123 apparel and footwear companies sign new "AAFA/FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment"

Today, 123 apparel and footwear companies signed the new “AAFA/FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment,” reflecting the industry’s commitment to the fair treatment of workers in the global apparel, footwear, and travel goods supply chain.

Developed in conjunction with the American Apparel & Footwear Association and the Fair Labor Association, the Commitment is a proactive industry effort to address potential forced labor risks for migrant workers in the global supply chain. Each signatory commits to working with its partners to create conditions where no worker pays for their job; where workers retain control of their travel documents and have full freedom of movement; and workers are informed of the basic terms of their employment before joining the workforce. The signing companies also agree to work to “seriously and effectively” implement these practices, to incorporate the Commitment into their social compliance standards by December 31, 2019, and to periodically report the company’s actions through sustainability and/or modern slavery legal disclosures.

The American Apparel & Footwear Association and the Fair Labor Association created the Commitment because reducing potential forced labor risks for migrant workers in the global supply chain is next to impossible for a single company to accomplish alone. True progress towards these goals can only be made when the industry collectively works together in collaboration on this important issue.

“Creating a more transparent supply chain has long been a focus of the apparel and footwear industry and removing the possibility of forced labor is a major part of these efforts,” said Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “Not only does this Commitment show that our industry does not tolerate forced labor, but it also shows our customers that we take this issue seriously and are proactively working together as an industry to initiate measures to ensure these values are respected throughout the supply chain. We hope that many other members of our community will join us in the near future.”

“Far too often, forced labor begins even before a worker shows up at a factory. It starts with recruitment practices that require migrant workers to pay an exorbitant amount of money just to secure a decent job in a foreign country,” said Sharon Waxman, President and CEO of the Fair Labor Association, “With this renewed commitment to responsible recruitment, we hope to bring the power of collective action to highlight these harmful, and sometimes deceptive, practices and protect workers against forced labor in global supply chains.”

The full text of the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment, details, and information on how companies can join the Commitment can be found here.

Company participants as of the launch include:

•          86,400 Global Marketing, LLC

•          Abercrombie & Fitch

•          adidas

•          Ali & Ariel

•          Alliance Graphics

•          Alphabroder

•          American & Efird LLC

•          American Apparel & Footwear Association

•          American Eagle Outfitters, Inc.

•          ASICS Corporation

•          best promotions a Division of Brown & Bigelow, Inc

•          Brooks Sports, Inc.

•          BTC Envelopes & Printing, LLC

•          b.tempt’d by Wacoal

•          CafePress Inc

•          Canadian Tire Corporation Ltd.

•          Captivating

•          Carhartt, Inc.

•          Castlewood Apparel Corp.

•          Cintas

•          CI Sport

•          Collegiate Merchandise Group Inc. / Fandemics

•          Columbia Sportswear Company

•          Conimar Group LLC

•          Creative Knitwear

•          Cutter & Buck

•          CZOC HOUSEWARES LLC DBA THIRSTYSTONE RESOURCES, INC.

•          Delta Galil Industries Ltd.

•          DENIZEN by Levi’s

•          Dockers

•          Duck Head

•          Eileen Fisher

•          Fair Labor Association

•          Fanatics

•          Freeda Co., Ltd.

•          Freelance Print Solutions

•          Fruit of the Loom

•          Fulton Screen Printing

•          Garb Alternative Sportswear, Inc., dba Garb, Inc.

•          Gerber Childrenswear LLC

•          Gildan Activewear Inc.

•          Global Fashion Works

•          Greeting Pen

•          Haggar Clothing Co.

•          Hanna’s Handiworks

•          J. America

•          Joyous Resolution LLC

•          Kathmandu

•          Kenneth Cole Productions

•          KiK Textilien & Non-Food GmbH

•          Komar

•          Lakeshirts

•          Lanier Apparel

•          Levi’s

•          Lilly Pulitzer

•          LL Bean

•          LogoFit, LLC

•          Lucky Brand

•          lululemon athletica

•          McCrary International LLC

•          MD Designs, LLC

•          Minky Couture

•          MOJO LICENSING, LLC

•          Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC)

•          MV Sport – The Game

•          New Balance

•          Nike, Inc.

•          Nordstrom, Inc.

•          One Jeanswear Group

•          Outerknown

•          Oxford Industries

•          Pair of Thieves

•          Patagonia, Inc.

•          Perry Ellis International

•          PING

•          Pukka

•          PVH Corp.

•          Ralph Lauren

•          Randa Accessories

•          Reebok

•          Renfro

•          Royce Apparel, Inc

•          SanMar

•          Santa’s Workshop, Inc.

•          Shin He Mei Industrial Co., Ltd

•          Signature by Levi Strauss

•          Simple Modern

•          Smiling Cross Inc. dba Smile Promotions

•          SML Group Ltd

•          Southern Tide

•          Spanx, Inc.

•          Spirit Clothing Co, dba Spirit Activewear & Spirit Jersey®

•          Sports Licensing Solutions

•          Strapworks, LLC

•          TaylorMade Golf Company

•          Textiles Opico SA de CV (Tex Ops)

•          Tex Ray Group

•          The Beaufort Bonnet Company

•          The Children’s Place (TCP)

•          Third Street Sportswear

•          TLC Sportswear, Inc.

•          Tommy Bahama

•          TOMS Shoes

•          Top of the World

•          TOPTOWEL Co., Ltd

•          TRAU & LOEVNER OPERATING CO INC

•          TTI Global Resources, Inc.

•          Under Armour

•          United Legwear & Apparel Co.

•          University Frames, Inc.

•          Vantage Apparel

•          Vetta, LLC

•          VF Corporation

•          VIVE LA FETE

•          Wacoal

•          Wacoal America, Inc.

•          Walt Technology Group

•          Wes and Willy LLC

•          Wild Sports

•          YEU-CHANG

•          YI-CHIA

•          Yu Yuang Textile Co., Ltd

•          Zephyr Graf-X