The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive is intended to ensure that corporate processes are made more sustainable. The aim of the guideline is to more firmly anchor sustainable and socially responsible behavior in companies. In order to effectively implement this directive, there is a great need for support, especially in the garment sector, which the OECD classifies as high-risk.
A coalition of the MSPs Ethical Trading Initiative, Fair Wear Foundation and other partners from the private sector and civil society is helping out. The knowledge and experience of the individual actors leads to joint recommendations that help companies to effectively implement human rights compliance and due diligence. In addition, the organizations offer EU decision-makers guidance on the further development of the EU-CSDD Directive, so that the Directive adequately encompasses the responsibility of companies to respect human rights and the environment in their supply chains.
So far, the participating actors have emphasized the need for a comprehensive and risk-based due diligence approach in their recommendations and are in favor of binding due diligence obligations. If these were well designed, positive effects could arise for all parties along the supply chain: responsible companies benefit from a level playing field within the EU and suppliers and their employees benefit from the responsible purchasing behavior of their customers.