The Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative (STTI) believes there is a “sizeable gap” to bridge between the apparel industry’s best practices and industry norms and the halted EU CSDDD sends the wrong message to manufacturers keen to follow European environmental legislation.

Stakeholders explored how laws and ethical business practices interact in the apparel industry during a closed conversation at the 10th OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector in Paris, which was organized by the OECD and the Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative (STTI) .

Due diligence-aligned contracts were among the useful instruments that were emphasized during the event, according to STTI.

It also pointed out, however, that the lack of political will among EU lawmakers to approve the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive communicates to clothing producers that there is insufficient support for such a reasonable strategy.

The STTI said, “This adds a definite touch of hypocrisy to the barrage of demands placed on them, particularly by European environmental legislation.”

The STTI noted that the proposed CSDDD law offers a balanced approach to enable a transition to a more sustainable business, building on over ten years of work constructing an international system of human rights due diligence.

Additionally, NGOs, brands, retailers, manufacturers, and multi-stakeholder initiatives are actively implementing due diligence principles and developing improved purchasing practices that facilitate more sustainable supply chains, in addition to some national regulations already in place.