Cover image: © Beirholms Væverier A/S
The year that has just passed can be described as a year when sustainability issues seriously moved from the goodwill account of many organizations into the boardroom. Framework for standardization of corporate sustainability reporting and the due diligence directive were hammered out in the EU. The work with sustainability is no longer optional.
This can feel like processes that are far away, where it is difficult to see a clear connection to the daily business. The majority of members within The Swedish Textile Service Association are also not directly affected by these changes, but in both cases there is however a strong focus on the supply chain, i.e. all the organizations that exist upstream and downstream of the large companies that are already affected by the changed sustainability legislation. Since many members are part of other organizations' supply chain, it is very likely that you have already received, or will soon receive, more questions about, for example, the climate impact of your processes, how you ensure good working conditions for your employees, or where and how textiles that you rent out to customers are produced.
Having answers to these questions, and that the answers should also be satisfactory for customers, will be decisive for the industry's competitiveness going forward. To support members in being more prepared for the issues that we will see more and more of in the future, The Swedish Textile Service Association has during the year drawn up a proposal for the development of the organization's authorization process. By developing the process based on aspects that are in focus in the new sustainability legislation, we want to support the industry in preparing and thereby maintaining or even increasing its competitiveness.
