CITI Partners with ITC to Strengthen India’s Preparedness for EU’s CS3D Compliance

November 26, 2025 | By Textile Sphere India

The Confederation of Indian Textile Industry (CITI) has partnered with the International Trade Centre (ITC) to enhance the preparedness of India’s textile and apparel sector for the European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CS3D). As part of the initiative, ITC launched its online CS3D Supplier Preparedness Diagnostic Tool and conducted a specialised Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop at CITI’s headquarters in New Delhi on November 26.

The workshop trained CITI-nominated staff on using the diagnostic tool, enabling them to support wider industry adoption and help Indian manufacturers understand compliance requirements. The tool aims to assist companies—especially small and medium-sized enterprises—in assessing gaps related to human rights, environmental safeguards, and supply-chain due diligence.

Adopted in 2024, the CS3D mandates large EU-operating companies to identify, prevent and mitigate social and environmental risks across their global supply chains. These obligations will extend to non-EU suppliers, including Indian textile and apparel exporters. With the sector’s deep integration into global value chains, compliance readiness is expected to become a crucial determinant for market access.

To ease the transition for SMEs, ITC is implementing an EU-funded project offering technical assistance and public resources that help firms navigate CS3D requirements.

Welcoming the collaboration, CITI Chairman Ashwin Chandran stated that the initiative comes at a strategic moment, with the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement creating new export opportunities. He emphasised that building industry-wide compliance capacity will strengthen India’s position as a trusted sourcing partner in Europe’s sustainability-driven marketplace.

#TAGS textile and apparel sector, European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, CS3D,