NAfter the EU Parliament voted for a European supply chain law, opinions in the corporate landscape differed greatly. A number of positive voices come from the textile industry in particular, where working conditions in poorer supplier countries are often criticized. “If you enshrine decency and justice in law, that’s certainly right,” said Trigema owner Wolfgang Group the FAZ “If the competition exploits their employees, that would be an unfair competitive advantage.” However, there would be a lot of bureaucracy, adds his son Wolfgang Grupp junior, who is listening to the phone call. “There shouldn’t be any pointless bureaucracy for someone who produces everything in Germany,” adds Grupp senior immediately.
It’s an assessment that you hear again and again when you ask around: Most entrepreneurs think the request is correct. But they fear significantly higher costs and competitive disadvantages, and complain about the bureaucracy. And they doubt whether the law will actually achieve its goals.