Green Button Summit 2025: Launch of the next development phase of the government-run textile label

“It’s not just a conference, it’s a community”.

These words — and a day full of inspiring panels, valuable insights, and enriching discussions — shaped the Green Button Summit 2025 on 2 December 2025.

In front of more than 100 representatives from the textile industry, production countries, civil society, and academia, Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Reem Alabali Radovan opened the Summit in Berlin, officially launching the next development phase of the Green Button. The aim is to anchor the Green Button even more effectively, internationally, and sustainably within the textile landscape.
“The Green Button shall continue to be a reliable label for sustainable textiles in the future,” the Minister emphasized, underlining the strong commitment of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) to sustainable textile supply chains.

Panel: The role of responsible business conduct for resilient supply chains

This commitment also shaped the first panel discussion. Together with Parliamentary State Secretary Dr. Bärbel Kofler, Allan Lerberg Jørgensen (Head of the Centre for Responsible Business Conduct at the OECD), Archana Kotecha (Founder of the Remedy Project and ReAct Asia), and Mathias Diestelmann (Managing Director of Brands Fashion) discussed the key question:
How do responsible business practices — and labels such as the Green Button — contribute to stable and future-proof global supply chains?

The discussion was lively and multi-layered. Despite the different stakeholder groups and interests, all panelists agreed on two central points:

Human rights and environmental due diligence are cornerstones of sustainable textile supply chains. Companies that view corporate responsibility merely as compliance put their reputation at risk and expose themselves to financial and legal risks.
Responsible action is not a “nice to have” and should not be tied solely to regulation.

Voices from the Panel:

Dr. Bärbel Kofler: “It's more than the topic of due diligence. It's an issue of how we as people living in a democracy are addressing challenges. Are we going to fall back in our patterns where we are not willing to look on the root causes of challenges or are we trying to address challenges in a positive way?”

Archana Kotecha: “We cannot allow ourselves to be guided only by profitability when real people are facing real risks. As we are speaking, Asia is still recovering from severe floods that have affected entire countries, communities, and industries. Whether we like it or not, these are harsh realities — and they require responsible action, not endless debate. We must not get caught up in the question of whether responsibility is profitable, when vulnerability and climate impacts are already shaping lives and livelihoods.”

Allan Lerberg Jørgensen: “Due diligence is a two-way street. It’s not just about me pushing requirements onto you – I also need to make sure that my business model is aligned with what I’m asking for. Initiatives like the Green Button play a crucial role in translating international due diligence standards into practice.”

Mathias Diestelmann: “Because as a human being we have one gift and this is talking to each other and hopefully also understanding each other. […] I am not saying that we can solve every problem, that for sure not, but we can at least listen and then take this into our considerations of how we can amend it.”

The new Standards Committee: expertise for the future of the standard

Another highlight and a key driver of the Green Button’s revision was the introduction of the new independent, international Standards Committee. Under the leadership of its Chair, Michael Windfuhr (German Institute for Human Rights), the Committee members Johanna von Stechow (Tchibo), Matthijs Crietee (Sustainable Terms of Trade Initiative), Dr. Sanchita Saxena (UC Berkeley), and Silke Düwel-Rieth (WWF Germany) will provide expert advice to BMZ as the scheme owner during the revision process.

The Standards Committee brings together expertise from business, academia, civil society, human rights, and environmental protection — a real added value for the further development of the standard.

Voices from the Standards Committee members:

Johanna von Stechow: “The first advantage of implementing the Green Button was having the internal knowledge about due diligence and also the responsibility about due diligence was extended from our corporate responsibility department to other departments and that still until today helps me with my daily work.”

Dr. Sanchita Saxena: “I think we've often been guilty of a one-size-fits-all solution. That's not reality. There's a wealth of information in communities throughout the Global South. They are actually the closest to what is happening. So, if we actually tap into their expertise, their knowledge, we'd be surprised at the kinds of solutions that can actually emerge from those conversations.”

Azizullah Goheer (stellvertretend für Matthijs Crietee): “There should be a win-win situation and shared responsibility — not only for the risks, but also for the rewards — so that we can create a better environment and enable further investment on both sides.”

Silke Düwel-Rieth: “It’s important that there is the connection between the environmental due diligence and the human rights due diligence because having a nature where people can also live in and where life feels good is also very strongly connected.”

Michael Windfuhr: “The revision of the Green Button Standard was and is a learning process which hopefully has increased a lot in the sector.”

A closer look at the revision

In their expert input, Director General Dr. Ariane Hildebrandt and Head of Unit Lucia de Carlo provided initial insights into the upcoming focus areas of the revision:

Stronger integration of environmental and climate protection topics (in particular circular economy)
Alignment with international frameworks and guidelines such as the OECD Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct, EU legislation, and the ISEAL Code of Good Practice
Internationalisation of the Green Button through stronger cooperation with international companies and production countries
Greater impact, simplification, and practical relevance for companies through a lean and clearly structured standard, enabling more efficient and effective implementation

What’s next?

With the Summit, the revision process officially begins, followed by the public consultation phase next year. Companies, producers, workers, consumers, civil society, and academia are invited to contribute their perspectives, expectations, and interests. The revision is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
The publication of the new Green Button Standard is planned for 2027.

Further information:

https://gruener-knopf.de/en/revision