Global Nature Fund | Fair Wear Works

We are making the textile supply chain more sustainable. By helping sports clubs and the healthcare sector to implement environmentally friendly purchasing practices, we promote ecological and social production conditions in the countries along the supply chain. From the environmentally conscious procurement of raw materials to fair wages for seamstresses. So that fair play doesn’t just take place on the pitch.

Whether jerseys, cycling shorts or fan merchandise – according to the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, around eleven billion euros were spent on sportswear and shoes in Germany alone in 2020. However, less than one percent of sportswear traded worldwide comes from socially fair production. Sporting goods are therefore not only of key economic importance, their production also has a global impact on working conditions, water resources, biodiversity and climate change.

The healthcare system is committed to protecting and caring for people. This makes it all the more important to take responsibility when purchasing textiles: Sustainable purchasing practices help to establish fair working conditions and social standards in the textile industry and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution.

This is exactly where we come in with our “Fair Wear Works” project. We sensitize representatives of the target groups to the relevance of the topic through educational offers and show them concrete steps they can take to make their purchasing more sustainable.

Project area

Goals

Set impulses

Presentations on the importance of sustainable procurement and the environmental and social impact of sports textile production

Shaping exchange

Web seminars with experts and practitioners on fair textile procurement in sports clubs and the healthcare sector

Getting into action

Workshops offer guidance on labels and standards, raise awareness of ecological and social grievances, and support with the transition

Impacts

Representatives of sports clubs and the healthcare sector have in-depth knowledge and expertise on the relevance of sustainable textile procurement through workshops and web seminars

Sports clubs and companies in the healthcare sector pay attention to compliance with sustainability criteria when purchasing sports textiles

Improved environmental impact and working conditions for workers in the textile industry

Impressions

Fünf Menschen sitzen nebeneinander in einem Raum, die mittlere Person hält ein Mikrofon in der Hand und spricht. Im Hintergrund sitzen weitere Menschen.

Eine Gruppe Menschen steht in einem Raum, eine Person im Rollstuhl und mit Hund an der Leine befindet sich vor der Gruppe. Alle halten lilafarbene Fußbälle mit weißen Smilies in der Hand und lächeln fröhlich in die Kamera.

Eine Frau mit Brille in langem Kleid steht an einem Stehtisch vor einer Gruppe sitzender Menschen. Im Hintergrund stehen grüne und lila Roll-ups mit der Aufschrift Fair Kickt.

Eine Frau mit Brille in weißer Bluse gestikuliert vor einem großen Fernsehbildschirm, auf dem verschiedene Textilsiegel angezeigt werden.

Fair Wear Works Projektmanagerin Bettina Faust (Global Nature Fund, rechts im Bild) bei einer Diskussionsrunde des Eine Welt Vereins Oberursel. Auf und vor dem Podium liegen Fußbälle, einige davon sind aufgeschnitten.

Bettina Faust (2.vl), Fair Wear Works Projektmanagerin des Global Nature Fund, mit dem Nachhaltigkeitsteam des VfL Bochum 1848

Contribution to the sustainability goals

Latest news

Leipzig Gymnastics Festival 2025

13. March 2025

Launch of the "Sport Fairändert" ideas competition as part of the "Sport Fairändert" fairness campaign

Cooperation with 1. FC Nuremberg

30. January 2025

Global Nature Fund and 1. FC Nürnberg start cooperation for fair and sustainable textiles in sports & merchandise Press release by the ...

Sustainability in the focus of the 2025 gymnastics festival

23. January 2025

Joint press release by the Global Nature Fund and FEMNET The International German Gymnastics Festival 2025 is cooperating with the Global ...

Web seminars

Our Fair Wear Works web seminar series on‘Sustainable impulses for textile purchasing in the sports and healthcare sector‘ offers insights from experts on various textile purchasing topics and promotes the exchange of experiences among participants.

Heat-resistant textiles

As an expert in sustainable textiles, Bettina Faust, Fair Wear Works project manager, answered the following questions: What makes heat-resistant textiles? Which materials protect against heat and are sustainable at the same time? And how can heat-resistant and sustainable textiles be identified?

Used textiles as a resource

We ask Petra Schweiger: What is the status quo in the collection and sorting of used textiles? Which sorting technologies are already available on the market and what are their advantages and disadvantages? What can we expect in the future? How does textile collection 2.0 work?

Textile seals and standards

Together with our expert Kenza Podieh, we take a closer look at important sustainability standards and textile labels. What labels and standards are there and how do they compare with each other? What criteria need to be considered when evaluating and applying them?

Textile-to-textile recycling

Together with Dipl. Ing. Jürgen Broker, project manager at the ITA Institute for Textile Technology at RWTH Aachen University, we will discuss the opportunities and challenges of textile-to-textile recycling and what relevance it can have with regard to an eco-social transformation.