Textile Exchange Releases Human Rights Guidance For Materials Matter Standard
Textile Exchange has released new guidance and tools to help organisations understand and implement the human rights and livelihoods requirements of its forthcoming Materials Matter Standard.
The standard will become effective on December 31, 2026, and mandatory from December 31, 2027. It establishes requirements aimed at protecting human and labour rights across raw material production and processing for the fashion, textile and apparel industries.
The new resources are designed to help organisations identify human rights risks, improve health and safety, support vulnerable groups and promote fair working conditions, including appropriate wages and benefits and measures to prevent excessive working hours and overtime.
The three resources released by Textile Exchange are the Human Rights and Livelihoods Quick Guide, Human Rights Risk Assessment Tool, and Human Rights Commitment & Code of Conduct Template.
The Human Rights and Livelihoods Quick Guide provides an overview of the standard’s human rights and livelihoods requirements and its implementation approach. The Human Rights Risk Assessment Tool helps organisations identify, prioritise and address human rights risks, while the Human Rights Commitment & Code of Conduct Template is intended to help organisations formalise their human rights commitments and establish a code of conduct.
“Stronger human rights and livelihoods practices are central to meaningful sustainability progress and resilient supply systems,” said Siobhan Cullen, Lead, Human Rights and Social Responsibility, Textile Exchange.
“The Materials Matter Standard sets a holistic set of requirements incorporating respect for human rights, with the new guidance and tools released today supporting organisations in putting those requirements into practice,” she added.
Practical Approach To Human Rights Due Diligence
Textile Exchange said the Materials Matter Standard is designed to make human rights due diligence practical for organisations of different sizes and operating contexts.
Its approach takes into account differences in resources, risks and operating environments while maintaining a clear responsibility to respect human rights. The framework draws on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct and the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
The new resources are intended to help organisations translate these principles into practical measures and prepare for the transition to the new standard.
Unified Framework For Material Standards
The Materials Matter Standard brings together Textile Exchange’s existing suite of material standards into a single framework for the fashion, textile and apparel industry.
The standard establishes common requirements covering climate, nature, people and animal welfare across different materials, with the aim of creating a more consistent approach to responsible material production.
The three human rights resources were published on September 1, 2026.
The Materials Matter Standard will become effective on December 31, 2026, and mandatory from December 31, 2027, with audits conducted against the Materials Matter Standard before the mandatory date.
