France – garment

THE INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK

3. THE ORGANISATION FOR ECONOMIC CO-OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT (OECD)

France finances actions supporting the implementation of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. It is also very active in the working group developing a guide for the textile industry, following the recommendations of its NCP in this field. – page 14

15. ECONOMIC SECTORS AND HUMAN RIGHTS

Not only must the authorities promote and raise awareness of CSR standards, they must also require extra vigilance with respect to high-risk economic sectors, geographic areas and products.

PROPOSAL FOR ACTION NO.7

– Capitalize on the observations in the French NCP’s report on the textile and garment sector and begin promoting and adapting these recommendations so they can be enforced in all sectors. – page 32

The textile and garment sector

Following the collapse of the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh in April 2013, France’s Minister for Foreign Trade at that time asked the OECD National Contact Point (NCP) to clarify the scope of the OECD Guidelines with respect to outsourcing companies’ supply chains, and to issue recommendations reinforcing the application of these guidelines so such negligence could be prevented in the future.

The NCP report, produced following hearings with all parties involved, was submitted to the Minister and published online on 2 December 2013. It addresses all actors, and establishes a full range of measures which, once implemented, will enable businesses to oversee supply chains in this sector. The recommendations were shared widely, particularly with the OECD, ILO and EU, and were followed by similar reports published by the Italian and Belgian NCPs.

Following the publication of these recommendations, the OECD set up a working group to

develop a guide for the enforcement of the guidelines in the textile sector, at France’s

insistence. This working group brings together international organizations such as ILO, the private sector, civil society, NCPs and States. The guide will include reinforced due diligence measures to be implemented in this specific sector. The OECD has also planned to set up a platform for shared dialogue and good practices.

As for the EU, it has set up a multi-stakeholder platform for the textile sector.

The G7 included the issue of supply chains in the Leaders’ Declaration issued under the German Presidency following the Elmau Summit in June 2015. This was followed by a roadmap, which was adopted by the French Ministries of Social Affairs and Development in October 2015. While the scope of these initiatives extends beyond the textile sector, approved measures will initially apply to this industry. This is the case for the “Vision Zero Fund”, which will be created to reinforce workplace safety and reduce workplace accidents in producer countries. – page 33

ACTIONS UNDERWAY:

– France is continuing to raise awareness of the NCP report issued on 2 December 2013, and monitor the implementation of its recommendations in the French textile, garment and distribution sectors.

– France is helping to finalize the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector. – page 33