In April 2020, a coalition of 65 civil society organisations put forward a joint shadow European Strategy for Sustainable Textile, Garments, Leather and Footwear, in which they proposed a set of legislative and non-legislative actions for more sustainable supply chains after COVID-19, and urged the European Commission, members of the European Parliament (MEPs), European Union (EU) member nations and other stakeholders to work towards such a strategy.
The strategy lays out a set of recommendations for the EU to address the various challenges of textile value chains, including environmental sustainability, human rights, governance, labour rights, and gender among others.
A commitment was made by the European Commission in its Circular Economy Action Plan to develop a comprehensive EU strategy for textiles.
Recommendations include a legal obligation for companies to take responsibility for not only their own activities but their whole supply chain through an EU due diligence law; stricter environmental rules; and ensuring brands and retailers are legally obliged to honour contracts and end the culture of unfair purchasing practices, according to press releases issued by some of the civil society organisations.
MEPs Delara Burkhardt, Heidi Hautala, and Helmut Scholz in a joint letter addressed to all MEPs shared their support for the civil society strategy.
