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Cover: How Sustainability Goes OnlineBonn. Today, the report ‘This is how sustainability works!’ is published. The report documents 17 flagship initiatives and projects on how we can organise ourselves more socially just and ecologically clean in Germany and around the world. FEMNET presents initiatives of the cities of Bonn, Cologne and Stuttgart for a fair public purchase of workwear.

The report ‘This is how sustainability works! Germany and the Global Sustainability Agenda 2018’ breaks down the Sustainable Development Goals in a tangible and concrete way. The editors want to shake up politics and show in which range sustainability is already being implemented in practice.

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by Gisela Burckhardt

The Steering Committee of the Textile Alliance in Cologne 2018. 3rd from Gisela Burckhardt. Photo: © Alliance for Sustainable TextilesThe Steering Committee of the Textile Alliance in Cologne 2018. 3rd from Gisela Burckhardt. Photo: © Alliance for Sustainable Textiles Each member of the Textile Alliance had to draw up an action plan (Roadmap) and publish it for the first time this year how it intends to contribute to improving social and environmental conditions in the supply chain in 2018 (FEMNET-Action plan and Progress report as PDF files). The roadmaps are reviewed by external, independent service providers and published on the website of the Textile Alliance. Currently, the Textile Alliance has around 130 members, 79 of whom are companies that, despite some withdrawals, account for almost half of clothing sales in Germany. Brands and retailers had to plan measures for ten binding targets, six additional targets were recommended, and they were also able to set voluntary targets.

The roadmaps provide information on which three main production countries companies source goods from and which three main sales markets they have.

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Photo Fair procurement in Cologne © FEMNET/Tobias WesselingAfter the work shoes, workwear will also be procured according to eco-fair in the future. Photo: © FEMNET/Tobias WesselingProtection from dirt, but chic enough for funerals: Work shoes of cemetery employees must meet very special requirements. The city of Cologne, capital of fair trade in 2017, follows the Bonn example and has successfully completed its pilot project on eco-fair procurement. In collaboration with FEMNET, she procured 250 pairs of work shoes that were produced with social and environmental criteria in mind.

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Development Minister Gerd Müller plans to introduce the ‘Green Button’ label for textiles soon. However, the campaign for clean clothing warns urgently of the danger of dilution.

Through the seal, Development Minister Gerd Müller wants to make it clear to consumers at first glance whether the purchased garment was also produced under ecologically good and socially acceptable conditions. ‘Such a label is desirable for consumers under two conditions: If it includes demanding social and ecological standards and if it covers the entire textile value chain, i.e. from the cotton field to the hanger. However, there is a risk of dilution with the voluntary "Green Button" seal", says Ingeborg Mehser from the Church Service in the World of Work.

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The textile alliance initiated by Federal Development Minister Gerd Müller (CSU) does not sufficiently motivate companies to commit themselves to respecting human rights in their supply chains. This is criticised by the civil society members of the alliance on the occasion of a networking meeting that will take place on 5 June 2018 in Hanover. The companies that have joined the Textile Alliance so far cover slightly less than 50 percent of the German textile market. It is also likely that additional members will have to leave the alliance at the beginning of July if they do not comply with the obligation to draw up an annual action plan. Civil society members pointed out that the voluntary textile alliance could make meaningful contributions to the implementation of standards. However, effective legal rules applicable to all companies are necessary for the realization of human rights in the textile supply chain.

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Employees of the Bonn Green Space Office sample the potential goods of the new framework contract. High-quality clothing and protective equipment is the basis of good work! Photo: © FEMNETEmployees of the Bonn Green Space Office sample the potential goods of the new framework contract. High-quality clothing and protective equipment is the basis of good work! Photo: © FEMNETTwo years after the first fair tender for the Service and protective clothing of the municipal employees of the Bonn Office for Urban GreeneryThe procedure is established. For example, cut-resistant trousers, forest jackets and winter vests were purchased – but also forest boots and work gloves. For the 19 lots, there were at least 4 valuable offers almost everywhere, which had to be evaluated shortly before Easter according to quality, workmanship and equipment.

From the first experience (described in the Brochure step by step (PDF file)) lessons have been learned. In addition to the criteria use value (30%) and price (40%), social criteria went into the race for the award with 30%. Tenderers who wanted to be considered positively in the tender for socially fair production conditions had to attach concrete evidence to their tenders. This was made possible by a graduated tenderer's declaration on the control of the ILO core labour standards. The more measures bidders were able to demonstrate for credible monitoring of ILO notched labour standards, the more points they were able to score.

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Impulses for Fair Public Procurement at the Berlin Academy of Administration. Photo: © FEMNETImpulses for Fair Public Procurement at the Berlin Academy of Administration. Photo: © FEMNETHuman rights and environmental standards are violated on a daily basis in the globalised production of goods – goods that are also purchased by the public sector. For this reason, the European and German legislators have stipulated that ecological and social criteria may or should play a major role in public procurement. How the requirements for staff in the administration have changed over the years and what the current state of public procurement law provides for was a topic in our lectures in the context of the training course ‘Grundlagen des Vergabewesens’ at the Verwaltungsakademie Berlin. However, the questions of ‘how’ were particularly exciting for the participants. The approximately 20 employees from the civil service of the districts and the state of Berlin were informed about the possibilities of using ‘quality marks’ such as the seals of fair trade. In model projects, numerous possibilities have also been developed, which we were at least able to tackle.

The two lectures were given by FEMNET employee Anne Neumann on the initiative of the Berlin promoter for municipal development policy Michael Jopp in the course of Thomas Griewald.

Our lectures and workshops can be offered free of charge at all training and further education facilities for public service employees who are involved in outreach. Information can be found in our flyer (PDF file).

Feedback on the event:

‘Fair awarding is proper awarding, is economic award - cost-effectiveness in a comprehensive sense. Deliveries and services may only be awarded by skilled and knowledgeable staff.

Due to the increasing demands on the administration - both in terms of content and quantity - and the central contracting authorities, which are not yet widespread everywhere, employees must be able to deal with the extensive requirements of public procurement law.

The methods and experience of other contracting authorities presented by the speakers are very helpful in this regard.”

Thomas Griewald,
Lecturer for basics of public procurement at the Berlin Academy of Administration

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