Activities of Malte GALLÉE related to 2022/2171(INI)
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles
Amendments (13)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Whereas the Textile, Garment, Leather, and Footwear sector (TGLF) is one of the largest sectors in the global economy, with the majority of workers being women; whereas it is characterized by poor working conditions and workers’ rights violations, including with regard to farmers that grow agricultural fibre crops like cotton;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1 a. Whereas the TGLF value chain has become increasingly buyer-driven over the years, which has led to low prices, increased time pressure, and poor payment terms; whereas these conditions of market power asymmetries between suppliers and global buyers fuel and exacerbate the risk of labour rights abuses in TGLF producing factories;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1 b. Whereas textile production and consumption also have severe impacts on the environment, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, chemical pollution, resource use and the volume of textile waste that is sent to landfill;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Paragraph -1 c (new)
-1 c. Whereas approximately 60% of all the garments produced in Bangladesh are imported into the EU; whereas the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact (2013) aims to promote continuous improvements in labour rights and factory safety in the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector; whereas tangible improvements were achieved in enhancing building and workplace safety while it failed as an effective tool for promoting workers’ rights;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 d (new)
Paragraph -1 d (new)
-1 d. Whereas the EU plays a key role as producer, investor, buyer/importer, retailer and consumer in TGLF value chains and therefore has considerable leverage to address the negative social and environmental impacts of the TGLF industry;
Amendment 20 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights that the production of textiles and clothing (T&C) often takes place outside the EU and most T&C traded in the EU are imported from third countries; stresses that EU market power must be leveraged to encourage sustainable production practices in the TGLF industry, including through the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the Sustainability Compact as a tool for promoting workers’ rights;
Amendment 24 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Stresses that TGLF value chains are characterised by social and environmental risks that affect companies and stakeholders along the value chain including farmers, producers and workers; welcomes the Commission proposal for a Corporate Sustainable Due Diligence Directive (CSDD) as an important step to address specific problems in the textile sector; stresses the need to include SMEs in the legislation to create a level playing field in the implementation of sustainable practises;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that working conditions in the textile industry in third countries are often subthe TGLF sector is typically characterised by poor working conditions and workers' rights violations; particularly in low-income production countries, where workers suffer from low wages, long working hours, inadequate safety standards and have a direct impact on workers’ living standards due to low wages, poor working conditions and inadequate safety standlimitations to freedom of association and collective bargaining; furthermore, emphasizes that, when violations do occur, workers face numerous barriers to access or receive remediation for such hardms; highlights that women are in particular in an even more vulnerable position; is equally concerned about persisting child labour in the industry;
Amendment 55 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Recalls that unfair purchasing practices are one of the root causes of human rights violations, as low purchase prices and short time frames imposed by buyers on suppliers undermine, for example, the ability of factories to ensure decent working conditions, thus increasing the risk of human rights violations;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Emphasises, accordingly, the need to tackle Unfair Trading Practices (UTPs) in the textile and garment sector, through a regulatory approach, as a means to improve the ability of both buyers and suppliers to respect and fulfil a number of key human rights, including the payment of living wages, protection against gender-based violence, and the abolition of forced overtime, throughout the value chain.
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. SRecalls that human rights violations associated with TGLF value chains occurring in producing countries can often be attributed to weak laws or lack of enforcement of existing laws; strongly encourages the Commission, therefore, to supplement the Strategy with corresponding regional and country programming for developing countries in the framework of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI)-Global Europe and Team Europe initiatives, which should promote projects that help to build T&C production and distribution infrastructure which protects the environment as well as social and labour rights. , and that promote governance reforms and better enforcement of laws, in particular labour laws; stresses that these reforms could be linked to market access to the EU to provide an added incentive for producing countries;
Amendment 65 #
6 a. Recalls that trade policies can play a crucial role in contributing to sustainable TGLF value chains, notably through effective enforcement of Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) chapters of EU trade agreements, including through complaint mechanisms to report non-compliance with multilateral labour and environmental agreements, and through systematic use of ex-ante and ex-post trade sustainability impact assessments and increased participation of stakeholders; in addition, urges the EU to effectively implement and monitor, in a publicly transparent and participative manner, the social and environmental conditions linked to the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP, GSP+ and Everything but Arms);
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Calls on the EU to strengthen political dialogue with producer countries, including about the issue of shrinking spaces for civil society and trade unions to advocate for decent working conditions in TGLF factories;