Übersicht: Tools zur Messung der Treibhausgas-Emissionen

News
28.03.2022

Assessment of available tools for measuring GHG emissions

To help companies find the right tool for accounting their greenhouse gas emissions, the Expert Group on Climate Action developed an overview document in cooperation with the Öko-Institut: Assessment of available tools for measuring GHG emissions.

The document divides the tools according to established criteria: Approaches, scopes, target group, language and costs. You will also find a detailed description of each tool.

The overview is based on a pre-selection by a working group of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. The members of the expert group have expanded this pre-selection.

Guidance for the collection of gender-disaggregated data

News
24.03.2022

Guidance for the collection of gender-disaggregated data

Two new guides show how companies can better consider women when collecting data.

Although women make up the majority of employees in the textile indus-try, they are often overlooked in statistics. Systematic disadvantages and discrimination are not only detrimental to them personally, but also have negative consequences for the entire economy.

Data is an important basis for verifying compliance with human and labour rights, social and environmental standards. Statistics are also available for the textile sector and many compa-nies collect their own data. However, these are often not reliable or incomplete, because they do not differentiate by gender.

In particular, surveys on violence and harassment, health and safety, wages and complaints should differentiate by gender. If companies succeed in collecting and correctly interpreting gender-sensitive data, they can take targeted measures where (female) employees need special protection or improvements in working conditions.

Guidance to close data gaps

To meet these challenges, the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles has developed guidelines on gender data indicators in collaboration with BSR, the Ethical Trading Initiative, the Fair Wear Foundation, the Dutch Agreement for Sustainable Garments and Textiles and Sedex. They build on BSR's Gender Data and Impact (GDI) Framework and Tool and help companies and suppliers to gain a better overview and initiate effective measures.

Easier bundling of supply chain data

The guidance suggests collecting the indicators in three steps:

  1. Companies collect basic data broken down by gender, which is necessary to understand the composition of employees. As a result, the possible risk areas can already be deter-mined.
  2. The indicators help to identify specific risks. This allows companies to better understand gender impacts.
  3. Companies and suppliers look at indicators that facilitate a deeper insight into a partic-ular topic or risk areas. The effects of social norms are taken into account. Local coop-eration partners can support this and joint projects with other companies are possible.

More information can be found in the guidance:

Sehen Sie sich auch dieses kurze, animierte Video an, um zu erfahren, warum nach Geschlecht aufgeschlüsselte Daten wichtig sind und wie der gemeinsame Leitfaden Ihnen helfen kann

Webinar series: Textile Industry and Climate Change

News
14.03.2022

Webinar series: Textile Industry and Climate Change

Four online events provide an overview of the importance of climate change for the textile industry, the balancing of greenhouse gas emissions and suitable reduction measures.

Only recently, the sixth IPCC report was published, which once again emphasizes the urgency of committing oneself to climate protection. The authors warn that the consequences of climate change will be much more seri-ous in the long term than they are already felt today.

In order to illustrate the connection between climate change and the textile industry, the Part-nership for Sustainable Textiles, together with the Business Scouts for Development on behalf of the BMZ and the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, is inviting visitors to a four-part webinar series organised by the Oeko-Institut e.V.

29 March: Importance of climate change for companies

The first webinar will focus on the importance of climate change for the textile industry. The focus of this module is on legal requirements such as those of the Supply Chain Act. Partici-pants will also receive information on other existing and expected regulations, especially at EU level, which are also expected to affect the textile industry.

5 April: Climate risks for companies

At the second meeting, the organizers will focus on the risks of climate change that affect companies. They present guidelines, tools and examples that make it easier for companies to assess their climate risks. Based on this, they can initiate appropriate adaptation measures.

3 May: Recording of greenhouse gas emissions for companies

On 3 May, the focus will be on how GHG emissions can be recorded and accounted for. The Climate Action Playbook serves as a central handout. Participants will learn about different tools with their respective advantages and disadvantages that they can use to record their own GHG emissions.

12 May: Reduction of GHG emissions for companies

The fourth webinar is dedicated to the question of how companies can reduce their GHG emis-sions. The Oeko-Institut presents interfaces in the textile supply chain and measures for re-duction, such as renewable energies or an adapted product design.

The events are aimed both at companies in the textile sector that have already dealt with these questions and at those who want to get a first insight.

Further details on the individual webinars can be found in the program of the event series (in German).

21 June: Practical experiences: Recording GHG emissions
29 June: Practical experiences: Reducing GHG emissions

Call for participation: Learning & Implementation Community

News
10.03.2022

Purchasing Practices: CFRPP Learning and Implementation Community

Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices

Purchasing practices are crucial to improve the working conditions of workers in the supply chain. Therefore, purchasing practices are also very important for the work of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles and its members.

Companies, that want to shed light on their purchasing practices and make them more responsible, are invited to participate in the Learning & Implementation Community of the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices (CFRPP).

What are the goals of the Learning & Implementation Community?

The overarching goal of the Learning & Implementation Community is to improve working conditions along the supply chain through more responsible purchasing practices. The members share practical experiences and thus support each other in implementing the CFRPP. The aim is to develop practicable solutions for the various challenges with regard to responsible purchasing practices and to communitise concrete best practices.

Who can participate in the Learning & Implementation Community?

The Learning & Implementation Community is aimed at companies in the textile and clothing industry that want to make their purchasing practices more responsible. The CFRPP serves as a frame of reference. In addition, the Learning & Implementation Community creates a space for a structural dialogue between suppliers and purchasing companies.

What does the Learning & Implementation Community include?

The launch is scheduled for the second quarter of 2022. The following activities of the Learning & Implementation Community are expected to run for 1 to 1.5 years:

  • Inputs from experts, trainings, best practices, etc. to support participants in improving their purchasing practices
  • Application of individual elements of the framework in order to test the practical implementation in changing environments and, if necessary, to adapt them
  • About 3-4 joint online workshops per year as well as several workshops on topics on which companies and suppliers want to work together

 

Would you like to be part of the Learning & Implementation Community? Please contact Topsy Rödler or info@cfrpp.org.

Further information

PST members call on the German government to ratify ILO Convention 190

News
08.03.2022

PST members call on the German government to ratify ILO Convention 190

Violence and Harassment Convention

On International Women's Day, 33 members wrote a letter to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, Svenja Schulze, and the Federal Minister of Labour, Hubertus Heil. In the letter, they call on the German government to quickly ratify Convention 190 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to end violence and harassment in the world of work. The convention specifically highlights gender-based violence and harassment and formulates concrete requirements for companies.

"ILO Convention 190 is a historic milestone. These are perhaps the most far-reaching regulations on labour standards ever adopted by the ILO. The convention provides the first international definition of violence and harassment in the world of work. And especially important for women: it explicitly includes gender-based violence and harassment," says Christina Stockfisch (DGB), who was involved in the negotiations of the agreement.

So far, only ten countries have ratified the convention. When Greece and Italy signed the convention, the process began to move at the European level. In the coalition agreement, the German government announces that it will ratify the agreement.

In their letter, the Textiles Partnership members point out that an estimated 500 million women of working age live in countries without legal protection against violence and harassment in the workplace. In textile production, women make up an estimated 70 percent of the 60 million employees. They are often exposed to gender-based violence, harassed and discriminated. The corona pandemic has further exacerbated the situation. It is therefore even more important that the German Federal Government uses its strong position in the EU to promote the convention. With the signing, Germany could send a signal to partner and production countries to take decisive action against gender-based violence in the world of work.

The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles is committed to a social, ecological and corruption-free textile and clothing industry. By joining the Textiles Partnership, all members are committed to zero tolerance for gender-based violence and harassment – within their own organisation and with the contractual partners in the supply chain. Together, the approximately 130 members from the private sector, politics and civil society are committed to a working world free of violence and harassment, which is based on the principles of dignity, respect and equality. But that alone is not enough. "All actors, including the German Federal Government, must fulfil their responsibilities. Only sufficient legal framework conditions can break down structural barriers. An effective international agreement to end violence and harassment in the world of work is an important step in this direction,"the Partnership members write.

These 33 Partnership members have signed the letter to the German Federal Development Minister and the German Federal Minister of Labour: 3FREUNDE, ALDI Nord, ALDI Süd, Bierbaum-Proenen, Blutsgeschwister, Brands Fashion, Bundesverband der Deutschen Sportartikel-Industrie e.V. (BSI), CARE, Cotton made in Africa/Aid by Trade Foundation, Deltex, German Trade Union Confederation (DGB), erlich textil, Ethical Made, FaRev, FEMNET, Frauenwerk der Nordkirche, Global Nature Fund, GOTS, Greiff, HEJ Support, Hugo Boss, IG Metall, INKOTA, Institute of Development Research and Development Policy of the Ruhr University Bochum (IEE), International Association of Natural Textiles (IVN), Ivy & Oak, LIDL, Mantis World, SÜDWIND, Sympatex, Tchibo, VAUDE, VerbraucherService im KDFB e.V.

Textiles Partnership participates in the Standardization Roadmap on circular economy

News
28.02.2022

Textiles Partnership participates in the Standardization Roadmap on circular economy

A Standardization Roadmap is intended to provide an overview of the status quo of standardization in the field of circular economy, describe requirements and challenges for seven key topics and identify and formulate the concrete need for action for future norms and standards.

Creta Gambillara, who coordinates the topic circular economy on behalf of the Partnership Secretariat, is part of the textiles working group, where she shares the expertise and experiences from the Textiles Partnership. Among other things, the working group members take up the R strategies, including reduce, redesign, reuse, repair, recycling. This working group is not primarily concerned with the development of new norms and standards, but with the identification of needs, gaps in existing standardization and recommendations for the development of future standards.

Schedule and milestones

The German Institute for Standardization (DIN), the German Commission for Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies (DKE) and the Association of German Engineers (VDI) initiated the development of the Standardization Roadmap. The Federal Ministry of the Environment and the German Environment Agency are funding the project. The process started in June 2021. In the meantime, the preparatory phase has been completed and the working groups are starting. Experts from business, science, the public sector and civil society discuss the requirements and challenges of various industries, formulate concrete needs for action for norms and standards and incorporate them into national, European and international standardization bodies. The results will be published in December.

Seven key topics

The seven key topics addressed by the working groups are based on the focus topics of the EU Circular Economy Action Plan:

  • Electronics & ICT
  • Batteries
  • Packaging
  • Plastics
  • Textiles
  • Construction & municipalities
  • Digitalization/Business Models/Management

The initiators write on the website: "In achieving the goals of the Green Deal and Climate Protection Act 2021, the circular economy is of particular importance. In order to achieve the ambitious climate protection goals, new and revised technical rules for circular economy are now needed. The Circular Economy Standardization Roadmap defines the path for this and thus drives the green transformation of Germany and Europe."

Circular economy in the Textiles Partnership

The aim of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles is a social, ecological and corruption-free textile and clothing industry and improvements along the entire textile life cycle. Respect for human rights and business within planetary boundaries guide the action. Circular economy is therefore also an important and firmly anchored topic in the Textiles Partnership with an expert group, various projects and support materials.

Further information:

Read more in the DIN article, the DKE article and the press release.

Transformation areas of the German Sustainable Development Strategy

News
01.03.2022

Transformation areas of the German Sustainable Development Strategy

Human well-being, energy transition and climate protection, circular economy and a pollutant-free environment

In 2021, the German Federal Government published its further developed sustainability strategy. In it, it emphasizes the need to make ambitious progress, especially in key areas of transformation. The six transformation areas address several goals of the 2030 Agenda and emphasize their interaction.

"In order to achieve the goals of the Sustainable Development Strategy and the 2030 Agenda, we must embark on the path of a truly ambitious transformation that includes important areas such as energy and climate protection, health, circular economy, housing, transport, food and agriculture," said former German Chancellor Angela Merkel in her foreword to the strategy.

The aim of the Textile Partnership is a social, ecological and corruption-free textile and clothing industry and improvements along the entire textile life cycle. Respect for human rights and business within planetary boundaries guide the action. Through its activities, the Textiles Partnership contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals. The contribution of the Textiles Partnership to individual SDGs is demonstrated by the SDG MappingIn this way, it also supports engagement in four of the six transformation areas.

Human well-being and abilities

The transformation area human well-being and skills, social justice links SDGs 1, 3, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10.

In order to enable human well-being worldwide, the necessary conditions must be created: human rights must be respected and work must be adequately remunerated. Social protection must be created and gender inequalities must be combated. Social structures that prevent marginalized population groups and minorities from leading a self-determined life must be changed. All this also and above all applies along global value chains.

The Textiles Partnership contributes to this transformation area through its work on the following sector risks:

Discrimination, Sexual Harassment & Gender-based Violence
Health & Security
Chemical use and wastewater
Wages and Social Security
Working Hours
Child and Forced Labour
Energy transition and climate protection

The transformation area of energy transition and climate protection (SDGs 7 and 13) requires an integrated approach based on climate protection. This also includes halving energy consumption by 2050. Greenhouse gas emissions and economic growth must be decoupled from each other.

The Textiles Partnership contributes to this transformation area through its work on sector risk climate protection and greenhouse gas emissions.

Climate and GHG Emissions
Circular Economy

The circular economy transformation area (SDGs 8, 9, 12) takes into account the need to decouple growth from resource consumption. Consumption and production must take place within planetary boundaries. It is about both individual consumption and the transformation of the value creation patterns that underlie our production. Resource efficiency, circular economy and sustainable supply chains are just as necessary as the avoidance or responsible disposal of waste.

The Textiles Partnership contributes to this transformation area through its work on sector risk environmental protection, the use of resources and fibres.

Environmental protection & use of resources
Pollutant-free environment

A pollutant-free environment creates the basis for physical and mental health and well-being. In addition to all the ecological SDGs (6, 13, 14, 15), this area of transformation also addresses some social goals (SDGs 3, 11) and has an indirect impact on economic goals (in particular SDG 8).

The Textiles Partnership contributes to this transformation area through its work on the following sector risks:

Chemical use and wastewater
Environmental protection & use of resources
Climate and GHG Emissions
Health & Security
Read more about the individual SDGs and the contribution of the Textiles Partnership here:

Opportunities and challenges in recyclability

News
21.02.2022

Opportunities and challenges in recyclability

Presentation of the project results on product cloning

Designing products in a sustainable and recyclable way? This is possible, as a project of the Recycling Working Group has now shown. The aim of the project is to develop more sustainable product upgrades or versions. Nine Partnership companies nominated ten of their products and had them analysed by the Faculty of Textile and Clothing Technology at the Niederrhein University of Applied Sciences with regard to recyclability, longevity and grade purity. At the beginning of February, Prof. Dipl.-Des. Ellen Bendt, Prof. Dr. Maike Rabe, M. Sc. Benita Rau and the students involved in the project presented the results and gave each company individual feedback on their product.

Keeping the ecological footprint as low as possible

The main challenge is that there is no deterioration in the ecological footprint of a product as the researchers emphasized right at the beginning. The selection of raw materials, the manufacturing process, the using phase and recycling may have led to a worsening of the economy and overall ecobalance according to the current state of technology. Important areas of adjustment are avoidance, life extension and recycling, which can be illustrated by the R-strategies (derived from the waste hierarchy):

Various examples from the project showed how this can be achieved in concrete ways. Regarding the backpack from deuter, for example, the use of materials could be further minimized if unnecessary seams and parts were forewent. The wedding dress from IVY OAK could be re-dyed after the wedding and then worn as a casual dress. The strategy of modularity was particularly illustrated by hiking trousers from Ortovox: inner trousers and outer trousers are held together by a belt, but can be easily separated from each other for washing or repairing.

Barriers and challenges

In addition to many creative solutions and ideas for better recyclability, the university team also addressed barriers and challenges. For instance, different materials and colors can be dyed or decolorized differently. Garments with membranes, which are often used outdoors, can sometimes be recycled mechanically or chemically with little or only a lot of effort. Digitally applicable membranes and monomaterial inserts could be a solution that enables stability and durability.

Finally, the conclusion of the project team is: the replica of the ten objects from recycled raw materials, so that they are recyclable themselves, can already be presented in parts. For socks, work trousers, hiking trousers and bed linen, they found convincing solutions which maintain the style and basic function as a permanent product DNA. Regarding other products, they developed proposals for generations of the clones in the sense of the circular economy, including a wedding dress, backpack, shirt, two weather jackets, and laminates.

OECD Forum: Textiles Partnership co-organises two side sessions