Issue 28 – July 2023
Welcome to the July issue of the Fast Forward Newsletter
We are pleased to present you with the latest happenings and insightful news from the UK and around the world. As always, we strive to bring you informative content that keeps you in the loop and engaged with the ever-changing landscape of our industry. Let’s dive into this month’s highlights:
Fast Forward News
- Fast Forward Standards update from 1 July, 2023 – video now available
- Audit process update from 1 July 2023 – FF Complyer
- SEP Supplier Training – welcomes Brands
Industry and Legislative News – ALL SECTORS
Apparel and General Merchandise
- Fashion Revolution’s 2023 Global Fashion Transparency Index Published
- Morocco: IndustriALL Global Union proposes Morocco Accord after six workers die in textile factory collapse
Waste and Recycling
We want to hear from you! Share your feedback and requests for inclusions in this publication or any other part of the programme. Contact us today!
The Fast Forward Team
FAST FORWARD NEWS
New Standards Updates from 1 July 2023
Attention SEP Suppliers and Brands! We are pleased to inform you that the 13-minute video highlighting the latest updates to the Fast Forward Standards is now available on your Dashboard. Presented by Hannah Newcomb, Co-CEO of Stronger Together, this informative video will help you stay ahead!
Audit process & report sharing update from 1 July 2023 – FF Complyer
The new Fast Forward Audit and Improvement process has now commenced. Visit your Dashboard and head to the “Audit Process and Training” section to read more.
Engage and Empower
Supplier (SEP) Training Sessions
Supplier Engagement Programme (SEP) training sessions are now open for booking through your Dashboard. Take advantage of this opportunity to benefit from ongoing professional development and stay up-to-date with the evolving standards and practices.
Both Brand and Supplier members now join our training sessions – with dedicated time at the end for separate Brand and Supplier breakout sessions to discuss questions, challenges and opportunities in a peer-to-peer space.
To explore the full agenda of this training session, click here.
LEGISLATIVE AND INDUSTRY NEWS
Enhancements to the EU Settlement Scheme confirmed
New immigration rules confirm that from September 2023 people with pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme (EUSS) will automatically have their status extended by 2 years before it expires, if they have not obtained settled status.
The Home Office press release also states that eligible pre-settled status holders will be automatically converted to settled status once they are eligible for it, without them needing to make an application. It says that during 2024, automated checks of pre-settled status will establish ongoing continuous residence in the UK and that safeguards will be in place to ensure that settled status is not wrongly granted.
Fashion Revolution’s
2023 Global Fashion Transparency Index Published
The Global Fashion Transparency Index serves as a tool to encourage brands to embrace greater transparency regarding their operations and supply chains, addressing the pressing issues including the climate crisis, decent work and living wages, waste and overproduction, and legislation.
The Index encompasses 64,500 data points across 258 distinct indicators. These indicators cover a wide range of aspects including: supply chain traceability, carbon emissions, sustainable materials, purchasing practices, hazardous chemicals, micro-plastics, and more.
Morocco: IndustriALL Global Union proposes Morocco Accord after six workers die in textile factory collapse
Following the deaths of six workers in a textile housing factory earlier this month, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary Atle Høie said: “This is an unacceptable tragedy that should never have happened. The garment industry must be made safe for the people who contribute to its enormous output. If the government, factory owners and brands are really serious about stopping these accidents, we need an Accord program for Morocco. IndustriAll stands in solidarity with the victims and their families.”
The International Accord is a legally binding agreement between 200 garment brands and global trade unions with a mission to ensure safe workplaces in the textile and garment industry. The International Accord, originally the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety was established in 2013 following the tragic Rana Plaza building collapse. A Pakistan Accord, the first country the Accord was expanded to, started in 2023.
HMRC outlines plans for chemical recycling
under plastic packaging tax
The HMRC has launched a highly-anticipated consultation that focuses on the role of chemical recycling in contributing to the content of recycled materials under the plastics packaging tax.
As of now, the tax on plastic products with less than 30% recycled content does not encompass plastics produced through chemical recycling. However, under the proposed ‘mass balance’ scheme, chemically recycled material will be taken into account as part of the overall recycled content percentage.
HMRC is currently advocating for the ‘batch level calculation’ method, which ensures a robust and tangible connection between the recycled feedstock inputs and outputs, reducing the risk of false claims of tax relief and promoting authenticity in sustainability practices, to eliminate greenwashing.
It’s noteworthy that HMRC won’t be introducing its own certification scheme for this new regime. Instead, any business planning to adopt the mass balance approach for the plastics packaging tax would be required to use an independent certification scheme that meets the specific objective requirements.
Read more
Just Good Work
Just Good Work is a free, interactive mobile app giving jobseekers and workers from the UK or abroad critical information and advice on recruitment and employment. The Fast Forward audit requires businesses to display the Just Good Work poster.
Posters are available to download for free in nine languages from the Fast Forward website: Albanian, Bulgarian, English, Croatian, Gujarati, Polish, Romanian, Serbian and Ukrainian.
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