US' fashion industry bodies outline protocol for effective policies

The protocol has been developed, on behalf of thousands of brands and organisations, to assist policymakers in ensuring their best intentions result in implementable and successful solutions to advance sustainability and social responsibility in the fashion industry, the industry bodies said in a press release.

As per the THREADS Protocol, any proposed regulation or legislation should be Transparently developed and enforced; Harmonised across jurisdictions and industries; have Realistic timelines; Enforceable; Adjustable; Designed for success; and be Science-based.

These tenets will enable policymakers to develop practical, workable, and effective regulatory proposals. The protocol expresses that precision and science-based goals matter in efforts to meaningfully address social and sustainability challenges and that the groups’ members are committed to working pre-competitively to achieve the highest ethical, sustainable, and responsible standards across global supply chains and production practices.

The industry welcomes policymakers’ interest in addressing concerns regarding worker rights, environmental sustainability, chemical management, and human rights matters in global supply chains. The involvement of local and national governments, as well as supranational bodies and international organisations, has the potential to build on industry initiatives related to key concerns, establish achievable benchmarks, and catalyse widespread progress. 

As stated in the protocol, “Policy proposals must account for the work industry, and stakeholders and governments at every level will need to undertake to achieve the desired outcomes if they are to be effective. Enthusiasm for a desired outcome is not enough. Poorly designed policies divert resources away from successful or promising industry initiatives and instead create barriers to real progress on environmental and social issues affecting the industry.”

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (NB)