Report Cover; courtesy of As You Sow
As you Sow, an organization whose mission is to increase corporate accountability, recently conducted a survey, Toward a Safe, Just Workplace: Apparel Supply Chain Compliance Programs, with the largest U.S. apparel companies. Each company was asked to answer questions about their supply chain compliance. Of 33 companies asked to particpate, only 15 responded. This is an important step toward transparency which is a key to corporations conducting themselves ethically. While not all of the companies who participated earned great scores in every category, they should be recognized for their willingness to be evaluated. It is through processes like this that an organization may learn how to improve their business operations relative to human rights.
Companies were evaluated in the following ten core areas: Code of Conduct, Auditing, Remediation, Supplier Scorecard, Preferred Suppliers, Continuous Improvement, Purchasing, Collaboration, Company Management Accountability, and Transparency.
You may find the list of companies who did not respond in the Appendex A section of this report. These companies should know that it is not enough to merely have a Code of Conduct, they must be willing to abide by it. I prefer to support companies who are striving to achieve the goals outlined in their Code of Conduct, even if they are not quite where they should be yet.
These are the 15 companies who answered As You Sow’s questionnaire. They are listed in the order of their overall scores.
2. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
3. Gap Inc.
4. Hanesbrands Inc.
9. American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.
10. Columbia Sportswear Company
11. V.F. Corporation
Until next time…
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