More Companies Offer Lists of Active Suppliers
27 October 2005 at 1:10 pm
In line with recent precedents set by Nike and Gap Inc. in publishing lists of suppliers and labour code-of-conduct violations in their factories, early CSR pioneer Levi Strauss & Co. is following suit.
It is now publishing a list of all its supplier factories as well as a guidebook providing examples of code-of-conduct violations, remediation timeframes, and specific steps required to address violations.
The company has provided the names and locations of more than 750 factories along with other detailed sourcing information and documents.
The information is published in the Corporate Citizenship section of the LS&CO. corporate Web site, http://www.levistrauss.com.
Senior vice president, Global Sourcing David Love says greater transparency within the supply chain will provide additional momentum to improve working conditions in apparel factories worldwide.
He says the hope is that this level of transparency will become standard across the apparel sector, fostering greater collaboration among brands in shared factories.
In 1991, LS&CO. was the first multinational company to enact a global code of conduct for suppliers. Codes of conduct are now an apparel sector norm and have significantly contributed to improved conditions for workers and the decline in issues such as child and forced labour.
Levi Strauss says that by sharing its list of suppliers publicly, it recognises the efforts of those suppliers who are meeting their code of conduct and improving factory working conditions.
In addition to publishing its supplier list, LS&CO. updated its Web presence, making available information on its responsible sourcing program. This includes company efforts to improve working conditions for people making LS&CO. products through its supplier code of conduct, strategic philanthropy and public policy advocacy.
The company also published its 70-page Terms of Engagement Guidebook, a manual that defines specific factory-level practices and policies, and provides examples of code-of-conduct violations, remediation timeframes and specific steps required to address violations.
LS&CO.’s factory list can be found at http://www.levistrauss.com/responsibility/toe/supplier_list.pdf.
