What’s the Deal
Fair Wear, a non-profit focused on labour rights in the garment industry, and Green Button, Germany’s government-run sustainable textile certification label, have signed a Joint Declaration of Intent. Their goal is to scale up impactful Human Rights and Environmental Due Diligence throughout the global textiles and fashion sector.
Why It Matters
Many companies make promises related to sustainability, worker rights, and environmental protection, but turning those promises into real, measurable action often proves difficult. The collaboration aims to align the two organizations’ approaches, leverage their respective expertise, and make compliance more practical and effective for companies.
Key Objectives
Together, Fair Wear and Green Button plan to harmonize standards and tools so that companies do not face multiple, conflicting requirements. They also want to support more brands in moving from commitment to action, especially in areas like risk assessment, remediation, supply chain transparency, and environmental protection. Another important aim is to strengthen accountability by ensuring better monitoring, auditing, reporting, and grievance mechanisms.
How Green Button Works
The Green Button is a state-run label that certifies textile products and companies against strong social and environmental criteria. To earn the label, a company must meet due diligence obligations: assessing risks in its supply chain, implementing measures to mitigate harm, having grievance and remedy systems in place, and reporting publicly. The product criteria cover production stages such as cutting, sewing, bleaching, and dyeing. The newer Green Button 2.0 standard also adds requirements for raw materials and fibres.
What Fair Wear Brings
Fair Wear contributes deep experience in supporting brands to implement labour standards across supply chains, especially in countries with elevated risk. The organization does not certify products itself, but it monitors factories and workers, helps with complaint mechanisms, conducts audits, and pushes for remedies where violations are found.
Expected Impact and Challenges
Companies will have clearer and more coherent expectations to follow. Workers may see improvements in safety, fair wages, and treatment. Environmental impacts could be reduced through better practices in materials, wastewater, and chemical use. Consumers and regulators may have greater trust thanks to improved transparency and reporting. At the same time, scaling due diligence into complex and opaque supply chains remains difficult. Smaller companies may lack resources or capacity to fully comply without support. Another challenge is ensuring that audits and certifications are robust, independent, and enforceable.
Conclusion
This collaboration between Fair Wear and Green Button represents a strong step forward in making responsible business practices in fashion not just aspirational, but real. By aligning standards and helping more companies move beyond pledges, the partnership promises to improve conditions for workers, protect the environment more effectively, and increase trust across supply chains.
