Professional uniforms of state employees, apron of canteen cooks, clothes of cleaning staff, waterproof suits of pilots: how are all these clothes produced and bought for all professional State employees? How to guarantee that these items have been produced in child labour or forced labour free conditions?

The Swiss procurement law demands that sustainability is actively considered when awarding services and contracts. In that context, SECO and ITC organized a workshop consultation on 17 February 2022 about the future Swiss Public Procurement Tool, currently developed by T4SD and piloted for the textiles sector. The purpose of the tool will be to guide public procurers in their purchasing choices and help them understand how sustainability standards can guarantee the respect of ILO Conventions supply chains. The workshop gathered much input from public procurement from Swiss cantons, La Poste, ArmaSuisse, the federal office for defence procurement, and Swiss textiles. The Tool will be launched in April