On an annual basis, communities spend a huge amount of money on uniforms for municipal services such as the fire department, cleaning and public transportation services. A Clean Clothes Community is one that ensures that only uniforms made under good labor conditions that are not harmful to the environment are purchased. Communities that succeed in outfitting their public employees in clean clothes can hang a "Clean Clothes Community" sign at city hall. Several major cities in the Netherlands are taking their first steps toward becoming Clean Clothes Communities.

For example, the Amsterdam City Council accepted a resolution in late 2000 stating that in the future social and environmental criteria would be taken into account when new uniforms are ordered. In late 2001, Groningen followed Amsterdam's example by agreeing on a similar resolution. The Dutch CCC continues to push communities to accept similar resolutions.

Being a Clean Clothes Community means formulating an ethical procurement policy and developing a plan of action so that within a specified period of time purchasing "clean" uniforms becomes a reality. Before getting started, communities are expected to determine who will be responsible for the purchases, who their suppliers are, which criteria in terms of labor and the environment are taken into account, where the uniforms are actually produced, what is known about the labor conditions and so on (see related article on research done on public procurement in the Netherlands). By becoming a Clean Clothes Community a community also agrees to follow the criteria of the Fair Wear Foundation (FWF). The Fair Wear Foundation is a Dutch foundation that is involved in the monitoring and verification of labor standards in the garment industry. At the end of 2002 the Dutch CCC will organize workshops for those involved in public purchasing.

The Dutch CCC's goal is to have 30 Clean Clothes Communities by the end of 2003. To support these efforts, the CCC has also been organizing a series of workshops for local groups active in the field of sustainable development. Participants learn how to effectively lobby local government to convert their cities and towns into Clean Clothes Communities.

Meanwhile, in the preparatory stage of the local community and parliamentary elections held in March 2002, campaigners called upon (local) politicians to consider issues that reach beyond community borders (ex. human rights, labor rights and environmental problems) in their daily work. They were asked to integrate a paragraph on corporate social responsibility into their electoral programs and several did, raising awareness of the issues. How they take up these issues remains to be seen.

The Clean Clothes Community project is a joint initiative of the Dutch CCC, the India Committee of the Netherlands, and the Alternative Consumer Association.