The industry calls for the development of unified production standards
Although it remains to be seen whether the development of outsourcing business in South Asia will be sustainable by increasing the transparency of the apparel supply chain, there were calls for greater transparency in the apparel industry at the 2013 South Asia Apparel Industry Sustainability Summit held in Sri Lanka recently. But it’s getting higher and higher.
Tom Smith, a British global supply chain consultant, believes that buyers bear increasingly important responsibilities for terminal production during the procurement process. “We all know that production standards and the fulfillment of social responsibilities need to be improved and maintained. Buyers There is a responsibility to monitor the production of suppliers. Starting with simple questions is enough to trigger a big change. The first step can start from improving the transparency of the production process.” Tom Smith also emphasized that brands and retailers need to Be the first to start this work and give the factory better practice and support.
Nikhil, International Chairman of the Sri Lanka Design Festival, said that as early as 2007, the industry launched a plan to “make the clothing industry guilt-free”, which specifically involves an open and adherent labor standard.
Hirdaramani, Sri Lanka’s largest apparel exporter, firmly believes that Sri Lankan manufacturers’ sense of responsibility and production transparency are increasing. At the same time, he called for the introduction of an internationally unified standard so that consumers can understand the production process of a piece of clothing. “We need a standardized medium to convey production information to consumers to simplify the process so that consumers are willing to invest more for high-quality and durable products.” Hirdaramani said.
But Roxanne Paris, regional manager of global inspection and certification agency SGS, believes that such international standards are not easy to establish. She pointed to differences in legal compliance by frontline workers as a prominent issue, with some countries adopting local standards while others opting to adhere to International Labor Organization conventions. “Some garment factories want us to use the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) code for inspections, and some users require us to use corporate social responsibility standards for review. Different customers have different needs, so it is difficult to implement them in one standard. .” Roxanne Parris said.
Smith agrees. He believes that the development of a global standard will take a long time, and buyers and other stakeholders should participate in discussions. In Sri Lanka, the garment industry needs to increase awareness about fire safety and chemical storage safety. Parris said some of her clients in Sri Lanka have begun to pay attention to potential production risks that they had not previously paid attention to, including hidden risks in electrical wiring, waste storage and other work areas.
