Germany – garment

2. CHALLENGES IN CORPORATE PRACTICE

2.1 Ensuring the protection of human rights in supply and value chains

• The Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, which was initiated by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, has established an obligation to comply with sustainability standards and to guarantee corporate due diligence in the textile and clothing sector. All members of the Partnership are required to pursue its social and environmental objectives. They submit to a review process, which is conducted by an independent third party and is designed to bring about continuous improvement. Individual schedules of measures (road maps) are compiled annually by all members; the first of these is to be produced by the end
  of January 2017. A robust sanctions regime and regular reporting on the implementation of the road maps will ensure credibility and transparency. The Textile Partnership creates a reference framework and an independent review system of international scope. – page 20
• By means of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, the Federal Government supports a multi-stakeholder initiative combining voluntary and compulsory elements. The Textile Partner- ship is designed to comply with the UN Guiding Principles. The aim is to have 75 % of the German textile and clothing market signed up to the Textile Partnership by 2018.
• Germany supports the application of sustainability standards in host countries, for example through the regional project entitled “Social and labour standards in the textile and garment sector in Asia”, which covers three coun- tries – Bangladesh, Cambodia and Pakistan. – page 20