10.1 Introduction

On 6 December 2007, the Dutch denim brand G-Star publicly announced that it had pulled out of its long-term relationship with the Indian/Italian jeans manufacturer and supplier Fibres & Fabrics International (FFI/JKPL).1 G-Star's loss of appetite towards its Indian supplier was the consequence of being trapped for two years between international campaigning by the Dutch campaigning organisations Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and India Committee Netherlands (ICN, hereafter together referred to as: CCC/ICN)2 and the destructive litigation undertaken by its supplier. Due to the cancellation of further orders by G-Star, the Indian jeans manufacturer, which at that time employed approximately 5,500 people in Bangalore and 100 to 150 people in Italy, risked going out of business in three months' time. Including family members and other dependents, this meant that over 20,000 people would lose their source of income.

In this chapter the effects of campaigning and litigating in issues concerning CSR will be examined. Limiting the analysis to CSR conflicts in the textile industry, the author will reflect on these new types of international conflicts in a globalising world and will share her view on appropriate ways to avoid them or, ultimately, to (re)mediate them if necessary.

Sections 2 to 5 inform the reader about the events in India and the Netherlands which led to the escalation of the conflict. Section 6 provides an overview of the conflict resolution procedures employed in this case and section 7 elaborates on the outcome of the 'Lubbers Mediation'. Section 8 compares the applicable legal and soft law labour standards in order to provide the reader with an insight into the different viewpoints of the parties. Section 9 analyses the parties' communication strategies, thereby illustrating that each side used certain terminology to influence public opinion. Section 10 contrasts this case with other CSR conflicts in the textile industry and also reveals a hidden conflict that played a role in this case: the clash between CSR codes.

In the concluding remarks the author will comment on five dilemmas that present themselves in international CSR conflicts, and will provide suggested guidelines.