SDG 14 – Leben im Wasser

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SDG 14

SDG 14 - Life below Water

In textile production, some hazardous substances are used. Examples: Cotton cultivation sometimes uses pesticides that can harm people and the environment. In the processing of the fibers and fabrics, some toxic chemicals and dyes are used. However, these substances are dangerous not only for the workers, who come into direct contact with them and often without the necessary protective equipment, but also for the environment. For instance when factories do not properly purify or filter their wastewater and the chemicals enter the water cycle. Over time, many substances accumulate in soils, waters or living beings and lead to salinization and acidification of the waters.

The members of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles have committed themselves to gradually replacing more than 160 problematic chemicals in textile production with harmless substances. They are based on a list (MRSL) of the "Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals" (ZDHC) initiative or other standards. The list makes it easier for producers to operate a uniform chemical management system.

Several Partnership members are involved in a Partnership initiative to improve wastewater management in textile production. They combine three approaches: Firstly, the aim is to raise awareness of the problem in the factories and to build up knowledge. Secondly, it is important to harmonise the testing of wastewater by means of wastewater standards and to improve data quality. And thirdly, the initiative aims at cooperation and data exchange between all actors in the supply chain as well as with scientific institutions.

Projects Worldwide

Under "Projects worldwide" you find numerous projects of our members, which contribute in different ways to the achievement of the SDGs. If you are interested in a particular SDG, it is best to filter by sector risk.

Mehr zu den einzelnen SDGs und dem Beitrag des Textilbündnisses:

SDG 13 – Maßnahmen zum Klimaschutz

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SDG 13

SDG 13 - Climate Action

According to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, the production of textiles accounts for around 10 percent of global CO₂ emissions per year at 1.2 billion tons – more than all international flights and all shipping combined. Large quantities of climate-damaging gases are accounted for by the cultivation and extraction of resources, their processing and transport within the complex and often globally branched supply chain. Therefore, companies should measure the greenhouse gas emissions caused by their own business activities. These include, on the one hand, the emissions emitted directly into the atmosphere (direct emissions) – as a result of the company’s own activities or the activities that are under the control of the company. On the other hand, they should also measure their energy-related indirect emissions, which are caused by the consumption of electricity, heat, steam and cooling.

Ideally, companies measure their emissions throughout the supply chain so that they can then start exactly where they can achieve the greatest reduction. This approach leads to more sustainable decisions regarding the activities of the company and the products it procures, sells and manufactures. It is also possible for companies to determine the greenhouse gas emissions of a single product or to prepare an analysis for the entire product life cycle. Based on this, a company can make well-founded decisions on how to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its products. Even the choice of fibres and a product design designed for durability can significantly reduce emissions, as can optimisations in textile finishing, transport and packaging.

The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles has been a supporting organisation of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action since 2018. Since 2021, the charter has served as a reference framework for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the Textiles Partnership. It is part of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The aim is to gradually reduce CO₂ emissions along the entire textile value chain. In this way, climate neutrality is to be achieved by 2050 in order to limit climate change to a maximum of 1.5°C.

An expert group in the Textiles Partnership has developed a step-by-step plan that divides the requirements for companies into small sub-steps in order to make concrete starting points visible and measurable. With another tool, the Textiles Partnership offers its members a simplified overview of tools and options for balancing their emissions.

Projects Worldwide

Under "Projects worldwide" you find numerous projects of our members, which contribute in different ways to the achievement of the SDGs. If you are interested in a particular SDG, it is best to filter by sector risk.

Mehr zu den einzelnen SDGs und dem Beitrag des Textilbündnisses:

SDG 17 – Partnerschaften zur Erreichung der Ziele

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SDG 17

SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals

Whether it's living wages or banning toxic chemicals, textile supply chains pose a number of challenges that no actor can tackle alone due to the complexity and global design of supply chains. To make textile supply chains contribute to sustainable development, the state, the economy, and civil society must join forces and face these challenges together.

The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles acts as a role model and does not only unite different actors within Germany but also cooperates with other initiatives on an international level. The aim is to achieve more impact on-site to utilise synergies and minimise duplication of work. Since the implementation of corporate due diligence obligations in accordance with the recommendations of the OECD takes centre stage of the Partnership's work, the Textiles Partnership works closely with the OECD.

Further partnerships and cooperations are dedicated to individual sector risks and topics: For example, the Textiles Partnership is working with Action Collaboration Transformation (ACT) and the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) to promote living wages and complaint mechanisms. Together with the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC), the Textiles Partnership is working, among other things, to harmonise the sustainability requirements for companies on the basis of the due diligence approach of the OECD Guidelines and thus promote European and international alignment.

For better chemical management and the substitution of hazardous chemicals, the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles cooperates with the "Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals" (ZDHC) initiative and the "Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management" (SAICM). Together with the "Textile Exchange" and "Organic Cotton Accelerator" initiatives, the Textiles Partnership aims to promote the production of sustainable fibres. For more supply chain transparency, it cooperates with the "Open Apparel Registry". As a supporting organisation of the Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action, the Textiles Partnership is committed to climate protection.

Projects Worldwide

Under "Projects worldwide" you find numerous projects of our members, which contribute in different ways to the achievement of the SDGs. If you are interested in a particular SDG, it is best to filter by sector risk.

Mehr zu den einzelnen SDGs und dem Beitrag des Textilbündnisses:

SDG 16 – Frieden, Gerechtigkeit und starke Institutionen

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SDG 16

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Sustainable development requires peace and stability. Effective, responsible and transparent institutions, combined with judicial independence, the protection of human rights and effective law enforcement are all essential preconditions. Nevertheless, child labour is still globally prevalent and corruption can destroy progress on social and environmental issues.

Exploitation, child labour and corruption are sometimes still present in the textile supply chains that branch out worldwide. The members of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles have set the goal for themselves of changing these conditions and of making the contractual partners in the supply chain commit to the Partnership's social objectives. zu verpflichten.

In addition, all Partnership members must commit to zero tolerance for corruption and set individual goals to prevent corruption in their own company or in their supply chain. In this sense, the German Federal Government, associations, non-governmental organisations, trade unions and standard organisations also use their influence with political decision-makers. Manufacturers, retailers and brands also undertake to establish appropriate processes for dealing with cases of child and/or forced labour, to remedy them through effective measures and to prevent these forms of work in the future.

Projects Worldwide

Under "Projects worldwide" you find numerous projects of our members, which contribute in different ways to the achievement of the SDGs. If you are interested in a particular SDG, it is best to filter by sector risk.

Mehr zu den einzelnen SDGs und dem Beitrag des Textilbündnisses:

SDG 15 – Leben an Land

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SDG 15

SDG 15: Life on Land

2.6 billion people worldwide live on agriculture. Forests are home to more than 80 per cent of the world’s creatures. Nonetheless, humanity loses many areas of arable land and forests each year. This leads to a loss in the richness of species as well as in the basis of human life.

Cotton plays a major role in textile production, which is by far the most important natural fibre. After all, about 2.5 percent of the world's arable land is used for cotton cultivation. The promotion of sustainable cotton cultivation is therefore an important goal in the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles. In order to protect soils and waters and to preserve biodiversity, there are several options: modern cultivation methods and the cultivation of organic cotton or the reduction or complete renunciation of synthetic pesticides. Farmers achieve higher prices and often profit from sustainable trade relationships so that investments are worthwhile.

All members of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles have the common goal of increasing the share of sustainable cotton to 35 per cent by 2020, of which at least 10 per cent should come from organic farming. The Textiles Partnership members had already almost achieved this goal in 2018 (report). By 2025, as much as 70 percent of the cotton used in the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles is to be sustainable; organic cotton is to account for at least half of it.

Projects Worldwide

Under "Projects worldwide" you find numerous projects of our members, which contribute in different ways to the achievement of the SDGs. If you are interested in a particular SDG, it is best to filter by sector risk.

Mehr zu den einzelnen SDGs und dem Beitrag des Textilbündnisses:

SDG 12 – Nachhaltige*r Konsum und Produktion

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SDG 12

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

Humanity consumes far more resources than the earth offers. The Global Footprint Network has calculated that 3.2 earths would need if the entire world population were to live like people in Germany. If we take the lifestyles in Australia and the USA as a benchmark, it would even be five earths! The change to a way of life and economy that respects the natural limits of our planet is therefore overdue, but can only succeed if we change our ways of production and consumption. This also applies to textiles, because the textile sector is one of the most resource-intensive and environmentally harmful sectors, while consumption is increasing.

The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles actively promotes sustainable consumption and production patterns. Therefore, the Partnership organises various events and publishes many support materials, including a purchasing guideline to organic cotton for companies and a guideline to avoid toxic chemicals. All members of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles are also obliged to implement measures to raise awareness of sustainable textile production. Companies, for example, train their suppliers. Civil society organisations launch campaigns to inform consumers about sustainable textile consumption and thus raise public awareness of the environmental impact of the textile production.

Projects Worldwide

Under "Projects worldwide" you find numerous projects of our members, which contribute in different ways to the achievement of the SDGs. If you are interested in a particular SDG, it is best to filter by sector risk.

Mehr zu den einzelnen SDGs und dem Beitrag des Textilbündnisses:

SDG 10 – Weniger Ungleichheiten

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SDG 10

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

Global wealth is being unequally distributed: the top per cent of the world's population own 45 per cent of the global wealth. In 2018, 26 individuals owned as much as the 3.8 billion people constituting the poorest half of humanity. This growing financial inequality often leads to social discrimination and jeopardises the stability of society.

Inequality is also to be found in the textile industry: while companies make profits, workers are often forced to work for wages that are barely sufficient to feed themselves and their families. Since its foundation, living wages have been a central concern of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles and since 2019 it has also been anchored in the review process as an obligatory goal: All members must cooperate in a measure that aims to pay living wages to workers in production countries.

Furthermore, the Partnership Initiative on Living Wages supports, among others, approaches to wage increases in producing countries. With living wages, workers in the textile industry can not only secure the livelihood for themselves and their families, but also send their children to school and set aside a little money for emergencies. In this way, social and economic inequalities can be sustainably reduced.

Projects Worldwide

Under "Projects worldwide" you find numerous projects of our members, which contribute in different ways to the achievement of the SDGs. If you are interested in a particular SDG, it is best to filter by sector risk.

Mehr zu den einzelnen SDGs und dem Beitrag des Textilbündnisses:

SDG 8 – Menschenwürdige Arbeit und Wirtschaftswachstum

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SDG 8

SDG 8: Decent work and Economic Growth

Sufficient employment opportunities that allow decent work are a precondition for sustainable and inclusive economic growth. About 75 million people work in the textile and garment industry, most of them in developing and emerging countries. Textile production has created millions of jobs, especially in Asia. The textile industry is of major importance for the economic growth and development of many nations worldwide. However, the production and working conditions in some countries do not correspond to the standards defined on an international level. Workers in textile production must often endure insufficient building safety, dangerous working conditions, wages below the living wage, and unpaid overtime.

As a result, promoting access to remedy and reparation is a fundamental part of corporate due diligence. Workers in the textile supply chain must have the opportunity to draw attention to grievances in the workplace and to receive effective remedies if necessary. That is why the Textiles Partnership and its members, together with partners such as the Fair Wear Foundation, are committed to functioning and effective complaint mechanisms.

The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles defined various Partnership's social objectives. that are based on the conventions defined by International Labour Organisation (ILO). This includes, among others, the freedom of association, prohibition of child and forced labour as well as health and safety at the workspace. The members must compel compliance with these social Partnership Goals from all suppliers and partners, for example with a code of conduct. Furthermore, the members are obliged to establish processes for dealing with cases of child and forced labour.

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