Mobile phone technology within responsible sourcing programs is increasingly common. From the introduction of the Amader Kotha helpline in Bangladesh, after Rana Plaza, to the growth of worker sentiment surveys through to stand alone worker well-being projects at factories, the trend is clear.
The challenge of ‘audit fatigue’ appeared entrenched. However, recent efforts, combined with fresh thinking, have shown there to be light at the end of the tunnel and a glimpse of a more dynamic landscape for the responsible sourcing profession.
“I find the smaller company environment exciting,” says Marcus Chung, Vice President, Manufacturing & Supply Chain at ThirdLove. “At larger companies it’s about sweeping incremental change. Although you have a bigger impact in those cases, I feel like you get more done in smaller companies and that is really fulfilling.”
The Association for Professional Social Compliance Auditors (APSCA) was created to ensure professionalism, consistency and credibility of individual auditors and organizations performing independent social compliance audits and to promote the use of independent social compliance audits, as a tool to advance workplace conditions for workers, globally. The APSCA certification process will ensure auditors have consistent
“My dream in 10 years,” says Rebecca van Bergen, Founder and Executive Director of Nest, “is that if a company says it has a no homeworkers policy, it will be akin to saying it has an anti-woman policy.”
During the past month, CBP has requested dozens of importers into the U.S to provide information demonstrating that their global supply chains are not associated with forced labor or North Korean labor.
While there are many initiatives under development, there is currently no scalable solution to supply chain forced labor. What is clear though is migrant workers are most vulnerable at point of recruitment. It is here where the greatest impact can be made.
A ‘no fees’ policy is an important preventer against forced labor conditions. However, brands must understand the nuances involved, describe the specifics and shape their policy to best fit the nature of their supply chain.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, attention turns to worker retention in China. What is the current situation? Which strategies are suppliers employing and how significant a challenge will this be in future?
After 10 years in the responsible sourcing profession, considers whether the industry should ‘move away from auditing’?