The International Responsible Business Conduct (IRBC) Agreement for the floricultural sector was signed at the World Horti Center in Naaldwijk today. The Dutch floricultural sector has joined forces with the Dutch government, a trade union and an NGO to agree on a more responsible approach to international production of and trade in ornamental plants.
Early this month we had the opportunity to present the Dutch Agreement for Sustainable Garments and Textile (AGT) at the seminar ‘beyond auditing’, organised by the German Textilbündnis.
The independent Complaints and Disputes Committee for the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textile has issued its first rulings in two separate disputes.
On Wednesday 22 May, a group of 20 participants of the pilot project on sustainable procurement (MVI) natural stone visited the Carrières du Hainaut quarry in Wallonia. The quarry is one of the largest in Europe. Hard stone is extracted, which is largely used for public space in the Netherlands and Flanders.
The directors of all participating parties to the International RBC-agreement in the Insurance sector met in May to discuss the progress of the agreement. Topics that were discussed included progress within various working groups, the climate change and some practical cases.
Parties within the Dutch Banking Sector Agreement publish a paper on enabling remediation. The paper explores the role and responsibility of banks with regard to remedy, when connected to human rights impacts through client relationships. It summarizes the most important points of conversation, consensus and broadly shared insights and diverging perspectives where parties were unable to reach consensus.
Which issues do companies in the food sector face when they start due diligence? How can parties within the agreement help companies to manage the risks in their international value chain? At the inspiration session of the IRBC Agreement for the Food Product sector on May 21 in Utrecht, practice played a central role.
Stakeholders in the metals sector are joining forces to advocate for and stimulate international responsible business conduct (IRBC) in the sector. Companies, industry associations, government, trade unions and civil society organisations will sign the ‘International RBC Agreement for the Metals Sector: Delivering Responsible Metals Supply Chains Together’ on 23 May.
On 23 May, participants in the TruStone Initiative and the pilot projects on socially responsible procurement of natural stone met with Indian partners from the NGOs Arisa and Coalitie Stop Child Labour.
On May 9th, the Dutch Agreement on Sustainable Garments and Textiles, Solidaridad and Modint organized a workshop on sustainable materials for companies and other parties to the Agreement.
