A new report card on forced labor in apparel supply chains gives brands and manufacturers mostly failing grades in their efforts to put a stop to it. 

KnowTheChain, a resource for information about forced labor in global supply chains, conducts a biannual Apparel & Footwear Benchmark study measuring the efforts of companies in that sector to put a stop to the practice. The fourth and latest edition assessed 65 of the world’s largest fashion companies, and the results were anything but promising. The average score was just 21 out of 100, and even the best performer, Lululemon, scored only a 63. So why, at a time when forced labor is in the headlines and a growing focus of regulators, has so little progress been made in that industry? On this episode, we delve into the results of the benchmark study with Áine Clarke, head of KnowTheChain and investor strategy at the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre. She traces the progress — or lack of it — among the surveyed companies, explains why forced labor remains a problem today, and dispenses some advice on how manufacturers, brands, retailers, investors and consumers can do better. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of SupplyChainBrain.

Show notes:

KnowTheChain’s 2023 Food & Beverage Benchmark Findings Report.