Switzerland – garment

2.1 Pillar 1: State duty to protect

2.1.2 Operational principles: legislative and information policy measures

Measure 5 Multi-stakeholder initiatives on business and human rights

The federal government backs multi-stakeholder initiatives that focus on human rights issues in sectors such as textiles, cocoa and gold. As these initiatives cover other subjects such as corruption and the environment, they are dealt with in Measure 10 of the 2020–23 CSR Action Plan. – Page 11

2.2.2 Operational principles: human rights due diligence

Measure 29 Public-private partnerships to promote respect for human rights in the value chain

To promote the implementation of labour rights and human rights by business enterprises, the federal government, together with the ILO, supports the Better Work programme for the textile industry and the Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises (SCORE) programme to support SMEs in creating decent working conditions. These projects are jointly run by the ILO, governments, the private sector and unions, and are focused on compliance with fundamental labour standards, including measures to combat child and forced labour. The tools developed by these programmes are shared with the private sector.

The federal government supports a project to promote human rights due diligence with a view to preventing the exploitation of Syrian refugees and migrant workers in neighbouring countries (Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan). The aim is to strengthen the contribution that business enterprises make to providing decent work opportunities and combatting exploitation in the textile, agricultural and construction sectors in these countries. – Page 26

The OECD has also produced a series of guidelines for companies that contain practical recommendations on the adoption of due diligence along their value chains. In May 2018, it published guidance for companies of all sizes that are exposed to risks in their value chains, irrespective of the sector within which they operate. Other guidelines are aimed at specific sectors such as the agricultural, financial and textile sectors. – Page 27