Awareness sessions held for textile and garment exporters on EU requirements

European companies are expected to implement in the coming years a comprehensive human rights and environmental due diligence framework across the supply chains of their supplying partners. In an effort to create awareness and equip the textile and clothing exporters on this, the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) is conducting workshops in textile clusters.

The CITI has partnered with Fair Wear Foundation for a comprehensive one-year programme on capacity building of Indian textile exporters on understanding the upcoming due diligence frameworks in the EU and strengthen the voice of the suppliers in consultations. One such workshop was held in Coimbatore on Friday in partnership with the Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA).

Enacted in May this year, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) mandates European companies to implement the comprehensive human rights and environmental due diligence.

Chandrima Chatterjee, secretary general of the CITI, told The Hindu the European countries are passing laws to make the CSDDD mandatory for their companies. The brands need to get all possible risks identified through third parties and will bear the cost for this. The suppliers will have to self declare their conformity with the standards. The suppliers also get to voice their views in this. The CITI will collate the feedback from the suppliers.

“The CSDDD is a transformative development for the Indian textile and apparel sector,” said T Rajkumar, former chairman of the CITI. “By embracing this directive, our industry can not only meet global standards but also leverage shared responsibilities with brands, engage meaningfully with stakeholders, and address power imbalances,” he said.

The SIMA chairman S.K.Sundararaman said the regulatory changes are not merely challenges to overcome, but are opportunities to improve power balance between suppliers and brands. The SIMA has formed a “Sustainability Cell” to advise its members periodically on the developments by involving experts in this domain.

Meanwhile, the Tiruppur Exporters Association conducted a seminar in Tiruppur for garment exporters on the importance of circularity. This is to accelerate exports from Tiruppur to the European Union, said a press release.