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Stichting Fair Trade Advocacy Office

FTAO

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office leads advocacy on EU policies to support fair trade practices and protect farmers and workers in global supply chains.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

17 Nov 2025 · Sustainability omnibus - update for civil society

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

3 Nov 2025 · Sustainability omnibus - update for civil society

Meeting with Mario Furore (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Oct 2025 · Omnibus I

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

2 Oct 2025 · Sustainability omnibus - update for civil society

Meeting with José Cepeda (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion)

30 Sept 2025 · INI subcontracting chains

Meeting with Pascal Canfin (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Shift Project Limited and La Banque Postale

16 Sept 2025 · Omnibus I

Fair Trade Advocacy Office Urges Ethical Consumer Protections

29 Aug 2025
Topic — The EU is developing a strategy to prioritize consumer protection and sustainability until 2030.
Message — The organization requests that the EU integrate social justice into sustainability definitions and mandate textile labels showing working conditions. They also seek a digital passport giving consumers full supply chain traceability.12
Why — Official data collection and fiscal reforms would make Fair Trade operators more competitive.3
Impact — Misleading traders and exporters of hazardous goods face stricter regulation and market bans.4
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Response to Quality Jobs Roadmap

29 Jul 2025

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO), on behalf of the Fair Trade Movement, is focusing in this consultation response on recommendations for creating quality jobs in the textile and agricultural sectors. The creation of quality jobs in the textile sector aligns with the 2022 EU Strategy for Sustainable and Circular Textiles, which sets out that by 2030, textile products placed on the EU market shall be produced in respect of social rights. The focus our the FTAO's contribution on how to ensure a fair and just transition for workers in the textile sector with decent working conditions, especially guaranteed living wages and living incomes. The creation of quality jobs in the agricultural sector is also a priority set out in the Vision for Agriculture and Food, as almost 30 million people (15% of EU employment) perform work within the EU agri-food system. In the Vision, the Commission has recognised the precarity of work conditions for farmers and agricultural workers and seeks to reignite the attractiveness of the sector. For the Fair Trade Movement, it is important that the Commission recognises that good quality jobs in the agricultural sector shall be achieved by measures that overall strengthen the EU agri-food systems, duly considering the external dimension of the EU agri-food system. In the view of the Fair Trade Movement, a successful EU Quality Jobs Roadmap must include (not exhaustive): Promoting quality jobs equally inside and outside the EU Promotion of fair business models that create positive externalities on job quality Guarantee of living wages for workers and living incomes for farmers and self-employed persons Tackling unfair purchasing practices by strengthening the UTP Directive and by introducing a similar tool in the textile sector Communication on working conditions in the textile sector towards consumers Mandatory social criteria in public procurement The Fair Trade Movement will discuss each in turn in the attached PDF.
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Meeting with Rasmus Nordqvist (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Jun 2025 · Closed roundtable on ecodesign

Meeting with David Cormand (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

23 Jun 2025 · UTP

FTAO urges international focus in new EU bioeconomy strategy

20 Jun 2025
Topic — This consultation explores solutions for a circular, climate-neutral, and competitive EU bioeconomy.
Message — They propose commodity roadmaps to close income gaps for coffee and cocoa farmers by 2030. They also request simplified organic certification rules for non-EU groups and targeted funding for deforestation compliance.12
Why — Strengthening international supply chains ensures stable prices and raw-material security for European businesses.34
Impact — Firms relying on cheap, unsustainable imports lose if public procurement shifts toward fair-trade targets.56
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Meeting with David Cormand (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur for opinion)

27 May 2025 · UTP

Meeting with Catarina Vieira (Member of the European Parliament)

21 May 2025 · Fair trade advocacy on Omnibus DROI opinion

Meeting with Dirk Gotink (Member of the European Parliament)

12 May 2025 · Omnibus 1, CSDDD

Meeting with Kira Marie Peter-Hansen (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and Transport and Environment (European Federation for Transport and Environment) and

29 Apr 2025 · Sustainability omnibus

Meeting with Sirpa Pietikäinen (Member of the European Parliament) and EcoVadis

25 Apr 2025 · EU Omnibus

Meeting with Piotr Müller (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and A2A and MUST Partners

4 Apr 2025 · Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

Meeting with Pierfrancesco Maran (Member of the European Parliament) and A2A and

4 Apr 2025 · Public procurement

Meeting with Javier Moreno Sánchez (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Mar 2025 · EU Trade policy

Fair Trade Advocacy Office urges stricter EU fair labeling standards

6 Mar 2025
Topic — Proposed amendments to CAP regulations aim to strengthen farmers' position in food chains.
Message — The FTAO recommends aligning with the vision of the International Fair Trade Charter. They urge that prices ensure that it covers, at least, the cost of sustainable production. Additionally, labels must have certification and verification systems audited by a third party.123
Why — Stricter definitions protect established fair trade groups from being displaced by competitors using lower standards.45
Impact — Lower-standard operators would no longer be able to use fair trade branding for marketing purposes.6
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Fair Trade Advocacy Office urges protection for non-EU suppliers

6 Mar 2025
Topic — New EU regulation to strengthen cross-border enforcement of unfair food trading rules.
Message — FTAO urges including non-EU suppliers to ensure their protection when selling into the Union. Enforcement authorities should raise awareness via regulatory bodies and embassies in third countries. They also propose banning purchasing below production costs to ensure fair implementation.123
Why — Non-EU smallholder farmers would gain effective legal tools to challenge unfair commercial practices.4
Impact — EU-based buyers lose the ability to use exploitative practices like last-minute cancellations.5
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Response to Evaluation of the Public Procurement Directives

6 Mar 2025

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) recognises the progress enabled by the EUs 2014/24 Directive in promoting strategic public procurement for social and environmental objectives. However, its effectiveness remains limited, and further action is needed to ensure public authorities procure wisely, enhance Small and Medium Entreprises (SMEs) access, support fair supply chains and drive greater social and environmental impact. Over the past decade, drawing from its extensive experience with the Fair Trade Towns Campaign, the Fair Trade Movement, has identified the following key challenges: 1.Price pressure: the reliance on the lowest price criterion has fuelled a "race to the bottom",disadvantaging Fair Trade operators, whose prices reflect higher social and environmental standards. 2.Lack of legal certainty and restrictive interpretation of the link to the subject matter limit the use of social and environmental considerations. As a result, public authorities, fearing legal disputes, hesitate to apply Fair Trade criteria, undermining the Directive's potential to promote sustainability. 3.Inconsistent and weak enforcement amongst member states of social and environmental provisions: The directive allows contracting authorities to include social and environmental provisions in technical specifications, however, its voluntary nature has led to uneven application and weak enforcement across member states, undermining the coherence of the directive across the EU. 4.Complexity for public buyers: contracting authorities often cite the abundance of labels and a lack of their expertise and capacity as barriers to implementing sustainable procurement. This creates inefficiencies in the procurement process, as public buyers struggle to navigate a complex landscape of certifications and standards. 5.Barriers for SMEs: Despite prioritising social, environmental, and cultural impact over profit, Fair Trade operators which include actors like cooperatives and social enterprises are often excluded from tenders. 6.Barriers to effective human and social rights integration in Procurement: Currently, the Directive lacks adherence to ILO standards, including ILO Convention No. 94, and, does not officially align with internationally recognized frameworks for responsible business conduct, such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. 7.Lack of monitoring and measuring of sustainability impact: The lack of reliable data on socially responsible public procurement (SRPP) in the EU makes it difficult to assess its impact, as public buyers are not required to report how they consider social and environmental factors. FTAOs research highlights that local governments, such as Gent, Copenhagen, Madrid, and Söderhamn, are leading sustainable public procurement by promoting fairly traded products. Regions, like Emilia-Romagna with eco-sustainable catering contracts, and Wallonia, fighting social dumping, play a significant role in this process. At the national level, countries like Italy are setting minimum sustainability standards. Good practices from public buyers include: 1.The use of the MEAT criteria, ensuring that social and environmental considerations take precedence over price. 2.Breaking large contracts into smaller lots to boost SMEs participation. 3.Using recognised certifications, such as Fair Trade ones, strengthens sustainability considerations 4.Early integration of sustainability at procurement planning stages. 5.Clear, measurable objectives 6. Stakeholder engagement and market research to align sustainability goals with market capabilities. 7.Professionalising public authorities However, these practices remain exceptions, largely driven by political will and the capacity of contracting authorities. To tackle this the Fair Trade Movement urges policymakers to adopt its recommendations to promote strategic procurement across the EU.
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Meeting with Anna Strolenberg (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

24 Feb 2025 · Discussion fair trade agenda of the commission

Meeting with Annalisa Corrado (Member of the European Parliament) and OXFAM INTERNATIONAL EU ADVOCACY OFFICE

6 Feb 2025 · Unfair Trading Practices in Agriculture

Meeting with Marit Maij (Member of the European Parliament) and SOLIDAR and

5 Dec 2024 · “Global Green Deal: How the EU can lead a Fair and Just Transition worldwide”

Meeting with Estelle Ceulemans (Member of the European Parliament)

2 Dec 2024 · Dossier EMPL à venir

Meeting with Delara Burkhardt (Member of the European Parliament)

18 Nov 2024 · textiles

Meeting with Bernd Lange (Member of the European Parliament)

7 Nov 2024 · General exchange of views

Meeting with Lynn Boylan (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Nov 2024 · Fair trade practices in EU policy

Meeting with Rasmus Nordqvist (Member of the European Parliament)

16 Oct 2024 · Textile policy: Meeting with Fair Trade Advocacy Office

Meeting with Alice Kuhnke (Member of the European Parliament)

1 Oct 2024 · Textiles and due diligence

Meeting with Raphaël Glucksmann (Member of the European Parliament)

9 Sept 2024 · Fair Trade

Meeting with Helmut Scholz (Member of the European Parliament)

25 Apr 2024 · Fair Trade

Meeting with Agnes Jongerius (Member of the European Parliament)

20 Feb 2024 · Public Procurement

Response to Postponement of deadlines within the Accounting Directive for the adoption of certain ESRS

19 Dec 2023

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) welcomes the European Commissions legislation on Corporate Sustainability Reporting. We believe that this is an important step towards accountability, transparency and responsible business conduct. Both the garment sector and agricultural sector have a high risk of human rights violations and negative environmental impacts. We therefore urge EFRAG to set up sector specific standards for these sectors. By the end of 2024 the EU Commission must guarantee the adoption of the sector specific standards for textiles (plus other high impact sector standards that have been already worked on by EFRAG) The EFRAG has already defined impact-sectors that should be covered, these include the agrifood- and textile sector. For the textile sector, the EFRAG expert working group has already worked on sector specific standards. The working group drew upon a widely agreed understanding of what the most vital social and environmental data-points should be, building on the OECD guidelines, UNGP and other international standards. Thus, it is not only needed, but also feasible to come to a robust and meaningful sector-specific reporting standard by the latest of end 2024. As soon as possible but at least by 2026, the Agriculture, Farming and Fishing, Food and Beverage Services should be covered (as part of all the high-impact sectors that have already identified by EFRAG). The agricultural sector has wide-ranging effects on human rights - both those of people working in the sector, as well as those of communities affected by agricultural operations - and on the environment and climate change. These impacts are of such an intensity that delaying the sector specific standards cannot be justified. Especially taking in consideration the knowledge and experience that is already present within the EFRAG on other sectors, on which can be built for the sector specific standards of the agrifood sector. Clarity on sector specific standards is not only needed from an environmental- and human rights perspective, it is also important from a practical standpoint. From 2024 onwards, companies will be obliged to report under the CSRD, with no sector specific guidance. This means that companies are unsure on what is expected from them, making the process uncertain. The FTAO urges the European Commission to take action to make sure sector specific standards, that are in line with international standards such as the UNGPs and the OECD guidelines, are developed as soon as possible. For questions, please contact May Hylander via hylander@fairtrade-advocacy.org
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Meeting with Saskia Bricmont (Member of the European Parliament)

24 Oct 2023 · Rencontre avec les acteurs du commerce équitable

Response to Revision of EU rules on textile labelling

28 Sept 2023

Human rights violations take place in the garment sector on a great scale[1]: One of the contributing factors to this is a lack of transparency. Consumers that want to make an informed choice and buy sustainable products have difficulty finding the right information. Workers that want to address problems dont know who the buyer is and cannot reach them. Garment- and textile labelling could help tackle this problem when used in the right way. Below the response to the call for evidence of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO). WHY SOCIAL ASPECTS SHOULD BE INCLUDED To meet EU goals: By 2030 the Commission wants textile products placed on the EU market to be made with respect for social rights.[2] As mentioned in the call for evidence, a specific positive social impact is expected [through labelling], as greater visibility on social aspects of production will foster more socially conscious business models, benefiting workers and suppliers.[3] This would also help to reach SDG 12. Regulatory consistency: Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 is part of REFIT and aims to reduce compliance costs for companies and ensure regulatory clarity and consistency. We therefore strongly suggest that the labelling regulation aligns with existing reporting requirements included in the CSRD/CSDDD. However, these directives have limits in terms of size of companies covered and type of information provided. Thus, it will not provide sufficient information for all individual pieces of garment for consumers to make an informed decision. Therefore, the information listed underneath should be added on/through the label. To meet consumer needs: The goal of Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 is that consumers can find all relevant information to make an informed choice on a garment. Social aspects are a relevant aspect for consumers. According to a survey from 2020 around 91% of respondents state that they consider compliance with social standards in the manufacture of products to be very or rather important.[4] HOW INFORMATION SHOULD BE PRESENTED It is important that the information is understandable and accessible to different stakeholders in garment supply chains, to consumers and for journalists to fact check information. Where possible, information should be provided on the label, detailed information could be provided through a QR code or other digital means.[5] INFORMATION ON SOCIAL ASPECTS TO INCLUDE For each product all information mentioned below should be specified for Cut-make-trim (CMT) level, weaving, spinning and raw materials. Country specific information: Information such as the minimum wage, ratified ILO- and UN conventions, ranking in trade union busting. Information on trade agreements between the EU and the country (EBA, GSP, GSP+, special agreements). Information on incomes: The income of workers along the supply chain such as cotton farmers and factory workers, using Living Wage and Living Income benchmarks. Audits, complaints, and reports: Production location and where fabrics are sourced from, if there was a complaint at a production site and how that complaint was handled. Audit information should be made available in a way that does not put workers or smallholder producers at risk. Working conditions: Average working hours, overtime, health & safety conditions, committees that are active, real democratic trade unions present at the factory, spinning mill or field, collective bargaining agreements settled. Information on types of employment contracts.[6] Purchasing practices: The purchasing practices of the company: average lead times, what contractual clauses the buying company has in place to enable respect for human rights by the suppliers[7], the price breakdown[8], and the time a company has sourced from the factory.[9] Contact information: Consumers and other interested parties should be able to ask questions related to the product and production process. For footnotes, please see the attached document.
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Meeting with Maria-Manuel Leitão-Marques (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

25 Sept 2023 · Forced Labour ban

Fair Trade Advocacy Office Urges Support for Farmers Under Chemical Ban

31 Jul 2023
Topic — EU consultation on prohibiting the production and export of hazardous chemicals banned domestically.
Message — The organization requests financial and technical aid to help smallholder farmers adopt agroecological methods. They propose using EU instruments to fund transitions and provide infrastructure for sustainable agriculture.12
Why — This ensures their member farmers maintain market access while avoiding the high costs of transition.34
Impact — Smallholder farmers would suffer significant financial losses if they bear the transition costs alone.56
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Response to Revision of EU marketing standards for agricultural products

16 Jun 2023

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office speaks on behalf of the Fair Trade movement at EU level for trade and social justice. As a general note, the FTAO believes that the EC proposal to revise EU marketing standards on agrifood products has the potential to benefit Fair Trade and smallholder farmers in Europe and beyond. However, to better support smallholder farmers, the FTAO believes that several points should be readdressed.
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Meeting with Raphaël Glucksmann (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

14 Apr 2023 · APA - Forced labour

Meeting with Axel Voss (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and BUSINESSEUROPE and

8 Mar 2023 · Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

Meeting with Marlene Mortler (Member of the European Parliament)

8 Mar 2023 · Textile industry

Meeting with Ilan De Basso (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur for opinion) and European Youth Forum and

28 Feb 2023 · Möte

Meeting with Delara Burkhardt (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur) and European Environmental Bureau and

8 Feb 2023 · Textiles

Meeting with Pär Holmgren (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur) and European Environmental Bureau and

11 Jan 2023 · EU Textile Strategy (staff level)

Meeting with Annukka Ojala (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides) and Eurocities and

16 Dec 2022 · VTC Meeting: Sustainable Food Systems/Procurement

Response to European Critical Raw Materials Act

25 Nov 2022

This reply is made on behalf of the Fair Trade Advocacy Office which is an advocacy organisation of the Fair Trade Movement for Fair Trade and Trade Justice with the aim to improve the livelihoods of marginalised producers and workers in the Gobal South. We would like to emphasize that the most affected groups, especially rights holders throughout the entire value chain of CRM, are consulted. Organisations such as the Fair Trade Advocacy Office, Catapa, PowerShift, Dreikönigsaktion, Friends of the Earth, can point out and connect to potential partners at different stages of value chains to organise direct exchanges on actual and potential adverse impacts of CRMA. For the CRMA to be effective in the long run, it needs to be rooted in global justice and set ambitious reduction targets, focus on the use of secondary materials, and explicitly comply with applicable ecological, human rights and labour standards. Attached you can find the civil society position further expanding on the points above.
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Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and Anti-Slavery International and

17 Nov 2022 · forced labour

Meeting with Renaud Savignat (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen), Suvi Leinonen (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and

24 Oct 2022 · Forestry and deforestation

Response to Sustainable corporate governance

23 May 2022

European Commission’s public consultation on the legislative proposal on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence The proposal is a milestone in corporate accountability. HREDD framework is a rightsholder centric instrument which should be clear in the directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence (CSDD) while ensuring that all rightsholders’ interests are considered. In addition to supporting essential elements of a due diligence framework highlighted in the joint Civil Society statement published in May 2022, the FTAO position jointly prepared with Fairtrade International and the wider Fair Trade movement focuses on the position of smallholder farmers. 1. Stakeholder inclusion must play a stronger role at every step of the due diligence process. It should be clarified that it must be gender inclusive and that special attention must be paid to groups in vulnerable situations, including smallholder farmers as there is quite a strong chance that their interests can be left out of due diligence frameworks. They are often located several tiers from a company that will be covered by this legislation and are often in a disadvantaged position in comparison to their buyers. The same is true for others working in both, EU and global value chains but not in a formal employment relationship or in a self-employed capacity. 2. Purchasing practices should be a mandatory part of the due diligence process. We can already see that a large portion of producers globally (not just smallholder farmers but across sectors) receive prices below the cost of production, accept short lead times and other unfavorable terms. Due to asymmetrical power relations, they often do not have the bargaining power to negotiate otherwise. OECD position paper ‘Costs and Value of Due Diligence in Mineral Supply Chains’ has confirmed a tendency of companies to pass on costs to actors in their supply chains that are in a weaker position without addressing their own practices to enable implementation and retain value further down. To enable positive effects of due diligence, purchasing policies and practices should be aligned with the overall company’s approach to due diligence. Conversely, the due diligence process should be reflected in the company’s business model. This is especially important in the light of the legislation with strong reliance on cascading obligations 3. The directive does not sufficiently emphasize that disengagement should be seen as a last resort measure. Severe impacts, such as child labour, are often systemic and cannot be addressed in the short term – cooperation and investments are needed. CSDD should include clear provisions on steps required before resorting to disengagement, framing it as a last resort measure. As during the entire due diligence process, a decision to disengage and preceding actions should be done in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, especially rightsholders in vulnerable situations. 4. We welcome the inclusion of the prohibition of withholding a living wage in the Annex. To cover the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, it is also important to include living incomes. Living wages refer to the remuneration of an employee. By contrast, living income, understood as the income received by a self-employed person, is not protected in the Annex, and will not be protected by the reference to living wages. Living income and wages are instrumental for the realisation of numerous human rights, especially the rights to an adequate standard of living and favourable conditions of work but can also be seen as human rights themselves. An explicit reference to living incomes in the Annex is essential. Earning living incomes is also an essential element for farmers to face challenges from climate change – to finance climate adaptation and mitigation and to transition to more sustainable production. Please see the attached position paper for background information to these recommendations.
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Meeting with Suvi Leinonen (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and The Traidcraft Exchange

28 Apr 2022 · sustainable textiles strategy

Meeting with Thierry Breton (Commissioner) and European Environmental Bureau and

23 Mar 2022 · Views of group of civil society organisations regarding the EU strategy for sustainable textiles

Meeting with Helena Braun (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and European Environmental Bureau and

22 Mar 2022 · Circular Economy and EU Strategy on Textiles

Meeting with Lucrezia Busa (Cabinet of Commissioner Didier Reynders) and European Environmental Bureau and

22 Mar 2022 · Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence

Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis), Caroline Boeshertz (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis) and

10 Mar 2022 · Sustainable Textile Strategy

Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis)

9 Dec 2021 · Trade and sustainable development, domestic advisory groups

Meeting with Joanna Stawowy (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski), Jorge Pinto Antunes (Cabinet of Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski) and

29 Nov 2021 · Sustainable Corporate Governance initiative - inclusion of smallholder farmers

Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis)

14 Oct 2021 · Promoting Fair and Ethical Trade practices

Meeting with Diana Montero Melis (Cabinet of Commissioner Jutta Urpilainen) and Rainforest Alliance and

17 Sept 2021 · the forthcoming proposal on deforestation-free regulation

Meeting with Eglantine Cujo (Cabinet of Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius) and European Round Table for Industry and

21 May 2021 · The value of certification in due diligence systems

Meeting with Anthony Agotha (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and Rainforest Alliance and

21 May 2021 · The value of certification in due diligence systems’

Meeting with Salla Saastamoinen (Director-General Justice and Consumers)

31 Mar 2021 · Purchasing practices in HREDD regulation

Meeting with Andrea Beltramello (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis)

21 Jan 2021 · Fair trade

Meeting with Annukka Ojala (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides) and European Environmental Bureau and

20 Jan 2021 · VC Meeting - Discussion on minimum sustainability criteria for public procurement.

Meeting with Lukas Visek (Cabinet of Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans) and European Environmental Bureau and

20 Jan 2021 · Discussion on minimum sustainability criteria for public procurement

Response to Sustainable Products Initiative

15 Nov 2020

The Fair Trade Advocacy Office (FTAO) welcomes the opportunity to participate in this public consultation. The FTAO speaks out on behalf of the Fair Trade Movement for Fair Trade and Trade Justice with the aim to improve the livelihoods of marginalised producers and workers in the South. The FTAO is a joint initiative of Fairtrade International, the World Fair Trade Organization and the World Fair Trade Organization-Europe. In this submission, the FTAO would like to focus on our expectation for this initiative to accelerate the way in which the EU consumes textiles and influences the functioning of global textile value chains. On 23 April this year, our organisation was among over 70 organisations which came together to publish the European Civil Society Strategy for Sustainable Textile, Garments, Leather and Footwear (see attachment) When facing the challenges of the textile sector the EU shall adopt a truly comprehensive approach. In other words, consider that in each tier of the value chain the challenges we are facing are interconnected. A sustainable product policy that does not tackle ambitiously social sustainability and achieves decent working conditions and fair trading terms for all the actors in the value chain will not be successful. Building on this cornerstone, the FTAO recommends the EC to keep the following objectives when designing the textile-related aspects of the Sustainable Product Policy: a) absolute resource-use reduction; b) absolute reduction in environmental impact; c) improve the working and living conditions of workers and farmers in the EU and abroad. The SPPI for textiles shall consider all the legislative and non-legislative options available to reach the above-mentioned objectives. Theses include but are not limited to a textile eco-design initiative. ● Green and fair public procurement. The SPPI shall establish mandatory minimum sustainability criteria for any public procurement of textile products. This minimum criterion shall not just consider the environmental impact of the purchased textiles, but also their social impact. This will serve as an incentive for businesses to develop new fair and sustainable business models. ● Make polluters pay. Extended Producer Responsibility schemes must respect and implement the EU waste hierarchy. This approach shall go beyond garments and footwear to include other textiles such as carpets, household items, etc. ● Ambitious eco-design requirements. Binding standards that guarantee to EU consumers a certain level of resistance, durability and reparability. This can include, among other measures, a requirement for a minimum warranty for textile products. The new framework can also limit the quantity of products containing a certain percentage of virgin fossil-fuel-derived fibres that enter into the EU. ● The EC shall ensure the coherence between SPPI and other ongoing initiatives such as the mandatory due diligence legislation. In this regard, the specificities and high risk of textile value chains imply that horizontal legislation might not address satisfactorily some of its challenges. The FTAO recommends foreseeing including delegated and implementing acts setting binding guidelines for this sector. These guidelines can be inspired by OECD sector-specific guidelines. ● Traceability and transparency. The new SPPI shall set an obligation to disclose information about the physical characteristics and production and processing methods of textile products. This includes, but is not limited to: a) robust, credible and comparable information on the production sites (see the Transparency Pledge, https://transparencypledge.org/). b) the material and chemicals contents and environmental footprint. The impact of chemicals which are used through the production process but leave no trace in the final product shall also be considered. This information will empower EU consumers and civil society and is complementary to the forthcoming due diligence legislation.
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