The 2017 Ethical Fashion Report the TRUTH BEHIND the BARCODE the 2017 ETHICAL FASHION REPORT the TRUTH BEHIND the BARCODE
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The 2017 Ethical Fashion Report THE TRUTH BEHIND THE BARCODE THE 2017 ETHICAL FASHION REPORT THE TRUTH BEHIND THE BARCODE Date: 19th April 2017 Authors: Gershon Nimbalker, Jasmin Mawson, Hsu-Ann Lee, Claire Cremen Behind the Barcode is a project of Baptist World Aid Australia www.behindthebarcode.org.au Report Design Susanne Geppert Front cover photo credit: Asian Development Bank, used under creative commons license 2.0. 2 CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary .......................................4 2. Methodology ............................................... 16 3. Made in … .............................................20 Bangladesh 21, Cambodia 23, China 25, India 27, Australia 29 4. Policies ........................................................ 31 5. Knowing Suppliers ......................................34 6. Auditing & Supplier Relationships ............... 37 Appendices ................................ 7. Worker Empowerment 41 Statements from Non-Responsive Companies 80 8. Living Wage .................................................44 Sources and Further Reading 82 9. Brand Index ................................................. 47 About Baptist World Aid 85 1 0. Survey Data .................................................60 Acknowledgments 85 3 Executive Summary This section outlines the research aims and scope, data collection and findings 1and overall results of all companies. 4 O exploitation intheir supplychains. and childlabour, labour, the risks offorced oftheir systemstomitigate against strength onthe AtoF, It grades106companies,from management systemsinthe fashionindustry. AidAustralia examininglabourrights World byBaptist produced This isthe fourth report OVERVIEW EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OVERALL GRADE OVERALL verall Grades Empowerment Knowing Your Your Knowing Relationships & Supplier Suppliers Auditing Auditing Policies Worker Worker D– D+ D+ B Abercrombie & Fitch* D+ B– A– A+ A+ adidas Group A– : A–P F C B+ A Aldi C+ F F F F Ally Fashion* F C– B– A A American Apparel B C+ C– C– B+ Anthea Crawford* C+ C+ B+ A+ A+ APG & Co A– D– C– B– A+ Arcadia Group C+ D+ C+ B+ A+ AS Colour B– D+ C+ B A+ ASOS B– F C– C A– Bardot C– D– D+ C+ B+ Ben Sherman Australia C– F C C+ A+ Best & Less C F F F F Betts* F D+ D+ B+ A+ Big W C+ D– C C+ A+ Billabong C+ F F F F Bloch* F F B– C+ D– Blue Illusion C– D+ C+ B A+ Boden B– F D+ B A+ Brand Collective C D D+ B+ A+ Clarks C+ D+ C+ B A+ Coles C+ The first report was published in the wake ofthe wake was publishedinthe report first The F F F D Corporate Apparel Group* F than2.5timesthenumber more assesses It now itsrelease. since year engagement every industry and inscope hasgrown report The slavery. from andfreedom alivingwage, place, work rightsincludingasafe upheld.These are products their whomake therightsofworkers that to ensure companies fashion of theefforts tracked and hasbenchmarked theReport time, that Since garmentworkers. of1,134 lives inBangladesh,whichclaimedthe collapse factory RanaPlaza the2013 disaster; tragic most industry’s B– B+ A+ A+ Cotton On Group A– C+ B+ A A+ Country Road Group B+ C C+ C+ A+ Cue Clothing Co B– C+ B– B+ A+ David Jones B+ F F F F Decjuba* F D+ B– B+ A+ Designworks B– C– B A+ A+ Esprit B+ A– A A+ A+ Etiko A+ D C C+ A+ EziBuy C+ D+ C C A Factory X C F F F F Farmers* F F D D+ A+ Fast Future Brands D+ F D+ C B Forever 21 D+ C C+ A– A+ Forever New B C+ B+ A+ A+ Freeset A– C– C+ B+ A+ Fruit of the Loom B– D– D C– A+ Fusion Retail Brands C– D+ C+ B+ A+ Gap B– F F F B Gazal* D– F C C+ A+ General Pants C C– C+ C+ A+ Glassons B– D+ C C+ A+ Gorman C+ D D B+ A+ Grosby C C+ B+ A+ A+ H&M B+ C+ B+ B+ A+ Hanesbrands Inc. B+ F C– C+ A– House of Quirky C– D+ D+ A– A+ Hushpuppies C+ F F D D– Icebreaker* D– B A+ A A+ Inditex A C+ B– A– A+ Industrie B+ pressing. But theneedremains change. callsfor consumer andconcerted scrutiny public increased onby spurred accelerated, have workers fashion for conditions improve to inBangladesh,efforts thetragedy Since release. Australian itstraditional beyond expanding Zealand, inNew isbeingreleased Report Ethical Fashion the ever, time thefirst for Andthisyear, process. engagedintheresearch beingactively companies report, with83%of ofthefirst of companies D+ B A+ A+ Jeanswest B+ C– C+ B+ A+ Jets B D D+ A– A+ Julius Marlow C+ D C+ B+ A+ Just Group C+ C+ A– B+ A+ Karen Walker B+ C+ B+ B+ A+ Kathmandu B+ C– B– B+ A+ Kmart Australia B D+ C+ B+ A+ Kookai B– A– A– A– A+ Kowtow A F D+ D+ B– L Brands* D+ F C+ B– A+ Lacoste C+ C– B+ A+ A+ Levi Strauss & Co. B+ B+ B+ A+ A+ Liminal Apparel A D C C+ A+ Lorna Jane C+ F C– C– B+ Lowes D+ D+ B+ A A+ Lululemon Athletica B+ * = non-responsive companies = non-responsive D+ C+ B+ A+ Macpac B– D– D+ C+ A+ Max C A– B+ A+ A+ Mighty Good Undies A+ D+ C+ C+ A+ Myer C+ C– C+ B A+ New Balance B– D+ C+ B– A+ Next C+ D+ C B A+ Nike* C+ D– C– C+ A+ Noni B C B– B+ A+ A+ Nudie Jeans A– D+ C+ B+ A+ Oroton Group B– F F F F Oxford* F C+ B+ A+ A+ Pacific Brands A– 5 O being thesepractices, for high-risk industry isa Apparel inthisregion. are child labourers millionofits 78 million),andthat (11.7 labourers forced thanhalfoftheworld’s more that estimates (ILO) LabourOrganisation International The outofpoverty. liftthemandtheirfamilies needed to is what below well levels at remain wages workers, ofthese thevast-majority For theregion. across andtextiles apparel inmanufacturing employed than40millionworkers withmore factory, garment world’s the hasbecome AsiaPacific The OVERVIEW EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OVERALL GRADE OVERALL verall Grades Empowerment Knowing Your Your Knowing Relationships & Supplier Suppliers Auditing Auditing Policies Worker Worker B– A– A+ A+ Patagonia A F F D+ F Pavement United Brands* D– : P–Z C C+ B A+ Puma B– D+ C– C+ A+ PVH Corp C+ D– C C A Quiksilver C D+ C C+ A Retail Apparel Group C+ D– C B– A+ Rip Curl C+ C+ C+ A A+ R.M. Williams B+ F F F F Roger David* F B+ B+ A+ A+ RREPP A+ D B B– A+ Seafolly B– F D+ C– A Seed Heritage C– D C+ B A+ Simon de Winter C+ * = non-responsive companies = non-responsive D+ B A– A+ Specialty Fashion Group B D+ B+ B A+ Sussan Group B C– C+ B+ A+ Target Australia B– D D+ B+ A+ The PAS Group C+ D– C– C A The Warehouse Group* C D+ C– C+ A+ Tree of Life C+ D B+ A– A+ UNIQLO B D B B A+ VF Corporation B– F F F F Voyager Distributing Co* F both labour intensive and prone to employing employing to and prone both labourintensive F D+ C+ B– Webster Holdings C– problem. a persistent remain conditions working andunsafe fires Factory isslow. progress thisindustry, for improving are standards And thoughsafety Cambodia, andPakistan. Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Malaysia, includinginChina,India, theregion, throughout manufacturing andfootwear garment, textile childlabourisusedin and/or forced reports USDepartmentofLabor The workers. vulnerable F F F F Wish* F D C C+ A+ Zimmermann C+ Brand Indexonpage47. brands,goto the of specific 330 brands,toseethe grades These 106companiesrepresent Photo credit: gerrypopplestone, used under Creative Commons Licence 2.0. 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INDUSTRY OVERVIEW China remains the most common country for production, followed C+ 13 A 10 F by India, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Thailand. companies assessed median grade companies received companies received A range grades F grades 2016 2017 Investing in supplier relationships is high on the priority for many companies: 67% of companies are 77% of companies are 16% 26% making efforts to train working to actively 67% suppliers, buyers and 77% improve leverage and factory managers to relationships with understand human suppliers, through While transparency remains a challenge in the trafficking, child supplier consolidation industry, we have seen an improvement with the labour, and forced and/or industry percentage of companies publishing full supplier labour risks. collaboration? lists going from 16% to 26% in the last year alone. Worker Empowerment remains the area where Tracing of raw materials remains a huge the most work still needs to challenge with just 7% of companies knowing be done, with the median where all of their cotton is coming from. 7% D+ grade for that section of our assessment being a D+. 7 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INDUSTRY PROGRESS Baptist World Aid’s first report on the fashion industry was published in 2013 and since 59% 59% of companies assessed then, we have seen the industry in the 2016 Report improved make significant progress in their grade in the 2017 Report the quality of their labour rights management systems… Traceability Companies tracing inputs suppliers Companies tracing raw materials suppliers deeper into the 2013 49% 2013 17% supply chains has increased 2015 61% 2015 31% steadily over the 2016 79% 2016 39% 2017 last four years: 2017 81% 2017 45% 42% The number 2013 11% of companies 2016 investing in paying 2015 14% fairer wages to 2016 32% workers 2017 42% The percentage of companies tracking the presence of trade unions and collective bargaining agreements in the majority of their factories has doubled since 2016. 8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY KEY FINDINGS Key Findings factory and were willing to publicly disclose where monitoring suppliers back to fabric production Company Performance they were producing. Etiko and Mighty Good (second tier suppliers), while Patagonia has done Undies, also demonstrated that many of their relatively more to trace its raw materials (third tier Niche ethical producers have consistently been the suppliers were paying a living wage.