FAQs

Ethical fashion: I want to set up an ethical label - where can I find a list of ethical suppliers?

Tuesday, 10 April 2007 06:53

Labour Behind the Label cannot provide a list of 'ethical' suppliers or 'clean' factories. The problems in the garment industry are endemic, the solutions more complex than finding 'good' or 'bad' suppliers. Whilst working conditions vary, few if any suppliers meet the provisions of our model code.

Sourcing ethically is not easy. It means you have to work with suppliers in order to improve conditions within the workplaces they use or own. There are certain things you can do and questions you can ask to improve working conditions. Below are some guidelines on these.

1. The relationship you have with any supplier you choose is key:

• Establishing long term and stable relationships means you are in a better position to work with suppliers to make improvements to working conditions.
• Work with your supplier to resolve issues that do come up rather than simply pulling your business and moving on.
• Remember your purchasing decisions can impact on working conditions. If you demand a low price, one of the repercussions could be that workers are paid a low wage. If you place your orders too close to the shipping date or demand late changes to design this might mean workers have to put in excessive overtime to ensure the order is met.
• When you are planning orders, consult your supplier. Find out how long they need to fulfil an order, when their peak times are, what price you need to pay to ensure workers can be paid a living wage. You should also check your supplier has the capacity to meet your order.

2. Do your homework:

• Recognise that your supplier may just be telling you what they think you want to hear. Taking what your supplier says at face value means you may not be getting a full picture of what is really happening in the factory.
• Ensure that you know what legal standards apply within the country and what international labour standards exist and whether these are being met by your supplier. This is important to ensure at least basic working rights are being respected. (see 'Background for more info)
• Contact local organisations such as trade unions and NGOs dealing with workers’ rights issues. This is a good way of gauging what issues workers in that region or in your supplier factory are facing and for example what workers need to earn to provide for themselves and their families.
• If possible, visit the factory, both by appointment and unannounced. Ask about health and safety, wages, overtime and the presence of a trade union. Emphasize that an active trade union would be an advantage when you choose a supplier. If you want more advice on this, Labour Behind the Label can help.
• Again, don’t just assume your supplier is being completely transparent. If there is a union then try to speak with its representative outside of the factory and independently of the owner. If there is no independent union, see if a local organisation can talk to some of the workers and report back to you (they may charge a fee for this).

3. Work with others:

• Find out if your supplier has any kind of certification, like SA8000.  This is no guarantee of decent conditions, but shows at least that your supplier is aware that social concerns may be an issue for their buyers.
• Find out who the other buyers are at the factory and contact them to see if you can work together to improve working conditions.
• Contact other companies or designers who are also trying to source ethically.
• You could join a multi-stakeholder initiative such as the Ethical Trading Initiative or FairWear Foundation to share learning between companies taking action to improve conditions.

For more information

You may also want to look at the Ethical Trading Initiative's fact sheet 'Ethical Trade: What does it mean for small businesses?'