Today is a landmark day in the pursuit of responsible business practices, as the European Parliament's development committee voted for binding rules on labour and environmental standards, and human rights in the garment sector’s supply chain, using OECD (the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) guidelines for the textile industry as a model.

The report adopted today calls on the Commission to bring forward a mandatory set of rules, so that all players in the textile and clothing industry supply chain respect the labour and human rights of their workers. It also adds that the EU should lead by example and purchase their textiles from sustainable and fair producers.

The Socialists and Democrats are at the forefront of the fight against unsustainable work in order to avoid further tragedies such as the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh.
 
S&D MEP Arne Lietz said:

"National initiatives like the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles are a good and important base for a European initiative. The Commission must present an EU-wide regulation because trade does not only concern national markets. Trade policy is European policy."
 
S&D MEP and co-ordinator for international development, Norbert Neuser said:

"The EU is a significant market for textile products and therefore it bears a great responsibility for the working conditions in third countries. We need decent working conditions in accordance with International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards."

S&D MEP and chair of the development committee Linda McAvan said:

"The 24th April marks the four-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy, which serves as a reminder that global value chains must be made more sustainable. Today's report is a step in the right direction. Workers who produce our clothes have the right to be treated with dignity and respect, and consumers deserve to know they are not contributing to human exploitation in poorer parts of the world."