For over a decade, buyers have been working to ensure their suppliers meet ethical standards across labour and CSR practices. They have adopted audit/compliance programmes including an initial assessment (ETI, Sedex, FLA or internally developed by the buyer) followed up with face-to-face inspections and ongoing discussions to improve agreed areas and concerns. Yet despite an investment estimated to be worth $80bn dollars a year, good suppliers are suffering from audit fatigue, and bad suppliers are still exposing brands to media-friendly risk. And these scandals are not just confined to fashion anymore. Just ask Apple.
With the rise of socially-connected conscious consumers now voting with their values, and with emerging legislation, first in the US with the California Transparency in Supply Chain Act, and now with similar legislation entering the UK parliament, brands can no longer ignore, control, or keep a lid on issues. Doing the right thing is no longer just a moral or ethical choice: it is a business imperative. But doing the right thing also has to be the best thing – for all parties.
We’ve built a 2.0 solution that for the first time enables EVERY worker in EVERY factory to freely share their experiences. Equipping suppliers with the tools and insights to develop HR systems and practices that deliver sustainable change. Shifting the buyer/supplier relationship from compliance to a transparent and mature partnership where all parties – buyer, supplier and worker – benefit:
From | To |
---|---|
Audit/compliance/monitoring | Partnership/collaboration |
Risk of pass/fail | Ongoing capacity development |
Supply chain audit management | Supply chain risk management |
Data shared by request | Proactive data sharing |
Data manipulation | Data transparency |
Policy/procedural driven questions | Experiential questions and metric data |
Qualitative – data production | Quantifiable – actionable insight |
Face-to-face audits | Web and phone surveys |
Reacting to legislation | Informing legislation |
Supply chain seen as external entity | Supply chain an extension of your workforce |
For more information, call 01908 330242 email [email protected] or download our brochure.