The Hague, 04 July 2016. The Foreign Trade Association (FTA), the leading business association of European and international commerce promoting the values of international trade and sustainable supply chains, today signed the Statement of Support for the Dutch Garment and Textiles agreement. 55 companies signed the Agreement on Sustainable Garment and Textile, including over 20 participants of FTA’s Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI).

With the signing of the Statement of Support, FTA commits to endorsing the goals and the activities that the parties to the agreement wish to pursue, by continuing to support members through its Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) and Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI) towards improving working conditions and environmental performance in factories and farms worldwide.

In this agreement, a broad coalition of industry organisations including VGT, Modint and Inretail, trade unions FNV and CNV, the Dutch government and NGOs - Solidaridad, UNICEF Nederland, India Committee of the Netherlands, the Dutch Stop Child Labour Coalition and Four Paws Netherlands - agree to work together on improving both working and environmental conditions in the garment and textile supply chain in countries such as Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Turkey. The priority areas of focus are: 

·         protection from discrimination

·         protection from child labour

·         protection from forced labour

·         meaningful dialogue with independent employee representatives

·         achieving a living wage

·         safe conditions and a healthier environment for employees

·         reducing adverse environmental impact by saving on raw materials and creating a circular economy

·         reducing the amount of water, energy and chemicals used; reducing chemical waste and waste water

·         prevention of animal suffering

FTA Director General, Christian Ewert stated “the agreement is an important example of how multisector collaboration between business and stakeholders can lead to even more effective and committed improvements in global supply chains. However, while FTA welcomes such national projects, we believe that these initiatives should not lose sight of the broader EU goal of creating a global approach that provides a common framework and avoids duplication of standards and fragmentation”.

ENDS

Media contact:
Ana María Martín
FTA Media and Editorial Planning Coordinator
ana.maria.martin@fta-intl.org
Tel: +32 2 739 48 22
Twitter: @fta_intl

Notes to editors

The Foreign Trade Association (FTA) is the leading business association of European and international commerce that promotes the values of international trade and sustainable supply chains. Uniting over 1,800 retailers, importers, brands and national associations, FTA improves the political and legal framework for trade in a sustainable way. FTA provides the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) to support participants to improve working conditions in factories and farms worldwide. It also provides the Business Environmental Performance Initiative (BEPI) to facilitate improved environmental performance in global supply chains.