Brands that embrace a balanced approach to both commercial and social interests will be the leading brands of the future.
Speed, responsiveness and a deep understanding of consumer behavior have always posed challenges and opportunities in the apparel and footwear industries. These challenges are made even more complex by ongoing geo-political events, the online marketplace and direct conversations between consumers and companies through social media. Together these forces necessitate a new sustainability and responsible sourcing paradigm; one built on the foundations of transparency, quality and trust.
Audits remain a vital compliance monitoring tool
In 2018, AGCS Verified conducted over 4,500 social and environmental audits for the apparel and footwear sectors. This included in established manufacturing markets of China, India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam as well as in Europe and emerging geographies such as Myanmar, Ethiopia and Kenya. All of these audits are based on rigorous quality and ethics protocols. We believe our work with factories in these sectors has positively impacted the lives of over 3 million workers in 2016 alone. Our work provides valuable insights that effect business change as well as positive social and environmental impacts.
Worker engagement provides additional insight
AGCS Verified is an industry leader in the development and deployment of worker engagement tools including worker surveys. Each year we conduct hundreds of worker surveys that collect the viewpoints of thousands of workers. These engagements draw on our deep understanding of the business context, in-country knowledge of worker concerns and culture as well as the practical use of technology most relevant in each location. Our worker engagement processes support wider engagement with supervisors, managers and customers to agree on pragmatic solutions that address root causes.