is crucial that those potentially affected have confidence in the mechanisms and do not have to fear negative consequences.

Tackling challenges together

Partnership members also discussed challenges: Complaints mechanisms often cover social issues, but environmental issues too little or not at all. Furthermore, complaints mechanisms are not available in all countries from which alliance companies buy. Furthermore, there is a lack of approaches for the deeper supply chain.

Participants also noted that if there are too many different mechanisms, approaches and requirements, it quickly becomes confusing for all involved. Partnership members therefore advocated harmonising complementary or fragmented complaints systems where possible and appropriate. Tried and tested mechanisms should be promoted and access should be made available to even more workers.

How is the Textile Partnership working on effective complaints mechanisms?

The Textile Partnership has a strategy circle consisting of representatives of all stakeholder groups. On the one hand, the strategy group aims to pursue cooperation with other sector initiatives that have complaints mechanisms or are also working on this issue. On the other hand, the strategy group wants to strengthen local contact points for workers.

In addition, several members have joined the Partnership Initiative "Complaints Mechanisms" and launched cooperation projects, such as the module to open up the Fair Wear grievance mechanism to Partnership members or the strengthening internal complaints mechanisms in Pakistan. In addition, the three Partnership members Primark, C&A and Orsay support the local NGO MUDEM, which offers a contact point for Syrian refugees in the Turkish textile industry through the Worker Support Centre (Details of the MUDEM-Project).

The workshop was part of this year's Textiles Partnership Working Meeting on 17 and 18 May in Berlin. The unconference format offered Partnership members the opportunity to propose their own topics and questions that they would like to work on together.  

Further information on complaints mechanisms:

Partnership Initiative "Complaints Mechanisms"

MUDEM-Project

Pakistan-Project

Complaints Mechanisms

Due Diligence

Guidance Complaints Mechanisms (2018)

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Workshop: Using data to achieve more transparency in supply chains

News
27.07.2022

Workshop: Using data to achieve more transparency in supply chains

How can companies better record supply chain data in order to fulfil their social and ecological due diligence obligations in a more efficient way? In a workshop at the Textile Partnership working meeting in May, around 30 members exchanged views on this.

In order to be able to ensure corporate due diligence, it is necessary to know one's own supply chain as precisely as possible and to establish transparency. Companies should know which actors are involved in the production of their products, where they are produced and under what circumstances. Only with this knowledge can they identify and address social and environmental risks. The complexity and diversity of suppliers in textile supply chains has so far made it difficult to reliably collect the necessary data.

The aim of the workshop "Reliable Supply Chain Data for the Implementation of Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence" was therefore to discuss challenges and possible solutions on how to collect data more efficiently and systematically and how to better map textile supply chains.

The deeper the supply chain, the thinner the data base

Obtaining reliable data from the supply chain and creating transparency becomes more difficult the deeper companies go into the supply chain - for example, in the sourcing of cotton. Often companies have no direct contact or do not know their deeper supply chain. The multiplicity of suppliers and complexity of the supply chain also complicate data exchange as well as verification and quality assurance. In addition, there are many different methods and requirements with varying focus, but hardly any uniform standards for the collection and management of data.

Digital tools can help to collect data in a systematic way and fill data gaps, for example with databases, platforms and tools such as Open Apparel Registry or HIGG. They should also be used for deeper supply chain levels. There is also potential in blockchain technology. However, the alliance members in the workshop also stressed that certain data protection requirements must be guaranteed in all of this.

Exchange of information requires mutual trust

Many suppliers are reluctant to share data, often for fear of negative consequences. In addition, not all actors in the supply chain are aware of the benefits of reliable data. Therefore, many Partnership members emphasised that, on the one hand, continuous dialogue and mutual trust are important to address the issue with suppliers and thus create more trust. On the other hand, financial investments are also needed to build up the necessary capacities and systems.

Multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Textile Partnership can provide support, raise awareness and promote the harmonisation of data. The Textile Partnership has an expert group on supply chain transparency and cooperates with the Open Apparel Registry (OAR). In the course of this, the Textile Partnership has published an aggregated list with a total of around 6,850 production sites of 23 member companies via the OAR.

The workshop was part of this year's Textile Partnership working meeting on 17 and 18 May in Berlin. The unconference format gave Partnership members the opportunity to propose their own topics and questions that they would like to work on together. 

Further Information:

Information on supply chain transparency and cooperation with the Open Apparel Registry

Open Supply Hub: Launch der Beta-Version

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CFRPP: A Reference Document for Responsible Purchasing Practices

News
21.07.2022

CFRPP: A Reference Document for Responsible Purchasing Practices

The "Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices" now provides an aligned reference document for the garment industry. Several multi-stakeholder initiatives have developed the document and hope that the framework will help to focus attention on the changes needed, as a contribution to improved impact.

Companies have a duty to conduct human rights due diligence for their international activities and revising their purchasing practices is an important element of this. They have the potential to support and enable improved working conditions, the implementation of living wages and better planning and business sustainability among suppliers.

The goal of the framework is to serve as a joint reference point for companies working to improve their purchasing practices and for multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSI) supporting their member companies in implementing practical improvements in purchasing, to increase the scope for improved working conditions in supply chains. The framework is the result of a 2-year process between a group of MSIs. These include the Ethical Trading Initiative, Ethical Trade Norway and Denmark, Fair Wear, the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles and the Dutch Agreement for Sustainable Garments (AGT). The Working Group also consulted with ACT (Action Collaboration Transformation), Better Buying Institute, Better Work and amfori.

The framework recognises and emphasises that the responsibility to respect human rights and environmental standards in textile supply chains cannot be placed solely on suppliers, but that purchasing companies must also take responsibility. Action needs to be taken by purchasing companies to amend their purchasing practices, where these undermine good working conditions.

Companies are now building a "Learning and Implementation Community" to use the CFRPP and the support of the MSI to learn from and with each other on how to improve their purchasing practices.

Studies prove the influence of purchasing practices on working conditions in the supply chain

Studies by the International Labour Organisationthe Better Buying Institute and the Joint Ethical Trading Initiatives have demonstrated: poor purchasing practices by some brands and retailers have contributed to and even driven human rights issues in supply chains. This trend prevails even where issues such as low wages and long working hours are prohibited in those same companies’ own human rights policies and standards.

Late sign off and changes in product requirements or volumes can result in long working hours for workers and increased use of temporary workers and subcontracting. Only 17% of suppliers responding to an ILO survey said that their orders had long enough lead times. Over half (52%) of textile clothing suppliers said that they accepted prices lower than their production costs and a third of these said this made it difficult to pay workers’ wages and also had an impact on business sustainability. Long payment terms of more than two months also means that suppliers are holding the financial risk and this can make their businesses vulnerable.

A framework for a common understanding of responsible purchasing practices

This Working Group released the draft framework (CFRPP), in November 2021 to discuss with stakeholders, based on a benchmarking exercise of a wide range of documents on the topic. The Working Group has now finalised the document, after evaluating and incorporating feedback from a wide range of stakeholders. 34 organisations actively contributed with detailed suggestions and proposals. A document has been shared with the updated framework, to summarise the feedback given and how it has been integrated.

„Das Common Framework ist ein wichtiger Schritt zu verantwortungsvollen Einkaufspraktiken. Wir erhoffen uns davon, dass Unternehmen dem Thema mehr Aufmerksamkeit schenken und notwendige Veränderungen ihrer Einkaufspraktiken einleiten. Die Multi-Stakeholder-Initiativen in der Arbeitsgruppen, zu der auch das Textilbündnis gehört, wollen ihre Mitglieder unterstützen, gemeinsam Fortschritte erzielen und die Bemühungen so weit wie möglich aufeinander abstimmen,“ says the head of the Partnership Secretariat, Jürgen Janssen.

Five principles for responsible purchasing practices

The framework groups different aspects of RPP into five Principles:

Learning and Implementation Community

Moving forward, the MSI Working Group on Purchasing Practices is mobilising companies committed to taking new actions to improve their purchasing practices. A group of these companies will join a peer-learning environment for two years from September 2022, called the ‘Learning and Implementation Community’ (LIC). Clothing retailers and brands from a wide range of countries including Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK, will be involved in a series of online interactive workshops, which will include discussions and problem solving with suppliers on particular topics. The LIC will be developing resources including guidelines, case studies, tools and video resources that will be shared more widely so that other companies and stakeholders can benefit from the learning of the community.

Background information

The goal of the framework is to serve as a joint reference point for companies working to improve their purchasing practices and for multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSI) supporting their member companies in implementing practical improvements in purchasing, to increase the scope for improved working conditions in supply chains. The framework is the result of a 2-year process between a group of MSIs:

The framework is based on a benchmarking of existing documents and standards of the involved MSIs and others that have published recommendations on responsible purchasing. It also integrates key elements from the recent Whitepaper by the Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative (STTI). The MSI Working Group is working closely with the Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative to ensure that suppliers are part of these discussions, which is essential as steps are taken towards a fairer balance in buyer-supplier relations.

The LIC is funded by the Initiative for Global Solidarity (IGS) implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH (supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the Sustainable Textile Initiative: Together for Change (STITCH) (supported by the Dutch Government).

Documents to download
Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices
Download Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices
CFRPP: Learning and Implementation Community
Download CFRPP Learning and Implementation Community
CFRPP: Stakeholder Consultation
Download CFRPP Stakeholder Consultation

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Thinking Ahead: Collective Engagement in the Textile Partnership

News
15.07.2022

Thinking Ahead: Collective Engagement in the Textile Partnership

How can we strengthen our Collective Engagement for better working and environmental conditions in the producing countries? Around 30 Partnership members discussed this question in a workshop.

Collective Engagement is an important component of the Textile Partnership. Because where individual actors reach their limits, members can work together to achieve better results for people and the environment in production countries. Thus, several members join forces in Partnership Initiatives and Projects , for example for living wages, good wastewater management, effective grievance mechanisms and improvements in working conditions in Tamil Nadu, South India.

At a workshop at the Textile Partnership working meeting in May, members discussed how the Textile Partnership can become even better in Collective Engagement and achieve greater impact on the ground in the producing countries.

More involvement and projects desired

Many members voluntarily participate in one or even several Partnership initiatives. In order to increase the impact of the Collective Engagement, a broader participation from all groups of actors is necessary. Therefore, the members' own initiative should be strengthened, and the offers expanded so that in the future every member can find a project in which they can engage meaningfully and in a way that fits their own goals and individual business model.

Intensive exchange is crucial for multi-stakeholder initiatives

The strengths and challenges of a multi-stakeholder initiative are also evident in the Collective Engagement. The different actors and their respective expertise are characteristic and valuable for the Textile Partnership. At the same time, the diverse positions, experiences, and interests require an intensive and regular exchange. The Partnership members also emphasised this in the workshop and spoke out in favour of further exchange formats, for example to find ideas, plan and implement joint projects, but also to share best practices with each other. Furthermore, it is necessary to recognise the different levels of experience (beginners vs. pioneers) of the Partnership members and to support each other.

In addition, it is a concern to open up projects - where appropriate and possible - to other organisations and to involve more local actors and rights holders. Impact measurement, transparency and risk analysis are important so that projects can be better planned and more efficient in the future.

Further information:

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Sustainable textile industry until 2050: GFA calls on the industry and points out solutions

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13.07.2022

Sustainable textile industry until 2050: GFA calls on the industry and points out solutions

Social and environmental sustainability are imperative - the Global Fashion Agenda (GFA) emphasises this in their recently published GFA Monitor, offering practical guidance, information, and solutions.

A more sustainable textile industry by 2050 and the achievement of the goals of the Paris Agreement are the vision of the GFA. Companies in the textile industry have a special responsibility in this regard. Currently, with the plethora of existing information on the topic of sustainability, it can be a great challenge for individual textile companies to find individually suitable measures.

That's where the GFA Monitor comes in and aims to provide guidance. It includes clear measures and goals, highlights best practices, and addresses data and solutions for greater sustainability. In addition, the GFA Monitor is intended to serve as an annual assessment of progress, thus promoting self-responsibility and self-reflection.

Five priorities for sustainability

The monitor builds on the 2018 Fashion CEO Agenda and is also guided by five "Sustainability Priorities."

  • Respectful and Secure Work Environments
  • Better Wage Systems
  • Resource Stewardship
  • Smart Materials Choices
  • Circular systems

GFA says it hopes the Monitor will "mobilise and inspire fashion leaders to make bold commitments and take decisive action on the five priorities to build a better future for their brands, their value chain partners, garment workers, and the planet."

Experts from more than 30 organisations worked together to develop the GFA Monitor. They include the Textile Partnership's cooperation partners Textile Exchange, ACT, Fair Wear Foundation and ZDHC, as well as Partnership member WWF, apparel impact institute, Ellen Macarthur Foundation, Social & Labour Convergence Program, BSR, Fair Labor and The Industry We Want.

The GFA Monitor is available on the Global Fashion Agenda website: https://globalfashionagenda.org/resource/the-gfa-monitor/

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First legally binding convention on gender-based violence concluded in India

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11.07.2022

First legally binding convention on gender-based violence concluded in India

With the "Dindigul Agreement to End Gender-Based Violence and Harassment" (GBVH), there is for the first time in the Asian textile industry a legally binding agreement to end sexual violence and harassment of female workers.

The agreement has a sad background: in 2021, the textile worker Jeyasre Kathiravel was murdered by her superior. Subsequently, colleagues publicly denounced a culture of violence against women in their workplace. This led to the "Justice for Jeyasre" campaign and finally to the Dindigul Agreement. 

The Dindigul Agreement is a legally binding agreement that commits H&M to support and enforce the TTCU-Eastman Exports Agreement. If Eastman Exports breaches its obligations to TTCU, H&M is obligated to impose business consequences on Eastman Exports under the terms of the agreement. 

The agreement initially affects more than 5,000 employees at Natchi Apparel and Eastman Spinning Mills. Most of them are women between the ages of 18 and 22, who belong to the Indian Dalit caste and are therefore particularly often affected by discrimination. Migrant workers, who often do not speak the local language Tamil, should also benefit from the Dindigul agreement.  

Signatories include supplier Eastman Exports, Partnership company H&M and local trade union Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union (TTCU), as well as support Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union Labor Rights Forum (GLJ-ILRF). During the virtual meeting of the expert group on gender-based violence on 22 June, Thivya Rakini from TTCU, Sahiba Gill, GLJ, and Nandita Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA) und Global Labour Justice – International Labor Rights Forum Shivakumar, AFWA, presented the convention. 

The focus of the convention is to create conditions for union-led action to end gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH). Instruments include: 

  • Enabling collective action against GBVH through AFWA Safe Circles:The Dindigul agreement implements the AFWA concept of "Safe Circles", a programme led by workers and trade unions to train, monitor and remedy GBVH.  
  • Implementation of international standards on gender and freedom of assembly and collective bargaining, in particular ILO Convention 190, 87 und 98 
  • Protection of particularly vulnerable persons, due to caste or migration status
  • Protection of the right to form and join trade unions and unhindered access of trade unions to factories 
  • Promotion of internal complaints committees and complaint mechanisms 
Further information

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The "perfect" solution for circular economy?

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07.07.2022

The "perfect" solution for circular economy?

How do companies approach circular economy? What are the biggest challenges? In a workshop at the Textiles Partnership Working Meeting, around 30 members exchanged views on this topic.

The topic of circular economy is booming – also in the Textiles Partnership. Since 2020 an expert group is working on the topic and in March 2021 we started a project on circular product clones. In the workshop on 18 May, several Partnership companies reported that they have already become active in the field of circular economy. They have conducted training courses and built working groups within their companies.

In all of this,careful coordination and Koordination und vor allem eine abteilungsübergreifende Kommunikation within the company is important: "We need joint projects and a first step would be to take different players and teams into companies that otherwise do not communicate with each other in order to realize projects." Decision makers should be involved earlier and more closely in the processes. 

Multiple approaches to solutions: Recycling, re-use and take-back systems

Several participants reaffirmed that great importance was attached to the longevity and high quality of the materials in order to enable, for example, "textile to textile" recycling and circular business models.  

The workshop also showed that many companies are already experimenting with pilot projects, but that industry-wide solutions have so far been lacking. Nevertheless, the members agreed that one should not concentrate too much on the search for the perfect solution, but that one should approach various solutions step by step. Interim solutions could be to use more recycled materials, to lend or rent clothes to customers. It is also possible to have our own take-back system that creates incentives for customers to return worn clothes instead of throwing them away. 

The workshop was part of this year's Textiles PartnershipWorking Meetine on 17 and 18 May in Berlin. The unconferenceformat offered Partnership members the opportunity to propose their own topics and questions that they would like to work on together.  

Further information

Sector risk Environmental protection & use of resources  

Project of the WG Recycling: Recyclable Product Clones and its results 

Textiles Partnership participates in the Standardization Roadmap on circular economy 

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