SUSTAINABILITY
TO ADVERTISE
Contact Rani Mahendru + 91-11-47390000 ( 512 ) rani @ apparelresources . com
GOING TO A GOOD EVENT ?
Send your industry gossip , photos and news to isaxena @ apparelresources . com
Sedex Conference 2018
Beyond Compliance in Responsible Sourcing
Defining ‘ Beyond Compliance ’ in
Responsible Sourcing was at the core of the recently concluded Sedex Conference 2018 , London . Delegates from over 40 countries representing brands , retailers and all stakeholders of industry , participated in the 2-day long event and discussed many important issues like the future of impact measurement , leadership skills , forced labour and technology innovation , to name a few . Sharing the difference , Jonathan Ivelaw- Chapman , CEO , Sedex said that a year has passed since the last Sedex Conference took place , comprising of many global issues that are sadly in a worst state of affairs . Jonathan discussed how too often businesses are simply meeting objectives and standards , rather than striving to go beyond them which would help make organisations perform better socially , environmentally and financially .
Tom Smith , the Director of Stakeholder Strategy for Walmart , discussed ‘ Trust ’ within responsible supply chains . He analysed why and how consumers begin to trust companies , while navigating through what he described as a VUCA world – Volatile , Uncertain , Complex , and Ambiguous . Avedis Seferian , President and CEO , WRAP reiterated the point that “ You do not fatten a pig by weighing it ”…, the suggestion that audit and measurement alone would not make the change required , which was a statement that resonated with the rest of the panel and delegates alike . The panel also went into detail to debate the evolution of compliance , with frank input from Marco Baren , of Philips , about stopping auditing completely .
The debate on ‘ Whose responsibility is it to go beyond compliance ’ argued the statement : ‘ This house believes that better compliance alone is insufficient and we are all responsible for going beyond compliance ’. A panel agreed that whilst there is a time and a place for audits and certifications ( compliance ), they are limited in scope . We must go beyond compliance by embedding these ethical values in a holistic way through a company ’ s entire way of doing business . Further challenges discussed included , ensuring that organisations understand ‘ beyond compliance ’ cannot be achieved if they have yet to reach compliance ,
Sedex member companies include more than 25 various industries , most of which are clothing ( 12.25 %) and textile segment ( 2.33 %). Overall , 928 companies from India ( from all segments ) are members of Sedex .
16 Apparel Online India | MAY 16-31 , 2018 | www . apparelresources . com