Fair Wear member companies urge MEPs to vote in favour of EU CSDDD

Around 30 EU-based Fair Wear member companies have published a joint opinion piece in The Parliament Magazine in support of the JURI proposal for the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (EU CSDDD), urging Members of European Parliament (MEPs) to vote in favour of the latest proposal for the EU CSDDD.  

Getting behind the directive means that these garment companies understand the positive impact that EU-wide legislation can have not only for human rights and the environment but also for business. At Fair Wear, we have long advocated for effective human rights due diligence (HRDD) in line with the OECD guidelines, which is why we have developed our HRDD policy and facilitation tool to help our member brands build more robust, reliable, and, ultimately, responsible value chains. For the wider industry to also move beyond the incumbent compliance approach, legislation such as this is required. 

The EU CSDDD is set to provide a coherent set of rules that will guide European garment brands in implementing human and environmental rights due diligence (HREDD) across their supply chains inside and outside of Europe. We spoke to Bablur Rahman, our country manager in Bangladesh, to hear how the legislation can impact the country’s garment industry: 

“The garment industry accounts for 83% of Bangladesh’s total export earnings. A commitment to advancing safety measures since the Rana Plaza collapse and the Tazreen Group factory fire, through The International Accord/RSC for example, is largely responsible for this boom. And yet, the initiative is not yet complete and there is still a long way to go to improve the working conditions for the 4.4 million people employed in the sector.  Buying companies play a crucial role in bringing about this progress. Legislation such as the EU CSDDD is therefore very welcomed, as it promises to ensure businesses address adverse impacts across their value chains outside of Europe. It’s especially encouraging to know that many garment brands are behind it, as we know the positive impact it can have on the lives of Bangladeshi garment workers.”

Biljana Solakovska-Mihajlovska, our regional coordinator for Eastern Europe, also shared her perspective on what the directive means for European supply chains: 

“It’s crucial that EU-wide legislation ensures human rights and environmental risks are considered in garment companies’ risk assessments to help improve working conditions along their supply chains. It’s fantastic therefore to see European garment brands supporting the EU CSDDD, and that they understand human rights and environmental due diligence as also making good business sense.”

Ultimately, collaboration across the supply chain is foundational for creating meaningful impact, and due diligence legislation such as the EU CSDDD provides  a strong framework for this.

To learn more abou why MEPs should vote in favour of the EU CSDDD, please read the article in The Parliament Magazine here.