Workers in apparel supply chains are among the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic, workers had to survive on poverty wages; in the first three months of the pandemic alone, workers lost at least US$3 billion in income. Poverty, discrimination, a lack of labor protections, and restrictions on movement form the breeding ground for exploitation and forced labor risks — and the Covid-19 pandemic has dramatically worsened these factors. Workers’ already meager livelihoods were taken away and many lack the support of social and labor protections, which do not extend to (undocumented) migrant workers.

How have apparel companies, which despite ultimately profiting during the pandemic, responded to increased risks of forced labor? KnowTheChain’s third apparel and footwear sector ranking found that the 37 largest global companies fail to stand up for workers who face exploitation and are struggling to survive. On average, companies fail even to hit the 50% mark in the benchmark when it comes to addressing the worst forms of exploitation in their supply chains. Luxury apparel companies score particularly poorly, averaging 31/100. Italian luxury fashion house Prada’s score has worsened over time, at just 5/100, while peers such as the French luxury goods company Kering (41/100) and the German upper premium brand Hugo Boss (49/100) have improved significantly since the first benchmark in 2016. Also among the bottom five companies is US-based Tapestry (16/100),the owner of Coach and Kate Spade. The poor performance suggests a lack of will rather than a lack of resources: Prada offered US$100 million in dividends to its shareholders in early 2021 and Tapestry’s gross profits for the last quarter of 2020 alone equaled US $1.17 billion.

Apparel and Footwear Benchmark Report 2021 - KnowTheChain DOWNLOAD

post

page

attachment

revision

nav_menu_item

custom_css

customize_changeset

oembed_cache

user_request

wp_block

wp_template

wp_template_part

wp_global_styles

wp_navigation

wp_font_family

wp_font_face

acf-taxonomy

acf-post-type

acf-field-group

acf-field

ai1ec_event

exactmetrics_note

Review of Models of Care for Trafficking Survivors in Thailand
Guidance

As a country of origin, destination, and transit for forced labour and human trafficking, Thailand has been expanding its efforts to offer shelter and assistance to both Thai and foreign citizens, however, some gaps remain. Using international stand...Read More

TAGS: Asia
Business Banking and Start-up Support for Survivors of Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking
GuidanceGood Practices

In response to the issues raised in the Expert Review, although most fall outside of SII’s mandate, FAST hosted a global Survivor Business Roundtable on 27 June 2022 to gain more insight into survivors' needs regarding business banking and start-u...Read More

TAGS: Global
Leaving No-one Behind
COVID-19 resourcesGuidance

This is a guidance for policymakers, donors and business leaders to ensure that responses to Covid-19 reach victims of modern slavery and people vulnerable to slavery. With the effects on the global economy, the Covid-19 crisis is leading to wid...Read More

Worth Listening– Understanding and Implementing Human Rights Grievance Management
Guidance

This guide is intended to assist companies, including small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), in designing effective human rights grievance mechanisms. It provides practical advice and case studies, which show that a business is not expected to ...Read More