The United Nations in India recently convened an interactive roundtable on Responsible Business Conduct in the Textile and Apparel sector with an international expert on business and human rights and representatives from the apparel industry and UN agencies in India.
The roundtable focused on Indian industry’s leadership in driving sustainability in responsible business and its readiness to comply with national and global regulatory changes and due diligence processes. Responsible business practices help industry to manage environmental risks, strengthen worker trust, and help industry stay ahead of consumer and regulatory expectations.
Professor Surya Deva of Macquarie University spoke about the need for industry to look at an agenda of profit with principles and the crucial role that businesses play towards communities, environment and the wider planet. He gave an overview of the changing international regulatory landscape and the impact on Indian businesses, given the interconnectedness of global supply chains.
“I strongly believe that business leadership must adapt to this transformation,” Professor Deva said, “Businesses are here to make profit and if they make profit, they promote human dignity and development. They provide employment and fair wages, contributing to inclusive growth. But the Business and Human Rights agenda cannot be one-size-fits-all. This is where UN agencies in India can support with pathways that help businesses become responsible.”
Representatives from the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), clothing brands including Tata Trent, Reliance Brands, Peppermint, Spykar, Blackberry, Bonsoir, Fritzberg and La Romani, Lacoste, and exporter Matrix Clothing shared their experience and expertise on driving sustainability in their operations and value chains, as well as challenges related to compliance, especially in the Micro Small Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector.
Speaking on this matter, Rahul Mehta, Chief Mentor, Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), said, “There is awareness about sustainability and human rights in businesses, even in small manufacturers. What we need to do is to get the concepts out of seminar rooms and bring them to the real world. It will be difficult and will take time. But we are moving in that direction. We are showing the industry that we can adopt these practices and still stay profitable.”
Presenting best practices from Indian industry, Sanjay Rastogi of Tata Trent provided an overview of how they have embedded human rights into their business, including the value chain, frameworks and assurance mechanisms.
UN Resident Coordinator in India Shombi Sharp underlined the commitment of UN agencies in India towards mainstreaming sustainability and circularity in the textile industry. He said: “Responsible business isn’t just a goal – it’s a strategy – for enterprise resilience, value creation and success in an evolving global market. The UN team in India is already engaging significantly with the textile and apparel sectors, but so much more we can do together, with industry stakeholders such as CMAI.”
The roundtable was part Project SU.RE or Sustainable Resolution, an initiative of the Ministry of Textiles, Reliance Brands Limited, CMAI and UN in India. The project represents the Indian apparel industry’s largest voluntary commitment to sustainability. This collaboration not only empowers signatories to transform into sustainable brands, but through sharing of best practices, it seeks to reduce the footprint of the sector, both locally and globally.
Aside from his academic work, Professor Deva is also the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development. He is currently in India in his personal capacity.
