Next in Fashion - Ethical Standards for the Apparel Industry

Stronger action, not just language.

Problem 

Despite some steps towards transparency in the apparel industry, current legal requirements do not effectively protect ethical labor standards for products manufactured outside the US. Companies’ existing Corporate Social Responsibility practices are alarmingly weak, and most of the regulatory policies proposed have failed on the federal level.

Our Plan 

Enforce federal supply chain transparency laws.

• Manufacturers and retailers earning over $100 million annually should be subject to a public disclosure law, which would require them to publicly disclose information on supply chain standards & annual compliance records.

• Revise and reintroduce the Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act.

Ensure internationally-recognized labor standards are required in all trade agreements, promoted through worker information campaigns, and enforced with regular, unannounced third-party audits. Our priorities include:

• Freedom to unionize and collectively bargain

• Living conditions of factory dormitories

• Workplace safety standards

• Protections from discrimination and harassment

• No child workers

This Matters 

Many of the products we use on a day-to-day basis are produced in factories abroad, where companies frequently neglect labor abuses and do not prioritize ethical labor standards. Workers are being mistreated, yet the public is kept in the dark about these issues. We need more accountability and transparency on behalf of factory operators and retailers, so that the decisions we make as consumers can endorse ethical practices.