STITCH partnership

What is STITCH? 

Sustainable Textile Initiative: Together for Change (STITCH) is a partnership with a common vision: a global textile and garment industry that contributes to an equal and just society by respecting human rights in the world of work. STITCH consists of six partners: two labour rights organisations – the Center for Development and Integration (CDI) in Vietnam and Cividep in India; two Dutch unions — CNV Internationaal and Mondiaal FNV; and two multi-stakeholder initiatives — Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) in the UK and Fair Wear in The Netherlands. 

The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs has provided the financial support for this programme and is aligned as a strategic partner. Together, we hold a shared goal of an industry where garment workers, of which 75% are women, can exercise their right to freedom of association and access safe, dignified work that pays a living wage. 

STITCH envisages workplaces where workers rights are respected, where their voices are heard, and they can be represented. As a partnership we will amplify workers’ voices and drive global change by convening and aligning national and international supply chain stakeholders toward our shared goal. 

By collaborating to strengthen unions, we can enhance workers’ influence in the value chain. By engaging with brands and suppliers – the most powerful players in the value chain – we can help create space for workers to be represented at the negotiation table. By supporting brands to improve purchasing practices, we can create potential for better working conditions at the supplier and factory level. By influencing market country governments and strengthening the international regulatory frameworks for human and workers’ rights, we can build an ecosystem that supports it all. 

STITCH works as a funding vehicle to support exciting new work with ETI's apparel & textile sector members, including The Industry We Want, our organisational strategic objective on business practices and our ongoing social dialogue work. It will also enable us to build strong functioning ethical trade platforms in both Bangladesh and India.