What’s at stake for due diligence practice in the garment and footwear sector in the context of emerging mandatory due diligence expectations? Speakers will discuss key opportunities, themes and challenges, setting the scene for the three focus sessions that follow.

With responsible purchasing practices an expectation of companies in due diligence legislation, there is an opportunity to build on a decade of learning and practice and make responsible purchasing practices a hallmark of the sector. However, is the sector ready? Panellists will discuss this through the lens of measuring progress on purchasing practices: what will it take to move towards common metrics and monitoring approaches to build greater transparency, comparability and overall uptake of company practice in this area?

While disengagement is presented as an action of last resort, the Garment & Footwear Guidance risk modules give examples where immediate disengagement may be necessary. Recent events and the inclusion of expectations on responsible disengagement in due diligence legislation make it timely to clarify OECD recommendations on this topic. Panellists will explore this with reference to practical scenarios.

Companies are expected to evaluate their responses to prioritised risks and adverse impacts, yet many struggle to monitor progress and assess whether their actions effectively prevent and mitigate harm. Panellists will discuss a range of methods to gain a comprehensive understanding of whether risks and impacts are being effectively addressed, including how workers' perspectives can be integrated more meaningfully. The session will also explore how policymakers can set expectations on effective monitoring and validation in due diligence law.

This session will draw lessons from recent empirical research on the uptake and impact of due diligence in the sector, and present the OECD's new monitoring and evaluation framework for the garment & footwear sector. Participants will discuss recent empirical research as well as key analysis that could be developed to deploy the framework and how different user groups can use the framework going forward.

This session will explore ways to promote collective bargaining and freedom of association rights in supply chains, share examples of engagement with trade unions and worker representatives in the sector, and discuss strategies for overcoming common challenges. Participants will also look at how to leverage stakeholder engagement requirements in due diligence laws to build capacity, avoiding tick-box approaches and bottlenecks in the process.

This session will focus on the important role recyclers can play in increasing transparency and supporting due diligence on recycled material feedstock. It will build on last year’s forum session on circular systems which looked at ways to engage actors across the circular value chain through examples from post-production and post-consumer stages, and draw on learnings in the sector and the OECD’s draft frequently asked questions paper on due diligence for circular processes in the sector.

The important role sustainability initiatives can play in supporting and assessing companies on their due diligence is likely to come further into focus as companies look to leverage their collaborations and demonstrate their performance in the context of mandatory due diligence. The session will present the OECD’s recent learnings across two full and five standards-only alignment assessments of sustainability initiatives operating in the sector. Participants will then be invited to reflect on the learnings in groups.

This workshop session offers participants an opportunity to develop an increased understanding of due diligence through exploring a number of prepared scenarios drawing from key due diligence themes and sector contexts. It will allow industry representatives and stakeholders to exchange experience on carrying out risk-based due diligence and reflect on learnings from the forum.

The OECD conducted a training programme for garment and footwear businesses sourcing from or producing in the MENA & Türkiye region. This session will reflect on training outcomes, examine how businesses are applying learnings in their operations, and will explore different ways buyers and suppliers collaborate in order to support effective implementation of responsible business conduct.