With the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU CSDDD) underway, companies operating in the EU must educate themselves on how to carry out human rights due diligence (HRDD) across their supply chains. Fair Wear has decades of experience guiding 140+ member brands through implementing effective HRDD, thereby having accumulated invaluable practical knowledge. As a true multistakeholder initiative, Fair Wear connects and convenes brands, factories, workers, trade unions, NGOs and other industry influencers to raise the bar for social sustainability. Using the organisation’s expertise, the HRDD Academy is now in development, which will make Fair Wear’s resources accessible to all brands.
Once adopted, the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU CSDDD) will make it mandatory for certain companies operating in the EU to carry out human rights due diligence (HRDD) across their supply chains, as well as affecting those supplying these companies. In acknowledging companies’ global impact on human rights and the environment, the legislation promises to be a game-changer for building systematic positive change in the garment industry and beyond. That is, as long as there is alignment on how to implement and conduct HRDD effectively.
The Fair Wear methodology
For over 20 years, Fair Wear has collaborated with industry frontrunners – our member brands – to improve the lives of the people who make our clothes. Our role in this partnership is to support brands in developing the necessary knowledge and skillset for practising HRDD. This includes providing tools and guidance that member brands can use to improve their purchasing practices, which significantly impact working conditions. As a multi-stakeholder initiative, these mechanisms incorporate insights from across the whole industry.
‘The Academy’ Pilot
While European garment brands will soon have to follow the requirements of the EU CSDDD, Fair Wear wants to ensure that this is done in a consistent way.
As such, Fair Wear has been piloting the HRDD Academy throughout 2023. Just as our membership enables garment brands to become industry frontrunners in respecting human rights across their supply chains, the HRDD Academy provides participating brands with various resources and learning pathways to raise the bar for human rights in the garment industry.
During this pilot year, Fair Wear and participating brands have been developing and designing an understandable, thorough, hands-on facilitation for brands to implement their HRDD in line with the OECD guidelines – a solid preparation for the upcoming EU CSDDD.
What does this mean for Fair Wear’s membership?
Our pilot participants are existing Fair Wear member brands and non-member brands. After the year, participating member brands can choose whether to remain in the regular membership or join the HRDD Academy.
For member brands on the list above, there has been no performance check and no brand liaison has been assigned in 2023. Instead, these brands have had access to learning materials and have been meeting regularly with one another to share learnings t0 collectively build the future of the HRDD Academy.
Next steps
With the insights of the pilot, Fair Wear will develop the HRDD Academy for garment and footwear brands, starting in 2024. If you want to stay informed to learn more about the HRDD Academy please email [email protected]