On 21-25 February 2022, the OECD Forum on Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector will bring together representatives from government, business, trade unions and civil society to address emerging risks and to share learnings on implementing labour, human rights, environmental and integrity due diligence in the sector across geographies.
The theme of the 2022 Forum is ‘Rethinking The Business Model For Responsible Supply Chains’. Discussions will consider key developments in the sector, some affecting the very essence of supply chain structures and the capacity of different actors to adopt risk-based due diligence in their day to day activities. A series of panel sessions will explore which type of business models and broader policy initiatives deliver better practice on RBC, across topics from purchasing practices to supply chain dialogue structures, from living wages to climate risk mitigation and adaptation, and from mandatory due diligence to public procurement. Together, participants will focus on opportunities and next steps for scaling those initiatives that demonstrate impact.
Fair Wear will be involved in a multitude of sessions during the 2022 Forum. Along with the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles and amfori, we will host a panel side session titled ‘the importance of collaborative approaches to improve access to remedy’. In this interactive session, the three organising partners, together with four panellists representing governmental, trade union, brand and MSI perspectives, will address the importance of collaborative approaches to improve access to remedy for workers in (textile and garment) supply chains.
This session will deal with explorative and crucial questions: What challenges are we confronted with when setting up a grievance mechanism in a collaborative manner? What should be kept in consideration when working on grievances in a collaborative way? How can we address the need for similar approaches to rights-based remediation across the industry? In addition to outlining the latest developments in access to remedy and how these stimulate the need for more collaboration during the panel discussion, the organisations will present first collaborative approaches and discuss opportunities and challenges.
This important conversation will take place on 21st February 2022 at 10:00 (CET), you can register for the event here. Look out for further announcements about Fair Wear’s involvement in the Forum.