BEIJING - The China National Textile and Apparel Council said on Friday it is joining hands with the Brussels-based Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) to address the corporate social responsibility (CSR) issues of domestic textile companies while exporting products to the European Union and other countries.
The cooperation between the two sides will help strengthen the cooperation with European retailers and also relieve auditing pressures on domestic companies.
The two sides will scrutinize the BSCI and domestic CSR standards and understand the compatibility and diversity issues to find a practical way of mutual recognition.
At the same time, they will also hold joint training sessions in sectors like CSR management and human resources for Chinese exporters.
CSR generally pertains to safe production, working conditions, employment, product quality and environmental protection.
"Chinese textile companies are often required to conduct on-site CSR auditing, especially when exporting products to the European Union. A mutual recognition of the CSR standards will help exporters formulate and implement long-term strategies and avoid future problems," said Sun Ruizhe, vice-president of the China National Textile and Apparel Council.
The Sino-EU cooperation in the textile industry started in May 2007, after the association signed an agreement with the Foreign Trade Association of Europe.
Under the agreement, the industrial association joined hands with BSCI to conduct training in 1,500 Chinese textile companies and a series of related lectures to senior executives of these companies. The two sides also carried out research and discussion on improvements to the CSR standards.
China is a major textile and apparel exporter. The nation exported $171 billion worth of textile and garment products last year, down 9.65 percent year-on-year due to international global financial crisis. Exports to European Union amounted to $43.89 billion in 2009, a year-on-year decline of 14.80 percent, according to customs statistics.
