Sustainable Textiles Switzerland to become an association

(CONNECT) The national program Sustainable Textiles Switzerland 2030 (STS 2030) is being transformed into the independent association Sustainable Textiles Switzerland (STS) at the turn of the year. According to the information, as before, its mission will remain to support the Swiss textile and clothing industries in their efforts to strengthen ecological and social sustainability along their entire value chains.

STS 2030 was founded in 2020 by a trio of organizations: Swiss Textiles, Swiss Fair Trade and amfori Switzerland. The program has been supported by the Federal Office for the Environment und dem State Secretariat for Economic Affairs. Since then, STS 2030 is said to have developed into the central hub for sustainability in the Swiss textile industry. Stakeholders expect the founding of the association and new name to strengthen this status, in addition to underlining the organization’s focus beyond the year 2030.

“Until now, STS 2030 was arranged as a program without a legal structure of its own”, comments Philipp Scheidiger of Swiss Fair Trade. “By founding the association, we are strengthening the multi-stakeholder approach and creating a basis for greater participation by all stakeholders, sustainable financing, and establishing its status as an independent organization in the long term”.

As Anna Vetsch from Swiss Textiles emphasizes, the strategic approach will remain the same: “Through networking, critical dialogue and shared responsibility, we are consistently seeking to achieve industry’s ambitious sustainability goals”. These relate to aspects such as climate protection, fair wages and improved working conditions, the circular economy, as well as transparency and dialogue. ce/mm