We welcome three new associate members
We welcome three new associate members
At its last meeting, the Steering Committee decided to accept Essenza Home, Kings of Indigo and Rademakers Fur and Fashion as associated members of the Textiles Partnership. Associate members can be companies that have signed the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile (AGT).
Essenza Home has been producing home textiles for over 60 years, especially bed and bath articles. The company has its headquarters in Amerongen (Netherlands) and its central warehouse in Borken (Germany). It is important for ESSENZA HOME to maintain long-term relationships with its suppliers and to use sustainable materials.
Kings of Indigo is a Dutch jeans label headquartered in Amsterdam. The company focuses on sustainable materials and the durability of its jeans. Kings of Indigo uses 98 percent organic cotton and, as a member of the Fair Wear Foundation, is committed to fair working conditions in its supply chain.
Rademakers Fur & Fashion exclusively uses natural materials, especially leather and skins, to make leather and winter jackets. The company produces 95% of its collection in Europe, of which 42% is produced in its own factory at the headquarters in Sittard (NL). Rademakers Fur & Fashion is committed to animal welfare and environmental protection along its supply chain.
The cooperation between the German and Dutch Textiles Partnership exists since January 2018. The core of the cooperation is the offer of associated membership: member companies of one initiative can benefit under simplified conditions from the membership and in particular from the support offers of the other initiative if they comply with the required publication obligations. This means that the commitment to entrepreneurial diligence in accordance with the OECD (due diligence) is also recognised by the other alliance and duplication of work is avoided. Alsico NV became the first associated member when it joined the Textile Alliance in July 2018.
"It came as no surprise to me that the three companies had just applied for associate membership of the German Textiles Partnership, " said Pierre Hupperts, board member AGT: "At AGT, companies must publicly report in the third year of their membership what they are doing to implement sustainability requirements. Since AGT was founded in July 2016, some 50 companies now had to publish their reports. They can also make these reports available to other interested stakeholders and consumers, including in Germany, an important market for Dutch fashion companies. I am very satisfied with the benefits that companies derive from the cooperation between AGT and the German Textiles Partnership. The cooperation enables joint actions to prevent, reduce and compensate for negative effects in textile supply chains."
"The associated membership for AGT members who are also active in the German market is an important and visible step towards a stronger alignment of the two initiatives. On the basis of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance we would like to coordinate the activities of our Partnership and AGT in order to jointly develop the due diligence of brands and retail in Europe. This is the only way to achieve sustainable improvements in the producing countries of the textile and clothing sector - both for the workers and for the environment, said Dr. Jürgen Janssen, head of the Partnership Secretariat.
