Other top X posts last week came from the EU Parliament and Commission reaching a common ground on incorporating human and environmental rights in the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence legislation, and Canadian Ombudsperson (CORE) launching a probe against Guess Canada over allegations of forced labour.

UN climate change executive secretary Simon Stiell said in his closing speech at COP28: “Whilst we didn’t turn the page on the fossil fuel era in Dubai, this outcome is the beginning of the end.”

Stiell added that all governments – as well as businesses – need to turn the pledges made into “real-economy outcomes, without delay”.

While the overall message of the agreement has been welcomed, sector bodies AAFA and USFIA said there was more to be done, as they looked away from governments and towards private businesses for the changes needed.

The EU Parliament and council negotiators have informally agreed on new legislation for corporate sustainability due diligence that will apply to all big companies as well as smaller companies deemed to be in high-risk sectors, such as the textile and apparel sector.

Big companies are defined as EU companies and parent companies with over 500 employees and a worldwide turnover higher than €150m ($164.97m).

The Ombudsperson Sheri Meyerhoffer launched a probe following an allegation in independent reports that Guess Canada has supply relationships with three Chinese companies that are said to be using or benefitting from the use of Uyghur forced labour.

Canada’s corporate ethics watchdog CORE published the initial assessment report detailing the allegation, after the complaint was filed by a coalition of 28 Canadian organisations on 21 June 2022 about the activities of Guess Canada.

The International Accord for Health and Safety in the Garment and Textile Industry (International Accord), established on 6 November 2023, came shortly after the expiration of the previous safety programme.

This extended commitment to a comprehensive safety programme is said to represent an opportunity for brands that may have previously fallen short in assuming responsibility for the well-being of their workers.

Our signals coverage is powered by GlobalData’s Thematic Engine, which tags millions of data items across six alternative datasets — patents, jobs, deals, company filings, social media mentions and news — to themes, sectors and companies. These signals enhance our predictive capabilities, helping us to identify the most disruptive threats across each of the sectors we cover and the companies best placed to succeed.