German textile suppliers 3Freunde, Shirts for Life and Melawear are the first textile manufacturers to sign up for the new Fairtrade Textile Standard. Launched in March 2016, the Fairtrade Textile Standard enables factory workers to improve their working conditions collectively and is the first standard in the industry to require living wages to be paid within a set time period. The Fairtrade approach is the first of its kind to cover people working throughout the supply chain from seed cotton to finished textile products. In addition, the Textile Program helps factories and workers improve their social and environmental impacts.

3Freunde have already been producing T-shirts made from Fairtrade cotton for several years. Now it wants to take the next step and go from certifying our raw materials to also certifying its supply chains against Fairtrade standards. Melawear, another long-term Fairtrade cotton partner, is planning to implement the Textile Program and has conducted a first assessment of a production site in India. The detected issues mostly relate to wages, participation and contract workers.

Factories participating in the Fairtrade Textile Program will receive onsite support by local experts and the Fairtrade producer networks to meet the standard’s requirements. An independent certification body for Fairtrade will audit the textile companies.