2023
An Apparel Supplier’s Guide (2023)
Key Sustainability Legislations in the EU, US, and UK
This group of documents is intended to enable suppliers in the apparel value chain - and others who are seeking to better understand upcoming legislation - to better understand how impending sustainability-related legislation in the Global North will impact them.
This resource was initiated and led by suppliers across production tiers and locations facing many of the same challenges. Despite these shared challenges, rarely do suppliers come together to address these challenges collectively. Specifically, this resource was commissioned by: Epic Group, Norlanka, Shahi Exports & Simple Approach. It is important to note the symbolic significance of this piece of work: this is a project initiated and led by fierce – and in some cases direct – commercial competitors. The entities commissioning this resource hope this inspires more apparel suppliers to join forces.
In addition, this research was also supported by Transformers Foundation and GIZ FABRIC.
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FELLOW SUPPLIERS
Discuss the implications and implementation plans with your customers: It is important to engage with brands and retailers before they finalize their methodologies for implementation as there is a serious risk of multiple interpretations. Aligning with OECD Due Diligence Guidelines and the UN Guiding Principles may minimize this risk to a certain extent.
Allocate sufficient resources to understanding and proactively complying with the legislative landscape in the Global North: Be sure to engage your legal teams, HR teams, Sourcing Teams, and other operational functions. Compliance should not be left to sustainability or ESG teams alone.
Seek out opportunities to engage policymakers to contextualize policy implications, and shape their development and delivery: The often vague and imprecise language used to refer to suppliers in many of the legislative initiatives covered in this document is indicative of a larger gap between policymakers in the Global North and the entities outside of those jurisdictions, who are likely to bear significant and often invisible burdens as a result.
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Legislators in the Global North are making significant moves to enact sustainability-related legislation. While these laws originate from places such as the EU, United Kingdom, and the United States, they will impact companies operating outside of these jurisdictions. This document is intended to enable suppliers in the apparel value chain - and others who are seeking to better understand upcoming legislation - that are established or headquartered outside of the Global North, or whose operations are based outside these jurisdictions, to better understand how sustainability-related legislation in the Global North will impact them.
