The global market for used clothing has increased seven-fold in the past 40 years. The practice of exporting second-hand clothing from developed countries to developing countries has been amplified by the rise of fast fashion, causing negative impacts on the environment, social and human rights in the importing countries. To address this issue, UNECE and UNECLAC, in partnership with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, held a virtual side session at the 2024 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector titled “Fixing a leaky system: creating resource management systems for used textiles”. This session brought together government officials, businesses, trade unions, civil society, and academia to discuss coordinated strategies, including an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system, to hold producers accountable. Over 400 participants discussed the findings of a UNECE and UNECLAC study and explored potential solutions for establishing a scaled infrastructure for collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling of textiles, ultimately contributing to the development of circular economy solutions across borders. Additionally, UNECE’s Team of Specialists organized a closed-door meeting to address challenges in scaling up transparency and traceability in the textile industry. This meeting, titled “Transparency at scale for due diligence and ESG compliance in textiles- OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector”, brought together various stakeholders such as policy makers, cooperation agencies, brands, civil society organizations, industry representatives, and technology providers to discuss common challenges and potential solutions. The meeting highlighted the need for alignment and better digitization of transactions to enable interoperability. The outcomes of this and other initiatives undertaken by UNECE as part of the Sustainability Pledge are contributing to international standards and norms, such as the European Commission’s proposal for a Directive on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence.
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