INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS PAGES OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment & Footwear Sector Remarks by Angel Gurría, OECD Secretary-General 12 February 2020 - OECD, Paris Ladies and Gentlemen, I am delighted to open the 6th OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Gar- ment and Footwear Sector, and to wel- come leaders and experts from more than 50 countries and many different backgrounds. I am also pleased that we have more worker representatives participating at this year’s Forum than at any previous Forums. A rapidly changing environment for the garment and footwear industry The garment and footwear industry is operating in a rapidly shifting environ- ment. Global supply chains are con- stantly changing. Let me point to three trends that are particularly pressing for the sector with respect to due diligence. First, we are living in a time of eco- nomic uncertainty. Protectionist trade measures reduce and distort trade, disrupt global supply networks, lower productivity, and weigh on confidence, jobs and income. This economic un- certainty greatly influences cross-bor- der trade. It is therefore not only one of the most pressing concerns for firms globally, but also causes a huge im- pact on the garment and footwear sec- tor. Second, we are facing a climate cri- sis. And the garment and footwear sec- tor is greatly contributing to it. Total greenhouse gas emissions from tex- tiles production is 1.2 billion tonnes annually. That’s more than the emis- sions of all international flights and maritime shipping combined. It is quite worrying to know that carbon emissions from the sector are expected to in- crease by 60% by 2030 to 2.8 billion tons. Clearly the industry has a huge role to play in tackling the climate cri- sis and developing innovative climate solutions to be implemented across the full supply chain.There is one action that all of us can take: we must reassess our consump- tion patterns. Today, the average per- son buys 60% more items of clothing, compared to 15 years ago; yet keeps them for about half as long. We con- sume over 100 billion items of cloth- ing a year and the global apparel and footwear industry is predicted to gen- NCM-MARCH 2020 41erate 102 million metric tons of prod- ucts by 2030. At this rate, by 2050 the fashion industry will use up a quarter of the world’s carbon budget. Third, supply chains are going digital. 27% of all fashion sales now take place online. The global online fashion mar- ket is predicted to reach USD 765 bil-