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Oberalp Remains Engaged in Myanmar: Balancing Production, Human Rights, and Responsibility

“The situation in Myanmar is complex, and keeping our production in the country involves risks, but we also believe that ending the relationship with our suppliers would only worsen the situation for the workers who make our products. After consulting a range of local stakeholders, reading reports on the situation, and evaluating what is happening in our partner factories, we came to a conclusion: human rights due diligence is more difficult than it used to be, but it is still possible.”

The above statement was shared by Oberalp Group today. Oberalp, an Italian business specializing in outdoor sports garments, sources from 2 factories in Myanmar and is a valued member of EuroCham Myanmar’s Garment Group, which brings together over 35 European garment businesses.

As a Chamber with a solid presence on the ground, we support responsible European businesses operating in Myanmar by providing reliable information and stakeholder engagement to enable enhanced due diligence. EuroCham Myanmar believes that ” by engaging as a company in discussions with local labour rights groups on wages and labour conditions, you can have leverage. By leaving the country, it is difficult to see how you can have an influence on local conditions,” as stated by our CEO, Ms Karina Ufert, during the OECD Garment and Footwear Forum in February of this year.

Read the full article by Oberalp Group here.