The International Apparel Federation (IAF) and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) gathered for implementation of due diligence in the apparel industry. IAF, was invited to be present at a meeting of the Dutch Trade and Development Minister, Lilianne Ploumen, with her French counterpart, Minister Nicole Bricq. To the meeting OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria also attended. IAF is investigating working with the OECD on the practical implementation of due diligence principles for the apparel industry, leading up to a conference about the subject in September.
At the meeting held in Paris, Dutch and French Ministers issued a joint statement urged the international partnerships for corporate responsibility. The OECD’s Guidelines for responsible business are central to the international approach envisioned by both Ministers. The IAF’s global responsibility action plan calls for IAF’s active support in creating a harmonized global framework for dealing with labour conditions and sustainability in the apparel industry. Potentially this framework could be the ‘due diligence’ principle, which features centrally in the UN’s Ruggie Guiding Principles and in the OECD’s guidelines. Due diligence helps companies to delimit the extent of the actions that may reasonably be expected of them.
