On February 16, 2023, the "9th OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector" hosted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) opened at the headquarters of OECD in Paris. Nearly 400 participants from dozens of countries around the world conducted a two-day discussion on topics such as clothing supply chain living wages, assessment of the effectiveness of due diligence implementation, circular value chain due diligence, employee participation, and the union role in due diligence management, due diligence in conflict-affected and high-risk environments, and the relationship between due diligence costs and buyer-supplier relationships. At the sponsor’s invitation, Dr. Liang Xiaohui, Principal investigator of the Office for Social Responsibility of CNTAC, went to Paris to attend the conference.

 

On February 16, the OECD invited industry organizations from various countries and regions to attend the forum to participate in the "Shoe and Clothing Industry Manufacturers Network Lunch" to exchange the latest progress of the textile and clothing industry in the field of sustainable development in various countries and regions. At the luncheon, Dr. Liang Xiaohui introduced the recently developed "Guidelines for Social and Environmental Responsibility Management of Chinese Textile and Clothing Enterprises" and the training and promotion activities carried out by the China National Textile and Apparel Council, which aroused strong interest and attention from the attendees. On the same day, Dr. Liang Xiaohui also participated in the noon symposium of the participants of the "Sustainable Trade Terms Initiative" (STTI). Representatives from industry organizations in Bangladesh, Egypt, Cambodia, Türkiye, Morocco, and other countries had in-depth exchanges on how to cooperate to promote the implementation of STTI. Dr. Liang Xiaohui introduced the recent development of China's textile and clothing industry to the attendees and pointed out that the key to the current implementation of STTI is to let more social and international organizations understand and support the initiative and seek action breakthroughs for key brands in key areas such as contract terms.

 

At the noon on February 17, Dr. Liang Xiaohui held a bilateral meeting with representatives from the OECD Center for Responsible Corporate Behavior, and the two sides discussed action plans for further deepening cooperation in the fields of sustainable development and responsible corporate behavior in the future.
 
In the afternoon of February 17, at the sub-forum of "Due Diligence Cost and Buyer-Supplier Relationship," Dr. Liang Xiaohui had an in-depth discussion with representatives from the Dutch national contact point, Indian exporters, PVH Company, and the Rutgers University Law School on how to share the costs of supply chain due diligence fairly and reasonably, and cooperate to build a responsible, resilient and trusted buyer-supplier relationship. In his speech, Dr. Liang Xiaohui first pointed out that the compliance of buyers' business behavior is the foundation and guarantee of suppliers' social compliance and social responsibility. Then, he introduced the background, main demands, and progress of the STTI initiative, an important industry holistic and collective solution, and pointed out that the purpose of STTI is to integrate manufacturers' positions and expectations of procurement practices through more fair procurement practices. To promote a more equitable distribution of due diligence costs and related responsibilities in the supply chain. He represented 15 industry organizations from 11 countries participating in STTI and called on global brands and retailers to commit to a common understanding of responsible procurement and to collaborate with STTI as a whole to create global and industry-wide solutions. Other guests of the forum have highly recognized the concept and strategy of STTI and have also aroused strong reactions from attendees. Dr. Liang Xiaohui pointed out that the current discussion and call for responsible procurement should be taken seriously and responded to by the buyer's board of directors as soon as possible after answering the participants' questions about supply chain certification and procurement behavior accountability. During the forum, Dr. Liang Xiaohui also held talks with the International Labour Organization (ILO), the Global Trade Association (amfori), the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the International Textile Federation (ITMF), the International Sustainable Standards Alliance (ISEAL) and other institutions. On February 15, before the forum, representatives from the China National Textile and Apparel Council also attended the 10th OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct.