Following the modifications of Plan of Action for realisation of the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles, major organisations and numerous well-known companies from the textile industry have joined the Textiles Partnership last week. There are currently over 100 members. “The Oeko-Tex Association welcomes the latest development in the Textiles Partnership and specifically the positive response from industry and trade,” explained Georg Dieners, Secretary General. The Textiles Partnership aims to bring about social, ecological and economic improvements all along the textile supply chain. “We share the central objectives of the Partnership and support its members in their efforts to achieve continual improvements to existing processes and working conditions in textile production around the world. To continue to enable support for this multi-stakeholder approach in the future, the International Oeko-Tex Association joined the Textiles Partnership through the Oeko-Tex Foundation.” Reliable partners “The specific focus of the range of Oeko-Tex certifications and services on the needs of the industry also means we have been one of the most reliable partners for companies from the global textile and clothing industry for over 20 years,” commented Dieners. “And we are still happy to share our many years of market experience by acting as an intermediary between industry, trade, NGOs and politicians at the round table of the German Federal Government.” Textiles Partnership In October last year, representatives of the German Federal Government and 30 representatives from the textile and apparel industry, trade unions, non-governmental organizations and industry associations jointly launched the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles. Two experts from the Oeko-Tex Association were also amongst the 150 participants at the launch event in Berlin. The Textiles Partnership aims to pool the strength and expertise of its members in order to bring about social, ecological and economic improvements all along the textile supply chain. In order to achieve this, the Textiles Partnership aims to tackle common challenges more effectively, exploit synergies through joint projects on the ground, and improve underlying conditions in the producer countries. Certifications and services The independent Oeko-Tex certifications and services offer the members of the Textiles Partnership a comprehensive system that they can use to best implement the objectives defined in the action plan in practice and communicate them in a credible manner. Oeko-Tex Standard 100 and STeP by Oeko-Tex thus enable the independent, globally standardised verification of human-ecological product safety as well as environmentally friendly production technologies and socially responsible working conditions. The three-stage assessment system of STeP certification means that companies can also document their sustainable commitment in the B2B area in a transparent way. In addition, the new Made in Green by Oeko-Tex label enables brands, retailers and manufacturers to communicate their commitment to sustainability to consumers using the end product itself. The product ID on the Made in Green label also gives end consumers the opportunity to clearly track the manufacturing path
