The European Social Partners for the Textile, Clothing, Leather, and Footwear (TCLF) have issued a joint statement to guide industries through the current green and digital transition, while facing tough global competition, stressing the need to safeguard the industries and protect jobs in Europe. The statement highlights the need for a dedicated strategy with support at national and EU level to help the TCLF sectors survive the COVID-19 pandemic, while they continue to face tough, and, sometimes unfair, global competition. The social partners of TCLF industries fully support the EU’s ambitions for a green and digital transition of the sectors, but insist on concrete European measures to help the industries transform while the continues to suffer from an unequal global playing field.

The joint statement includes demands like full engagement with social partners in both the recovery and the transition of the industries, support for the EU Pact for Skills for the relevant ecosystem, a revision of the GSP which doesn’t negatively impact the sectors and its workers, support to decarbonise the sectors, careful consideration of the Due Diligence Legislation and quality dialogue with Social Partners ahead of the EU Sustainable Products Initiative and the Consumer Agenda to ensure that all policy gaps are addressed. The joint statement also demands special attention to the forthcoming EU Textiles Strategy which should fully represent the needs of the EU’s entire textiles ecosystem.