Fair Wear Foundation and the Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative (STTI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), committing to further strengthening their collaboration on advancing systemic change in the garment and textile industry through the promotion and facilitation of responsible purchasing practices and, more broadly, the impactful implementation of the human rights due diligence (HRDD) framework. 
 
Fair Wear and STTI share the vision of a just garment and textile industry in which brands actively engage in a dialogue with stakeholders from manufacturing countries to improve working conditions. Crucially, brands must establish equal partnerships with their suppliers who have valuable knowledge and practical insights to inform their HRDD efforts, including responsible purchasing practices. The latter are key in enabling the suppliers who will ultimately need to implement the improved working conditions.
 
STTI have already been contributing important recommendations from their White Paper on the Definition and Application of Commercial Compliance to the Common Framework of Responsible Purchasing Practices (CFRPP), a set of principles around responsible behaviour developed by a comprehensive group of MSIs, amongst which Fair Wear, and expert organisations, including a process of stakeholder consultation. The MoU between Fair Wear and STTI consolidates the organisations’ intentions to further integrate STTI into the work of the CFRPP.
 
“The manufacturers gathered in STTI seek collaboration with brands and retailers to push real improvements in purchasing practices. The MoU with Fair Wear opens up the opportunity to establish a stronger link with the Fair Wear member brands. Beyond that, with Fair Wear's expertise on human rights due diligence, the collaboration with STTI takes on a bigger dimension, helping both organisations move the needle on a global infrastructure that can help drive more responsible purchasing practices.”
Matthijs Crietee, Secretary General of IAF