Supply Chain news and archive

Report: Ralph Lauren, Coach and Gucci among brands linked to alleged human rights abuses

A report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre has uncovered 28 cases of alleged human rights abuses related to the purchasing practices of large scale, global brands. The organisation said the cases identified and tracked over a nine month period, from January to September 2024, were “global in scale and have impacted thousands of...

BusinessFeatured

Uniqlo boss says brand does not use Xinjiang cotton

Fast Retailing’s chief executive, Tadashi Yanai, has claimed that the company’s core brand, Uniqlo, does not use cotton sourced from China’s Xinjiang region in its products. Yanai addressed the concern to the BBC, to which he confirmed that the company was not utilising cotton from this district, before stating: “It gets too political if I say...

Business

Gucci Logistica increases stake in Colonna Group tannery to 100 percent

Kering subsidiary Gucci Logistica is increasing its stake in Colonna Group to strengthen its investment in the leather industry. Gucci Logistica, which is active in the design, development, engineering, production, purchasing, sales, import and export of Gucci branded products, already held a 51 percent stake in the tannery since 2019, but is...

BusinessFeatured

Fashion Police: Types of fraud the US False Claims Act can target in the fashion industry

What does whistleblower law have to do with fashion? Despite the glitz and glamor, the fashion industry ultimately deals in merchandise and must face unsexy topics like supply chain issues, warehousing, shipping, and customs. This article will give a brief overview of the history of US government enforcement against fashion brands for evading...

Business

US extends import ban to dozens of Chinese companies on forced-labour claims

Dozens more Chinese companies have been added to the US’ growing blacklist for allegedly using forced-labour. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has identified a further 29 businesses that it said were using forced Uyghur labour in China’s Xinjiang province to produce goods. As such, these firms are now banned from importing into the US....

BusinessFeatured

Inditex's challenge: Can it continue selling more while polluting less?

Recent reports by Reuters have accused Spanish fashion giant Inditex of increasing air freight shipments from its supplier factories in India to its logistics centres in Spain by as much as 70 percent. This increase in air freight, and its associated environmental impact, calls into question the company's ability to continue growing and...

Background

Who makes our clothes? Fashion Production Explained

Ever wondered who actually makes your clothes and how fashion's supply chain impacts workers' lives? This deep dive unpacks how fashion production works and explores what’s needed for meaningful change in the industry. FashionUnited interviewed Kim van der Weerd, a former factory manager with a background in human rights, who advocates for a...

Business|Interview Featured

This is how O My Bag CEO Paulien Wesselink approaches corporate social responsibility

As a child, Paulien Wesselink often wondered why she couldn't invite her entire class to her birthday party. "I never liked excluding people," says the founder and CEO with a smile during a video call with FashionUnited. This early example of social responsibility forms the foundation for what would later become O My Bag, a Dutch handbag brand...

Business

Euratex signs agreement with Amith, intensifying textile cooperation between Morocco and the EU

Euratex and Amith signed a 'Memorandum of Understanding' on 7 November during the 21st edition of Maroc in Mode in Casablanca, Euratex reported in a press release., with the goal to bring about closer cooperation between Europe and Morocco in the textile sector. The Memorandum sets out shared priorities including aligning industry practices with...

Business

Minimum wage for Cambodian garment workers to increase

The minimum wage for Cambodian garment workers will increase to 208 dollars per month by 2025. This is an increase of four dollars from 2024, when it was 204 dollars per month. The agreement comes after months of talks between the Cambodian government, led by prime minister Samdech Thipadei, and the National Council on Minimum Wage (NCMW), which...

Business

AAFA and FLA urge interim Bangladesh government to improve worker rights

The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) together with the Fair Labor Association (FLA) have issued a joint letter to Bangladesh’s interim government calling on the improvement of worker rights for the country’s garment, footwear and travel goods industries. In a letter to Mohammad Yunus, chief advisor for the interim government of...

Business|CEO Interview Featured

Bharat Ahir, 28 One: “Supply chain transparency cannot be a box-ticking exercise”

The fashion supply chain is a complex construct, involving many steps and stakeholders from sourcing, freight and shipping to market trends and many more in between. Thus, talking to supply chain expert Bharat Ahir, CEO of supply chain management company Two Eight One, is like opening Pandora’s box - you cover one question but it throws open the...