Brussels, 16 December 2021

Today, FESI together with other key industry associations / responsible business initiatives addressed a call for harmonisation and consistency to policy makers in view of the future due diligence initiative planned for February 2022.

Due diligence policies need to be well-designed and proportionate in order to foster the creation of a level-playing field, which is vital to drive collective standards and avoid EU internal market fragmentation.

The proliferation of due diligence policies, legal frameworks and regulations at sector, Member State, EU, and international levels risks diverting resources towards compliance, instead of promoting collective action to address negative human rights and environmental impacts. The EU can play a leading global role by requiring the same responsibility standards to access European markets (within limits of international trade regulations) for businesses domiciled within or outside Europe.

About FESI: Founded in 1960 FESI – the Federation of the European Sporting Goods Industry represents the interests of approximately 1.800 sporting goods manufacturers (85% of the European market) through its National Sporting Goods Industry Federations and its directly affiliated member companies. 70-75% of FESI’s membership is made up of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises. In total, the European Sporting Goods Industry employs over 700.000 EU citizens and has an annual turnover of some 81 billion euro.

Contact: Ariane Gatti, FESI Senior Communication & Policy Manager / [email protected]  / +32 274 08 94