ENA Sectors 2025-11-27 17:07:31 <p><span style="font-size:14px"><strong>New Delhi, Nov 27 (KNN)</strong> The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has partnered with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to pilot an EU-funded capacity-building programme to help Indias textile and apparel SMEs prepare for compliance with the European Unions (EU) Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D).</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">ITC&mdash;a joint agency of the United Nations (UN) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO)&mdash;supports small businesses in developing countries on trade-related matters and serves as the UN systems focal point for technical cooperation on trade promotion and export development.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">Adopted in 2024, the EUs CS3D requires large companies operating in the European Union to identify, prevent and mitigate adverse human rights and environmental impacts across their operations, subsidiaries and value chains. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The directive is expected to influence supplier expectations beyond the EU, particularly in sectors with higher risk profiles, including textiles and apparel.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">CITI Chairman Ashwin Chandran welcomed the collaboration, noting that enhanced sustainability preparedness will be essential as India and the EU continue negotiations on a proposed free trade agreement (FTA). </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">Indias textile and apparel exporters being in a stronger position on the sustainability front is imperative to achieving the target of USD 100 billion in textile and apparel exports by 2030, Chandran added. A majority of firms in this industry fall under the MSME category.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">As part of the initiative, CITI and ITC jointly organised a sensitisation workshop in New Delhi on November 27 to brief industry stakeholders on evolving EU legislative requirements, with a particular focus on CS3D. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:14px">The session also introduced a pilot project and an online diagnostic tool developed by ITC to help companies assess their preparedness for the directive.</span></p> <p><em><strong><span style="font-size:14px">(KNN Bureau)</span></strong></em></p> 44220 https://knnindia.co.in/news/newsdetails/sectors/citiitc-launch-eu-funded-programme-to-equip-indian-textile-smes-for-cs3d-compliance 2025-11-27 17:07:31 knnindia.co.in