The Social and Labor Standards in the Garment and Textiles Sector in Asia (SLSG) and China National Textile & Apparel Council (CNTAC) jointly organized the 3rd Round Table on Sustainable Production in the Textile and Garment Sector in Asia on 7th November 2016 in Shanghai, China.

The Round Table focused on the need for increased cooperation among Asian textile producing countries in order to avoid a “race to the bottom” in the context of sustainability standards in the industry in Asia. The Roundtable was held on the side of the annual CSR conference of CNTAC which brought together more than 1000 textiles producers, buyers and other stakeholders from the industry. It also included a discussion of the challenges and opportunities for Chinese investors in other Asian countries in the context of closer collaboration in the area of responsible business conduct. As part of the roundtable, the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles was introduced as an international multi-stakeholder initiative fostering sustainability in the textile supply chain. As a result of the cooperation efforts around the series of round tables, a joint declaration among the major producers associations of China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia to gear their work towards more sustainable textiles production in the region was also signed on 7 November in Shanghai.

The EMSD especially through the EMM Network for Sustainability will continue to cooperate with the SLSG to promote sustainable textiles production in Asia and seeks to promote implementation and replication of the corresponding sustainable business solutions in Asia and elsewhere around the globe.