Fair Wear and Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative (STTI) have inked an MoU to further strengthen their collaboration on advancing systemic change in the industry.
- The objective is to further the vision of a just garment and textiles industry in which brands actively engage in a dialogue with stakeholders from manufacturing countries to improve working conditions,
- The MoU consolidates the organisations’ intentions to further integrate STTI into the work of the Common Framework of Responsible Purchasing Practices (CFRPP).
FOCUS AREAS: The focus will be on promotion and facilitation of responsible purchasing practices and, more broadly, the impactful implementation of the human rights due diligence (HRDD) framework. This is especially important considering the stagnating progress in the industry.
- Crucially, brands must establish equal partnerships with their suppliers who have valuable knowledge and practical insights to inform brands’ HRDD efforts, including responsible purchasing practices.
- The latter are key in enabling the suppliers who will ultimately need to implement the improved working conditions: For example, collaborative production planning can help reduce excessive overtime hours.
ABOUT STTI, FAIR WEAR: Founded by the IAF, the STAR Network, GIZ and Better Buying, STTI, a global manufacturer-driven initiative focused on creating fairer purchasing practices in the textile and garment industry, brings together 13 associations from 10 manufacturing countries.
- Fair Wear is a multistakeholder initiative that connects and convenes brands, factories, workers, trade unions, policymakers, NGOs and other industry influencers to accelerate collective action.
WHAT THEY SAID:
Fair Wear has been actively advocating for and guiding brands in taking responsibility to respect human rights in their supply chains through implementing a shared responsibility approach for over 20 years. Equal partnerships between brands and suppliers are crucial in realising better working conditions in the garment and textile industry. Strengthening our collaboration with STTI is essential to define further how such partnerships work in practice, especially how suppliers can help brands adapt their sourcing practices.
— Margreet Vrieling
Associate Director
Fair Wear Foundation
The manufacturers gathered in STTI seek collaboration with brands and retailers to push real improvements in purchasing practices. The MoU with Fair Wear opens up the opportunity to establish a stronger link with the Fair Wear member brands. Beyond that, with Fair Wear's expertise on human rights due diligence, the collaboration with STTI takes on a bigger dimension, helping both organisations move the needle on a global infrastructure that can help drive more responsible purchasing practices.
— Matthijs Crietee
Secretary-General / Co-initiator
IAF / STTI
