WHERE DO YOUR CLOTHES COME FROM?
A supply chain is the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity. In a simpler form, it is how an item of clothing (say the top you're wearing for example), gets from the mind of a designer, to the factory, to your local store, to your wardrobe. Supply chains are to thank for the mass production of clothes so that those shoes you have been waiting to buy, don't go out of stock by pay day.
All supply chains are divided into an upstream and a downstream. Within the downstream process, it involves product or activities that flow away from the source of production towards the customer. The upstream process includes any activity that is performed prior to the specific point in the supply chain.
A large hold over how supply chains are run is the laws that each process has to run by. One of these laws is the Ethical Trading initiative. This is an ethical base code that companies have to abide by.
They are a set of laws that lay out guidelines that all trading, production, manufacturing and any part of a supply chain has to follow.
The 9 most important rules are: 1. Employment is freely chosen
2. Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected
3. Working conditions are safe and hygienic
4. Child labour shall not be used
5. Living wages are paid
6. Working hours are not excessive
7. No discrimination is practiced
8. Regular employment is provided
9. No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed.