German Federal Government strengthens sustainable textile procurement

The German Federal Government has published the “Guidelines for Sustainable Textile Procurement of the Federal Administration”. For the first time, the guideline defines clear social and ecological sustainability criteria along the entire textile supply chain. By doing so, it makes it easier for federal procurement agencies to implement responsible procurement.

According to Mr Gerd Müller, Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, with these guidelines for sustainable textile procurement, the federal government is sending a clear message that from now on, clear sustainability criteria is applied to public textile procurement – whether it’s police uniforms or doctor’s coats.

The new guidelines are also a message to companies, as the procurement volume of the federal, state and local authorities in Germany totals 500 billion euros annually. The federal administration’s guidelines for sustainable public textile procurement will be presented to the federal procurement offices at a public information event early 2021. With these guidelines, the federal government makes a clear commitment to protecting people and the environment in supply chains.

With around nine percent of global clothing imports, Germany is one of the most important markets worldwide. 90 percent of the textiles are manufactured in Asia or Africa, where precarious working conditions and the use of toxic chemicals are still common in many places.