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D. Machek et al.
of SMEs could be one of the key areas to look into given the large proportion of
SMEs in the clothing industry.
• The timber sector also went through a long struggle of developing such laws. In
their absence, some certification schemes, such as Forest Stewardship Council and
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, played a major role in
enhancing sustainable harvesting practices. These certifications schemes continue
to play a significant role even after the introduction of the three laws, as the
criteria in the certification schemes tend to provide much more comprehensive
sustainability criteria than addressing only illegal harvesting. Actors in charge of
establishing a due diligence scheme could utilize the certification scheme as a
way of verifying compliance with the law of harvesting country. Some existing
certification schemes in the textile area could be utilized in a similar manner in
event a law of this type comes into place. Similarly, various financial assistance and
informative measures could co-exist with such legislation to enhance transition.
• Similarly to conflict minerals, the OECD developed a due diligence guideline for
clothing sector. As has been used in the case of conflict minerals, national/regional
governments could utilize the guideline when developing their laws.
Enhance transparency of existing MSIs
The study shows that, despite their short comings, MSIs certainly have been playing
many important roles in enhancing the sustainability of clothing supply chain. An
essential step to remedy some of the issues raised is to have a more transparent
decision making process, especially concerning the development of standards. In
this regard, the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles have been mentioned as
promising concerning how the governance system is designed (Jastram and Schneider
2015), which could offer some food for thoughts for other existing MSIs.
References
Bauer B, Watson D, Gylling A, Remmen A, Hauris Lysemose M, Hohenthal C, Jönbrink A-K
(2018) Potential ecodesign requirements for textiles and furniture. TemaNord series 2018:535.
Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen
Baumann-Pauly D, Nolan J, Heerden A (2017) Industry-specific multi-stakeholder initiatives that
govern corporate human rights standards: legitimacy assessments of the fair labor association
and the global network initiative. J Bus Ethics 143(4):771–787
BBC (2018) Burberry burns bags, clothes and perfume worth millions. [Online] Available www.
bbc.com/news/business-44885983 [8 July 2019]
Beton A, Dias D, Farrant L, Gibon T, Le Guern Y, Desaxce M, Perwueltz A, Boufateh I (2014)
Environmental improvement potential of textiles. Publications Office of the European Union,
Luxembourg
Better Cotton Initiative (n.d.) BCI History. [Online] Available www.bettercotton.org/about-bci/bcihistory/ [8 July 2019]
Börjeson N (2017) Toxic textiles: towards responsibility in complex supply chains. Environmental
science, Natural sciences, technology and environmental studies. Södertörns högskola, Huddinge
D. Machek et al.
of SMEs could be one of the key areas to look into given the large proportion of
SMEs in the clothing industry.
• The timber sector also went through a long struggle of developing such laws. In
their absence, some certification schemes, such as Forest Stewardship Council and
Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, played a major role in
enhancing sustainable harvesting practices. These certifications schemes continue
to play a significant role even after the introduction of the three laws, as the
criteria in the certification schemes tend to provide much more comprehensive
sustainability criteria than addressing only illegal harvesting. Actors in charge of
establishing a due diligence scheme could utilize the certification scheme as a
way of verifying compliance with the law of harvesting country. Some existing
certification schemes in the textile area could be utilized in a similar manner in
event a law of this type comes into place. Similarly, various financial assistance and
informative measures could co-exist with such legislation to enhance transition.
• Similarly to conflict minerals, the OECD developed a due diligence guideline for
clothing sector. As has been used in the case of conflict minerals, national/regional
governments could utilize the guideline when developing their laws.
Enhance transparency of existing MSIs
The study shows that, despite their short comings, MSIs certainly have been playing
many important roles in enhancing the sustainability of clothing supply chain. An
essential step to remedy some of the issues raised is to have a more transparent
decision making process, especially concerning the development of standards. In
this regard, the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles have been mentioned as
promising concerning how the governance system is designed (Jastram and Schneider
2015), which could offer some food for thoughts for other existing MSIs.
References
Bauer B, Watson D, Gylling A, Remmen A, Hauris Lysemose M, Hohenthal C, Jönbrink A-K
(2018) Potential ecodesign requirements for textiles and furniture. TemaNord series 2018:535.
Nordic Council of Ministers, Copenhagen
Baumann-Pauly D, Nolan J, Heerden A (2017) Industry-specific multi-stakeholder initiatives that
govern corporate human rights standards: legitimacy assessments of the fair labor association
and the global network initiative. J Bus Ethics 143(4):771–787
BBC (2018) Burberry burns bags, clothes and perfume worth millions. [Online] Available www.
bbc.com/news/business-44885983 [8 July 2019]
Beton A, Dias D, Farrant L, Gibon T, Le Guern Y, Desaxce M, Perwueltz A, Boufateh I (2014)
Environmental improvement potential of textiles. Publications Office of the European Union,
Luxembourg
Better Cotton Initiative (n.d.) BCI History. [Online] Available www.bettercotton.org/about-bci/bcihistory/ [8 July 2019]
Börjeson N (2017) Toxic textiles: towards responsibility in complex supply chains. Environmental
science, Natural sciences, technology and environmental studies. Södertörns högskola, Huddinge