CALL FOR PROPOSALS
Fairtrade International & Centre for Social Markets are seeking expressions of interest from qualified consultants to undertake a final evaluation of the EC SWITCH-Asia Project "Switching to Green & Fair Fashion: Advancing sustainable production and consumption in cotton and textile value chains”.
TERMS OF REFERENCE
Publication date: 1st of July 2026
1. CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND
The European Commission (EC) funded the SWITCH-Asia project "Switching to Green & Fair Fashion: Advancing Sustainable Production and Consumption in Cotton & Textile Value Chains" under its SWITCH-Asia Grants Programme, which supports the promotion of Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) patterns in Asian countries. The project is implemented by Fairtrade International (lead partner) together with four consortium partners: Centre for Social Markets (CSM, India), Fairtrade Germany, Max Havelaar France, and Partners in Change (PiC, India). The project ran from 1 May 2022 and is scheduled to conclude on 15 September 2026. The total project budget is EUR 1,983,563, with the European Union contributing 80%.
The overall objective of the project is to foster greener, low-carbon, resource-efficient, more circular and fairer cotton and textile value chains in India, contributing to sustainable economic prosperity and poverty reducti
India plays a pivotal role in global textile production. The Indian textile and apparel sector contributes approximately 2.3% to national GDP, 13% to industrial production, and nearly 12% of exports, while employing millions of workers across rural and urban areas. Asia is the world's largest textile-producing region, and India exports more textile-based products than any country except China, with over 300,000 registered Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) operating in the sector. At the same time, the global textile and apparel industry faces mounting pressure to address its environmental and social footprint, estimated to account for 8–10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, alongside significant water consumption, chemical-intensive processes, and opaque supply chains.
Many MSMEs within Indian textile clusters face structural barriers to sustainability: limited awareness of international standards, lack of affordable tools to measure greenhouse gas emissions, complex environmental compliance requirements, restricted access to green technologies and finance, and insufficient market linkages to sustainability-conscious buyers in India and the EU. These challenges create a significant gap between the sustainability expectations of global markets and the operational realities of local manufacturers.
Fairtrade has been working in India since 2013 to strengthen sustainable supply chains and improve the livelihoods of producers and workers in key agricultural and textile sectors. Building on this experience, the project consortium has worked to create an enabling framework for sustainable production, support green business development among cotton farmers and textile MSMEs, and facilitate access to green finance. Activities have included capacity building and technical assistance for Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and MSMEs, establishment of innovative resource efficiency pilots, training on sustainability certification, multi-stakeholder engagement, and consumer awareness campaigns in both India and the EU.
The project further contributes to EU policy priorities under the European Green Deal and the Circular Economy Action Plan, and draws on ESG reporting frameworks alongside India's National Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct.
The project works towards two specific outcomes, against which the final evaluation will assess results:
Outcome 1 — Textiles and cotton value chains in India adopt less polluting and more resource-efficient and circular processes and services, as measured by: the number of MSMEs reporting a decrease in hazardous chemical use, wastewater production, freshwater consumption or GHG emissions (target: at least 12 MSMEs); and the number of cotton farmer organisations adopting sustainable water, chemical-efficient or carbon/GHG sequestration farm practices (target: at least 3 farmer organisations with 2,500 members).
Outcome 2 — Textiles sector MSMEs producing in and sourcing from India are certified by Environmental, Social and Economic Sustainability Standards (ESESS), as measured by: the number of cotton-textile MSMEs certified against Fairtrade cotton standards and/or related sustainability standards (target: at least 15 MSMEs); the number of MSMEs and large corporations in the EU and India making new or additional commitments to source from Fairtrade-certified sustainable cotton supply chains (target: 25 businesses, of which at least 10 MSMEs); the annual volume of Fairtrade certified cotton sold for the Indian market (target: 825,000 kg of Fairtrade seed cotton); and the number of MSMEs utilising project data and reports to access green finance (target: at least 10 MSMEs).
These outcomes are supported by three output areas: (1) awareness and capacity building across the textiles and cotton value chains for adoption of better environmental, social, and sustainability standards and circular production systems; (2) market linkages and demand for products made through more sustainable and circular cotton textile value chains; and (3) increased integration of sustainability parameters in studies, operational reporting, and mechanisms by textile value chain MSMEs. The final evaluation will assess the project's performance against these outcomes and output areas applying the OECD DAC evaluation criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability.
2. OBJECTIVES
The overall purpose of this final evaluation is to make an assessment, as systematic and objective as possible, of the project "Switching to Green & Fair Fashion: Advancing Sustainable Production and Consumption in Cotton & Textile Value Chains," covering its design, implementation, and results. The evaluation aims to determine the relevance and fulfilment of objectives, efficiency, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability, applying OECD DAC evaluation criteria. It should provide information that is credible and useful, enabling the incorporation of lessons learned into future programming by Fairtrade International, its partners, and the wider SWITCH-Asia community.
To fulfil this purpose, the final evaluation will have the following specific objectives:
- Assess the extent to which the project's two specific outcomes and associated output areas have been achieved against the targets established in the logframe, with particular attention to the adoption of sustainable production practices by MSMEs and cotton farmer organisations, progress on sustainability certification, market linkage development, and green finance uptake.
- Analyse the project's contribution to improving environmental sustainability practices among participating MSMEs and farmer organisations, particularly in relation to GHG emissions management, water and wastewater management, responsible chemical use, and circular production systems.
- Assess the project's efficiency, value for money, and quality of implementation, examining the effectiveness of the consortium partnership model across Fairtrade International, CSM, Fairtrade Germany, Max Havelaar France, and Partners in Change.
- Assess the effectiveness of market linkage and demand-creation activities, including B2B engagement, consumer awareness campaigns, and sourcing commitments by brands and retailers in India and the EU.
- Document, collate, aggregate, analyse and create reports for the main outputs of the Action as a part of the overall report but also provide impact reports for specific interventions and their impact.
- Document best practices, case studies, and key lessons learned from project implementation, including from the sustainability pilots and capacity-building activities across participating textile clusters.
- Develop an exit strategy with key recommendations and an action plan for the long-term sustainability of project results, including the continuation of activities, replication across other textile clusters in India, strengthening of linkages between MSMEs, brands, and sustainability initiatives beyond the project period, and actionable recommendations to contribute to Fairtrade International's broader strategy on sustainable textile supply chains in India and the region.
SCOPE AND METHODS
3.1 Geographical scope
The study should have a national and regional geographical scope, focusing on the locations where the majority of project interventions took place. The primary focus is India, where most project activities were implemented by CSM and Partners in Change across the cotton and textile value chain. Within India, the study should concentrate particularly on the Tiruppur textile cluster in Tamil Nadu — one of India's largest hubs for knitted garment manufacturing and export — which served as the main site for MSME engagement, capacity building, resource efficiency pilots, and sustainability certification support. Where relevant, the study should also examine the broader replication potential of the project model across other textile clusters in Tamil Nadu and India more widely.
A secondary geographical scope covers the European Union, specifically France and Germany, where Fairtrade Germany and Max Havelaar France led business linkage and market demand activities engaging EU-based brands and retailers. The evaluation should assess the outcomes of these activities in relation to sourcing commitments and market linkages created, proportionate to the scale of engagement in these countries.
3.2 Methodology
A kick-off meeting between the selected consultant(s) and the Fairtrade International project team will be required to agree on the final methodology, research questions, sampling approach, and workplan before fieldwork begins.
The evaluation should employ a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis. Given the nature of the project's outcomes — which involve behavioural and systemic changes across a complex, multi-stakeholder value chain — Fairtrade International encourages the use of Outcome Harvesting as a primary methodological approach. Outcome Harvesting is particularly suited to this evaluation as it works backwards from observed changes to determine the project's contribution, rather than measuring only pre-set indicators. This makes it well-suited to capturing unintended outcomes and the project's contribution to systemic change across the cotton and textile value chain, alongside assessment of the logframe targets.
The methodology should include the following components:
- Desk review of all relevant project documentation, including the logframe, inception report, annual and interim narrative and financial reports, baseline and endline studies, sustainability assessments, training materials, monitoring data, project implementation tracking and reporting data and other project outputs.
- Outcome Harvesting sessions with project implementing teams and key stakeholders to identify, describe, and verify changes that have occurred among MSMEs, farmer organisations, brands, and policy actors that the project has contributed to.
- In-person and virtual interviews and focus group discussions with project implementing partners (CSM, Partners in Change, Fairtrade Germany, Max Havelaar France), participating MSMEs and cotton farmer organisations, brands and retailers engaged through market linkage activities, and other relevant value chain actors.
- Factory-level engagement with selected MSMEs within the Tiruppur cluster to assess sustainability practices adopted, environmental improvements, and operational changes resulting from project support.
- Consultation with the full implementing consortium through a physical or virtual workshop to validate emerging findings and recommendations.
- Consultation with other SWITCH-Asia grantees and the SWITCH-Asia Policy Support Component, to gather good practices, benchmark results, and contextualise the project's contribution within the wider programme.
3.3 Sampling Strategy, Research Questions and Indicators
For technical details on sample sizes feasible within the available timeline and budget (see Section 7), we look forward to proposals from interested consultants. Submitted proposals should contain proposed research questions and indicators to measure the evaluation objectives, structured around the OECD DAC criteria of relevance, effectiveness, efficiency, impact, and sustainability, and grounded in the project's logframe. The decision on final research questions and samples — including the MSMEs, farmer organisations, brands, and other stakeholders selected for qualitative interviews — will be taken jointly by the consultant(s) and Fairtrade International's evaluation team during the inception phase.
TIMELINE FOR RESPONDING: Interested research teams are requested to submit their proposals to info@csmworld.org by 15th of July at 18:00 CEST, indicating "EC SWITCH-Asia Final Evaluation Consultancy" in the subject line.
For detailed information, please check the complete version of the RFP attached below