Dear Partnership members, dear readers,

Since the creation of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, the environment in which it operates has changed significantly. The multiple crises we are facing today are posing enormous structural challenges to the global economy and international value chains. At the same time, companies are increasingly being required to meet their international due diligence obligations. Consumers are now paying greater attention to how their garments are produced and would like to see ethically produced clothing. With the German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act and the European Commission’s proposal for an EU law, human rights and environmental standards are being strengthened along global supply chains. Companies will need to adapt to these changing conditions.

This is where multi-stakeholder initiatives such as the Textiles Partnership have an important role to play. They can support companies in the ambitious implementation of mandatory measures. However, the Textiles Partnership goes far beyond the minimum legal requirements and supplements legislation in areas where a law alone cannot bring about structural change. The Textiles Partnership is an important platform that enables its members to discuss current challenges and address them together.

I am delighted that you, as a member of the Textiles Partnership, are moving with the times and helping to proactively shape the Partnership. The shift in the focus of the Textiles Partnership towards joint action with four focus topics offers enormous potential. It is good to know that the different stakeholder groups are committed to cooperating even more closely in future, pooling their resources and expertise, and sharing their networks. Through joint projects, you will have an even greater impact on the ground in producer countries and will be able to tackle challenges that you cannot overcome alone.

The new focus topics will also help the Textiles Partnership to make an important contribution to implementing the priority areas of German development policy. For German Federal Minister Svenja Schulze, a feminist development policy is especially important. The textile industry in particular offers many entry points to address this issue, as most of the workers are women. The Textiles Partnership gives us an opportunity to pay more attention to the special needs of women in the textile sector and to focus on addressing problems and discrimination. Women are often exposed to gender-based violence and earn significantly less than their male colleagues.

We are also in agreement with regard to the focus topic of living wages and purchasing practices: the Textiles Partnership can target those areas where legal provisions fall short. However, in many places the minimum wage as prescribed by law does not even allow textile workers to cover their basic needs. We need to join forces to raise wages and rectify this problem together.

As the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, we are happy to continue to support the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles in carrying out its important work. At this point, I would also like to express my sincere gratitude for the commitment you have shown in recent years and can only urge you all to make use of the Textiles Partnership and to play an active role in shaping it. Only by working together and engaging in open and honest communication can we move forward and create a viable, socially just and sustainable textile sector.

I look forward to continuing our cooperation.

Dr Bärbel Kofler

Parliamentary State Secretary, German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development