Building fair and sustainable supply chains

UK Apparel and General Merchandise Sector

Index

Background

Developments
2021
2022
2023
Planned (so far for) 2024

Background

Exploitation of workers in the UK textile and garment sector has been reported many times in recent years. In 2015, the University of Leicester highlighted that the majority of workers in Leicester’s garment sector earned around £3 per hour. The Financial Times report ‘Dark Factories’ in 2017 confirmed similar findings. And in the summer of 2020, reports emerged from Labour Behind the Label and various media outlets emphasising that these exploitative practices remained normal practice, and that workers were at even greater risk as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fast Forward, now part of Stronger Together, was developed together with fashion retailers in 2014 to address concerns of exploitative practices in UK fashion manufacturing going undetected by existing social compliance audits.

The objective of the programme since inception has always been to build sustainable supply chains. The focus of this initially was through the forensic auditing methodology which enabled the identification of exploitative practices that had previously gone undetected, and supplier training to build the capacity of committed suppliers to continuously improve in ethical labour standards management.

However, efforts to improve labour practices in UK garment fashion factories through audits, supplier training, de-listing exploitative suppliers and intelligence sharing with authorities were not sufficient to change the systemic issues. Unethical manufacturers were able to sell their products to other brands and there were little if any repercussions for poor practice. And some improving suppliers have raised concerns that their efforts have not been rewarded with growing market demand and they continue to need to compete with suppliers charging potentially unsustainably low prices.

We have seen growing momentum in the media and amongst civil society groups on the importance of buying companies ensuring that their purchasing practices do not undermine suppliers’ ability to meet the legal and ethical standards that their sourcing code of conducts require. For example, Transform Trade is calling on the UK Government to introduce a Garment Trade Adjudicator – or Fashion Watchdog – as proposed in the Fashion and Supply Chain (Code and Adjudicator) Bill – which before the 2024 general election, garnered the support of 62 MPs and over 16,719 signatories (as at 16.10.23).

More broadly, on 25 July 2024, the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) was entered into force. Member States will have two years to transpose the new rules into their national laws. One year later, the rules will start to apply to companies, with a gradual phase-in between 3 and 5 years after entry into force. 

The Directive applies to EU companies with >1,000 employees and £450m EUR turnover worldwide and non-EU companies with >450m EUR turnover in the EU. It will require such companies to prevent, end or mitigate their adverse impact on human rights (including labour exploitation) and the environment, with respect to their own operations, the operations of their subsidiaries, and the operations carried out by their business partners in the companies’ chains of activities.

To do this, the Directive sets out due diligence measures a company must take to conduct a risk-based human rights and environmental due diligence, founded on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the six steps defined by the OECD Guidelines for Responsible Business Conduct (and in alignment with Stronger Together’s six stage framework). These include:

  • Integrating due diligence into policies and risk management systems (Article 5)
  • Identifying and assessing actual and potential adverse impacts (Article 6)
  • Preventing and mitigating actual and potential adverse impacts, and bringing actual adverse impacts to an end (Articles 7-8)
  • Establishing and maintaining a notification mechanism and complaints procedure (Article 9)
  • Monitoring the effectiveness of their due diligence policy and measures (Article 10)
  • Publicly communicating on due diligence (Article 11)

Fast Forward recognises the important role we can play as a not-for-profit initiative in aiding businesses to prepare for upcoming legislation and to support both suppliers and buying companies to play their respective roles in building fair and sustainable supply chains. We have therefore undertaken a number of developments in the last three years to support this, and have further actions planned, as we seek to transition from an audit and improvement programme, to a truly collaborative sustainable supply chain programme.

Developments

2021

  • We launched the Supplier Engagement Programme, available to any supply chain business in the UK to access a range of benefits to build their capacity to implement ethical labour standards and to strengthen supplier voice and feedback in the programme.
  • We introduced a dedicated Fast Forward member of staff for Supplier Engagement Programme Suppliers.
  • Launched partnership with Just Good Work (JGW) is a free interactive mobile app, giving job-seekers and workers critical information and advice for everything needed on the journey to work. Posters are available in several different languages for sites and JGW business cards have been provided to auditors to pass to workers.
  • New control point added to measure if workers have been informed on how to access their rights and entitlements including through the Just Good Work app.

2022

  • We developed and launched the foundation level of a new Brand Ethical Maturity Framework (EMF) to support Brand Members to demonstrate their engagement with the Fast Forward Programme and their continuous efforts and progress in improving labour conditions in their UK supply chains. The methodology enables Brands to evidence their progress during an annual assessment in the following areas:
    • Brand Engagement with the Fast Forward Programme
    • Human Rights Due Diligence and Transparency
    • Purchasing Practices
    • Remediation
  • We ran four webinars for suppliers on topics including wages and labour costing and being an employer of choice.
  • We introduced a Supplier Feedback Mechanism for suppliers to report any feedback relating to Fast Forward, Member Brands, Audit Bodies or Auditors engaged in the programme.
  • We launched an online list of all Suppliers engaged in the programme for Brands to view, providing greater visibility of supplier improvements.

2023

  • We undertook a full, consultative review of the Fast Forward control points and update of all related training content available to Brands and Suppliers on the website.
  • We expanded the Fast Forward Audit Methodology to cover a review of sustainable product costing.
  • We developed, with a highly experienced consultant, a suite of working documents and checklists for auditors to ensure consistent delivery of the Fast Forward audit methodology, consultation with auditors on draft tools, and a training session with auditors on the new tools. We are now scoping models for calibration of audit body’s quality management systems. 
  • We developed a suite of self-paced learning modules including video training on labour standards and implementation into the business for suppliers and brands to access at any time, at their own pace.
  • We have delivered monthly Supplier Training for suppliers and brands with the addition of new separate ‘safe space’ breakout sessions for suppliers and brands, facilitated by FF Managers.
  • We delivered Brand to Brand support sessions enabling Brands that are further in their ethical maturity to provide peer-to-peer support to other brands as they develop their ethical sourcing and human rights due diligence programmes.
  • Facilitated and issued minutes from the Apparel and General Merchandise Stakeholder Update Meeting to ensure sharing of information and insights can continue after the Apparel and General Merchandise Public-Private Protocol was disbanded. 
  • Quarterly supplier webinars covering important topics to support suppliers, brands and auditors to keep abreast of developments on:
    • Moving Beyond Compliance and latest legislative developments 
    • The importance of ethical UK manufacturing – in partnership with Make It British
    • Building Commercially Sustainable Supply Chains (including a review of labour costing for 2023 and predictions for 2024 based on anticipated NMW changes) 
    • Strategies for Diversity Workplace Inclusion, Neurodiversity Spotlight
  • Free places for Member Brands at Stronger Together’s 10-year event ‘Towards a future free from exploitation’
  • Opportunities for FF Brands to join the external pilot of Tackling Labour Exploitation in UK Warehousing – recognising this is an important supply chain for Member Brands. 

Planned (so far) for 2024

  • Brand Associate level, launched 1 May, 2024. This introductory brand option benefits from many of the same features of full membership, with progress occurring over the first and second year into full-membership. Open to UK small to medium sized brands with a global turnover under £36 million. Learn more.
  • Calibration of Fast Forward Audit Body’s quality management systems.

2024 webinars delivered so far:

Planned:

  • Full level of the Ethical Maturity Framework, with additional measures relating to purchasing practices and supporting training for buying teams.

We also undertake a range of regular activities to share the developments in the programme as well as latest legislative and sector developments include Member Brand and Audit Body Quarterly Steering Group meetings, bi-annual SEP supplier forums, and monthly Newsletters.

Are you a Supplier in the UK and would like to find out more about the Supplier Engagement Programme subscription? Find out more here.

Are you a Brand who would like to find out more about Brand Membership? Find out more here

[Page last updated 1 AUGUST 2024]

Give content suggestions, feedback or report any issues on this page ☞