2025 OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector
About the Event
The OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector brings together the representatives from government, business, unions, civil society and international organisations to discuss challenges and risks as well as learnings and solutions related to implementing due diligence in global garment and footwear supply chains.
As part of the 2025 Forum, the WageIndicator Foundation will be hosting and participating in multiple side-sessions. These are open to the public and free to attend. You can view details of the same and register below.
Session 1: Addressing Environmental and Labor Rights Risks: Engaging Stakeholders through Rightsholder-Based Monitoring for Effective Due Diligence
This session focused on a collaborative approach to improving working and environmental conditions in Bangladesh’s garment and textile industry through a multi-actor partnership. The initiative is designed to collect and analyse data on working conditions as well as environmental and health hazards directly from rights holders, including garment workers and local communities.
Two core methods are employed: Worker-Based Monitoring (WBM), which gathers reliable information on labour conditions via representative surveys conducted outside factories, and Community-Based Monitoring (CBM), which documents environmental impacts and health hazards risks in areas surrounding factories. This work has become necessary in light of EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD), which emphasizes reliable risk analyses in textile supply chains and incorporating the perspectives of rights holders where the result will provide added value.
Date and time: 10 Feb, 11:30 - 13:00 CET
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Session 2: Advancing Gender Equality, Female Representation, and Living Wages in the Garment and Footwear Sector
This session explored gender inequalities in the garment and footwear sector, focusing on the gender pay gap, gender-related challenges on the work floor, and the underrepresentation of women in trade unions. Representatives from WageIndicator, trade unions, and a global brand explored in this session together the potential of closing the living wage gap, and improving the above challenges.
Key findings from the DecentWorkCheck and WorkerPriorityPoll in Indonesia were shared to highlight non-compliance on gender-related issues, as well as the priorities of underrepresented groups, particularly female workers. Reports on results of bipartite negotiations were also presented to understand how unions and employers approach these issues. A woman union leader from Ethiopia shared her successful experiences on influencing workplace policies. Finally, the session also explored the role that global brands can play in addressing these issues, using their influence as buyers to improve workplace policies and wage standards across supply chains.
Date and time: 14 Feb, 12:30 PM CET
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Session 3: Mid-Decade Reflection: Insights from The Industry We Want's 2025 metrics and the Road to 2030
As part of the OECD Forum, The Industry We Want will host a side session on the 14th of February to look at the fourth cycle of the Industry Dashboard metrics and open up the discussion to the lived experiences and perspectives of those at the heart of the industry. Daniela Ceccon, WageIndicator's Director of Data, will be participating in this session.
Date and time: 14 Feb, 11:30 CET