Together for Change in the garment industry

Cooperating to arrive at better working conditions and a greater say for textile workers in the production chain is what we at STITCH advocate. STITCH (Sustainable Textile Initiative: Together for Change) is a consortium of six international organisations of which Mondiaal FNV is a part of. We cooperate directly with trade unions and civil-society organisations (local and regional partners) as well as with more than 200 dedicated clothing brands.

Photo by Catrien Arjens

Fair clothing worldwide through cooperation and social dialogue

STITCH aims to create a ‘new normal’ for the textile and garment industry: a production chain in which textile workers, mainly women, can exert influence on their employment conditions, and where gender equality, decent wages, and fair prices are the rule. For this purpose, we aim at developing constructive social dialogue, to achieve successful collective bargaining at the plant level or higher. We unite the most important players in the production chain.

Respect for labour rights

STITCH is active in the following producer countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. However, we are also developing a regional approach for the Middle East and North Africa regions (MENA region). Our aim in all these countries is to enter into cooperative ventures with trade unions, governments, employers’ associations, and plants. Since we are cooperating as six highly influential organisations, we expect to expand the impact further throughout the entire industry. Together we will face the challenge of transforming the textile and garment industry into one where respect for labour rights is common practice.
 

What STITCH does

We collectively stand up for better working conditions and adherence to labour rights by: 

• Working with local unions and labour rights organisations on collective bargaining to influence higher wages, gender issues and decent work.
• Capacitating suppliers to improve their social dialogue with workers and governments and sourcing dialogue with brands.
• Engaging with brands towards more responsible business, leveraging the crucial role they can play in making the industry both more ethical and sustainable.
• Advocating for a legislative framework that creates higher levels of accountability on better working conditions and remuneration for companies sourcing in production countries.
• Lobbying, campaigning, and convening to influence the regulatory framework (the ‘smart mix’) being developed at EU and national levels to include workers’ voices, freedom of association, a gender lens and purchasing practices as part of widely supported and implemented human rights due diligence by companies. 

STITCH is active in garment-producing countries across Asia, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, and plans to develop a regional approach for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

STITCH consists of 5 partners:

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided the financial support for the programme and is aligned as strategic partner for STITCH. 

Financing

STITCH is made possible by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign affairs, which will be financing the consortium for five years.