The EU also calls for a mandatory and enforceable CSR clause in all bilateral trade and investment agreements signed by the EU, as well as a mandatory reporting system to provide greater clarity within the value chain of a single product.

Not only that, the resolution calls on the EC and EU governments to introduce mandatory frameworks to ensure that access to remedy and compensation is based on need and responsibility, and not just on the ability of campaign groups to name and shame or on the voluntary efforts of companies.

The resolution also backs the Commission’s garment flagship initiative on responsible management of the supply chain in the garment sector. Among other things, this initiative plans to foster responsible management of the supply chain in the garment sector, provide better information and understanding for European consumers of garment manufacture, and improve communication on the work the EU is doing to improve sustainable development in the global supply chain.

So with the passing of this resolution, we can also expect the European Parliament to play a more active role in the garment flagship initiative, where existing national action plans will provide a basis of the discussions at EU level. NGOs are also expected to use this resolution to push the European Commission to propose mandatory legislation under the garment flagship initiative.

While this resolution is not legally binding, it is an official call from the European Parliament to other authorities to act on specific issues. In addition, the European Commission can pick up on such a statement to start acting on these same issues.

This article was first published in the August/September 2015 issue of Ecotextile News, page 52. For more information and to subscribe, click here.