AAFA/FLA Apparel & Footwear Industry Commitment to Responsible Recruitment
On October 22, 2018, the American Apparel & Footwear Association and the Fair Labor Association announced a proactive industry effort to address potential forced labor risks for migrant workers in the global supply chain.
Commitment:
As an industry and as individual companies, we are committed to the fair treatment of workers in the apparel, footwear, and travel goods supply chains. One important part of this ongoing effort is working together to eliminate conditions that can lead to forced labor in the countries from which we source products.
- We commit to work with our global supply chain partners to create conditions so that:
- No workers pay for their job
- Workers retain control of their travel documents and have full freedom of movement; and
- All workers are informed of the basic terms of their employment before leaving home.
Conditions for Signing the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment
For the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment to be an effective industry tool to address risks of forced labor, companies must have the intent to seriously and effectively implement the Commitments.
Therefore, companies who sign the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment agree to do the following:
Incorporate the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment into their company social compliance standards, such as their code of conduct, before December 31, 2019 (for companies that become signatories after May 1, 2019, companies will have one year from the date of signing to incorporate the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment into their company social compliance standards, such as their code of conduct);
Periodically report on their actions to imbed elements of the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment in the company’s policies and processes through sustainability reporting and/or modern slavery legal disclosures.
Action Plan
The following document outlines activities that organizations will partake in as part of the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment.
Resources
The following document outlines resources to assist organizations taking part in the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment.
On November 27, 2020, the International Labor Organization (ILO) published a global study, which provides a synopsis of recruitment fees and related costs.
Commitment Webinars
Past webinar recordings and slide sets:
Briefing on Protecting Migrant Workers in Your Supply Chain (August 11, 2021) – Recording / Slide Deck
Migrant Worker Resources in Thailand / Proposed Standard on Repayment of Recruitment Fees (December 16, 2020) – Recording / Slide Deck
Migrant Labor / Responsible Recruitment Implementation (June 18, 2020) – Recording / Slide Deck
Responsible Recruitment in Thailand (December 12, 2019) – Recording / Slide Deck
The Migrant Worker Journey and the Commitment to Responsible Recruitment (July 17, 2019) – Recording / Slide Deck
Aligning Your Social Compliance Program with the Commitment (April 25, 2019) – Recording / Slide Deck
Related Webinars
July 2020 impacct webinar – Recording