News

From 21 to 24 May 2024 the 17th edition of the OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains took place. Participants from the IRBC Agreements for the Renewable Energy Sector and the Metals Sector, together with the German Sector Dialogue, organised a partner session on the value of multi-stakeholder collaboration for a just transition.

The International RBC Agreement for the Renewable Energy Sector is expanding with Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) as party to the agreement. Mitsubishi Corporation acquired Eneco group, one of the founding members of the agreement, in 2020, and was eager to join the agreement themselves. This brings the total number of companies, organisations and governments involved to 52.

The International RBC Agreement for the Renewable Energy Sector is expanding with Powerfield Netherlands B.V., OW Netherlands Holding B.V., Twentsche Kabelfabriek and Havfram as parties to the agreement. This brings the total number of companies, organisations and governments involved to 51.

The IRBC Agreement for the Renewable Energy Sector is expanding with Seaway7, Jan De Nul Group and Zonunie as parties to the agreement. This brings the total number of companies, organisations and governments involved to 47.

The IRBC Agreement for the Renewable Energy Sector is expanding with four new companies from the solar and wind sector. With the signing of Sif Netherlands B.V., Solarwatt BV, Equinor Renewables BV and KiesZon, the total number of companies, organisations and governments involved is now 44.

The IRBC Agreement for the Food Products Sector has increased awareness of international responsible business conduct (IRBC) in the sector. This is evident from the final evaluation of the agreement that expired on June 30, 2023.

On 22 September, 2022, the signatories and other stakeholders to the IRBC agreement for the Floricultural Sector reflected on three years of collaboration. The activities, recommendations and perspectives on a sustainable development of the sector are summarized in a final report.

For over a year, representatives of the former Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile have worked hard with the Ethical Trading Initiative, Fair Wear Foundation and the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles to define responsible purchasing practices. This has led to a Common Purchasing Practices Framework. Purchasing practices are an important factor for positive impact at production sites.

The Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile (AGT) has taken significant steps towards a sustainable garment and textile sector. This was the conclusion of the final evaluation of the agreement, which ended on 31 December 2021. Under the agreement, companies received advice, tools and training to help them set up and implement their policy. The aim was to analyse risks, improve working conditions, prevent pollution and promote animal welfare in production countries. Achieving substantial improvements in the garment and textile supply chain will require time and effort beyond the agreement period, however.

The Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile and the German Partnership for Sustainable Textiles have jointly released a report with insights from buyer and supplier feedback. In Spring 2021 feedback was collected through purchasing practices surveys by 48 participating companies, receiving insights from 954 brand employees and 445 suppliers. The report sums up key takeaways, learnings and recommendations from this huge dataset.