Global supply chain shocks - such as the pandemic, armed conflicts, shipping disruptions, trade tensions and tariffs - have exposed vulnerabilities in traditional sourcing approaches, weakening supply chain resilience and heightening responsible business conduct (RBC) risks and adverse impacts. The session will examine current disruptions and trends in supply chain shifts and how due diligence can inform business decisions before and during supply chain shocks to navigate uncertainty while minimising the likelihood and severity of RBC risks and adverse impacts. Speakers will be announced soon.

Organised by Graduate Institute Geneva (IHEID) and ILO-IFC Better Work This session is led by partner organisations and may not reflect the views of the OECD. This session will showcase new research findings drawn from one of the most extensive longitudinal datasets on labour compliance in the apparel sector. The analysis merges Better Work’s global assessment data with enterprise-level information, operational records, and country-level governance and trade indicators. By examining factory, programme, and contextual factors shaping compliance over time, the research aims to generate fresh insights into what drives improvements and what challenges remain persistent. Please note that this session will not be livestreamed.

Organised by Shahi Exports, MAS Holdings and Fashion Producer Collective This session is led by partner organisations and may not reflect the views of the OECD. As the industry shifts from compliance to due diligence, manufacturers face a unique opportunity to take ownership of the process rather than defaulting to reactive approaches. To drive impact, suppliers must rethink their roles: agreeing on collective outcomes while empowering manufacturers to define the ""how"" based on their operating context. This session facilitates a candid, constructive dialogue between manufacturers and brands, exploring how shared governance and collaborative models between buyers and suppliers, and amidst suppliers themselves, drive equitable HREDD frameworks. Please note that this session will not be livestreamed. Please register for this session

Estimates suggest that in some countries, up to 90% of the workforce in the sector operates informally - within small, unregistered factories, at home, or collecting and sorting waste for recycling. Despite their contributions to global production and recycling systems, these workers often remain invisible in companies’ due diligence efforts. This session will focus on due diligence in informal work settings beyond the factory floor, with particular attention to homeworkers and waste pickers. Panellists will discuss strategies for identifying informal workers and tailoring their due diligence to the varying likelihood and severity of adverse impacts compared to formal settings. The panellists will also share insights from their engagement with informal workers, as well as examples of national laws and frameworks aimed at improving protections and working conditions of informal workers. Speakers will be announced soon.

Organised by Open Supply Hub, Cambodian Alliance of Trade Unions, Tamil Nadu Textile and Common Labour Union, Stand Up Movement Sri Lanka This session is led by partner organisations and may not reflect the views of the OECD. Drawing on Open Supply Hub’s report 'Beyond Transparency: Building Safe, Accessible Digital Tools for Supply Chain Accountability', this session will highlight perspectives from grassroots trade unions and worker organisations in the Global South on the use of digital tools for supply chain accountability. The discussion will explore how these tools can be designed to prevent or mitigate risks that workers and their communities face when engaging with them. The session will also examine how digital platforms can generate meaningful metrics to assess the impact of human rights and environmental due diligence legislation, ensuring that corporate accountability efforts translate into tangible improvements for workers on the ground. Please note that this session will not be livestreamed. Please register for this session

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how gender-responsive, risk-based due diligence can be applied to a series of example scenarios. Working in facilitated break-out groups, participants will discuss 2–3 scenarios, answer guided questions and share their experiences. The session will deepen understanding of how to implement gender-responsive due diligence in day-to-day operations, encourage practical problem-solving and allow participants to reflect on lessons from their own contexts.

The Manufacturers Network for Due Diligence in the Garment & Footwear Sector is a network of garment and footwear manufacturers, providing them with a space to share experiences, build a common understanding of due diligence topics and work collaboratively. If you are a manufacturers' association and would like to join the event, please contact: julia.delvalle@oecd.org.

This breakfast brings together government officials from adhering and non-adhering governments, as well as representatives from intergovernmental organisations engaged in the garment and footwear sector and its supply chain. If you are a government official and would like to join the event, please contact: andrea.schill@oecd.org.

The session will explore how the rise of e-commerce and demand-driven business models in the sector is reshaping supply chain structures and dynamics. It will also explore how these developments have operationally enabled the development of different business models, such as the ultra fast fashion, and what this means for responsible business conduct (RBC). Panellists will discuss how these new business models that prioritise flexibility and speed are transforming production cycles, supplier relationships and sourcing practices in order to understand what this means for RBC. Additionally, panellists will explore the different ways these changes challenge existing trade and regulatory frameworks. Speakers will be announced soon.

The garment and footwear sector accounts for around 2% of global greenhouse gas emissions, driven by its strong reliance on fossil fuels. With global demand continuing to rise, the sector increasingly acknowledges the urgent need for decarbonisation. Under the Sustainable Infrastructure Programme in Asia, the implementation of the OECD Framework for industry’s net-zero transition in Indonesia provides recommendations on financing instruments and enabling conditions to support the decarbonisation of the sector. Building on these outcomes, the session will explore different financing instruments and policy approaches to advance decarbonisation. It will examine strategies to facilitate the adoption of low-carbon technologies and discuss the role of brands in mobilising investment towards these solutions. See more information on the project Speakers will be announced soon.

Extreme heat, flooding, and water scarcity are already disrupting garment and footwear production in major production countries, with serious impacts for workers' health, livelihoods and safety, which, although increasingly visible, remain underreported and insufficiently addressed. This session build on a session in 2024 and invites participants to explore how due diligence can serve as a tool to prepare for inevitable disruptions and strengthen resilience across supply chains. Discussions will highlight areas that may require companies' attention, from operational adaptation and social protection systems to purchasing practices and buyer–supplier partnerships - drawing on lessons from examples of tested adaptation measures, factory-level action plans and national frameworks. Speakers will be announced soon.

This workshop builds on last year’s session on responsible disengagement, aiming to deepen the discussion on how companies can approach disengagement. Discussants will set the scene with brief reflections and practical insights, after which participants will be invited to actively join the conversation by sharing their own learnings, questions, and examples of good practice. Discussants will be announced soon.

Economic, security and environmental factors, as well as rising energy demand are driving a transition towards alternative sources of energy and a low-carbon economy. This transition offers opportunities for economic growth and innovation, while strengthening energy security through diversified and resilient supply systems. The transition also presents the opportunity to create higher-paying, skilled jobs in sectors such as manufacturing, mining, construction and agriculture. At the same time, an abrupt transition or one not managed properly could increase risks to workers, communities, and consumers, and have destabilising effects on the financial system and economic growth. OECD standards on responsible business conduct (RBC) can be leveraged to manage social impacts associated with the transition, particularly through the implementation of RBC principles such as meaningful stakeholder engagement, supply chain collaboration, continuous improvement, and responsible disengagement. While impacts related to the transition are broad, this session will home in on the impacts to workers. Panellists will share research on company practices and provide insights from pilot projects involving co-developing and integrating workers’ perspectives into transition planning, and experiences in navigating the intersection of environmental, social, and economic priorities. They will discuss areas for deeper collaboration and key considerations for businesses. Speakers will be announced soon.

Companies in the sector understand the risks of only focusing their due diligence on their direct business relationships. However, many are unsure of how to deploy risk-based, scalable due diligence efforts in their upstream supply chains. This workshop will begin by exploring tangible examples of companies, including both brands and manufacturers, that have been able to make progress on upstream due diligence. Participants will be invited to brainstorm on common barriers to conduct due diligence further upstream and how to overcome them. Discussants will be announced soon.