Our Statement on the Green Button's OECD Alignment Assessment Result
We are happy to announce that the Green Button has successfully completed the full OECD Alignment Assessment. This includes the evaluation of our standards, governance, and implementation. We are proud to be the first certification scheme to complete this full assessment (fourth initiative overall).
We highly value the expertise and constructive feedback from the OECD during this process. We welcome the results which help us continually improve the Green Button certification scheme.
Green Button’s Strengths
The OECD found many strengths in the Green Button certification scheme. They noted that our standard is well-structured and comprehensive, addressing all six steps of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains in the Garment and Footwear Sector. Our certification process and requirements for auditors are clear and well-defined. Companies view the Green Button Standard as ambitious, often improving their systems to meet the criteria.
Integration of Findings into Upcoming Revision
As a government-run certification, we are committed to continuous improvement. The findings from the OECD Assessment will guide our upcoming standards revision in 2025-27. We will thoroughly review our criteria to ensure they remain robust and reflect best practices in human rights and environmental due diligence (HREDD).
Some areas of improvement we will focus on include:
Strengthening the risk-based approach at the initial stage of our standard.
Emphasizing ongoing improvement through dynamic requirements.
Clarifying stakeholder engagement during the HREDD process.
Analyzing root causes and contributions to harm.
Encouraging companies to pool their leverage for more impactful measures.
A Rigorous Assurance System
Since 2019, Green Button has aimed to be one of the most robust certification schemes in the garment and textile sector. We work with the German national accreditation body for oversight and run a rigorous integrity program. We also provide mandatory HREDD training for new auditors and hold regular meetings with all auditors to ensure consistent application of the standard. In these, we have already taken up some of OECD’s suggestions to enhance our audit processes. Since the assessment, Green Button has published a complaints procedure available on its website.
Reinforcing Progress and Commitment
By integrating the OECD Assessment findings into our current audit process and future revision, we reinforce our commitment to maintaining high standards of sustainability and human rights compliance. Our goal is to build trust among companies, consumers, and other stakeholders.
Green Button remains dedicated to protecting people and the environment through stringent HREDD certification. By responding to the OECD Assessment, we aim to strengthen our progress and commitment, ensuring that Green Button continues to lead in the textile industry.
We would like to express our gratitude to the OECD once again for this meaningful process and look forward to enhancing our efforts to ensure that due diligence implementation is both effective and practical.
You can read the full report on the OECD website here.
Our statement is available as a PDF here.