Cascale, Fair Wear, and the Social and Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) announced a partnership to improve human rights due diligence (HRDD) within the apparel industry. The collaboration will focus on developing shared tools and best practices, as well as promoting greater accountability among brands and suppliers.
This initiative builds on previous discussions held at the 2023 Cascale Annual Meeting. Leaders from the three organizations believe that a combined approach will be more effective than individual efforts. Their goal is to create a more streamlined and efficient system for measuring, verifying, and improving social and environmental performance.
The organizations highlighted their individual strengths. Cascale offers the Higg Index suite of tools and the Better Buying toolset, with a substantial user base. Fair Wear has spearheaded efforts to align on a common framework for responsible purchasing and provides HRDD training. SLCP, with its Converged Assessment Framework (CAF), forms a key component of Cascale‘s Higg Facility Social & Labor Module (Higg FSLM).
Cascale’s interim CEO, Harsh Saini, emphasized the significant convening power and data resources the partnership brings together. He noted that the organizations share a common vision for due diligence and that their tools are complementary.
Fair Wear’s executive director, Annabel Meurs, stressed the shared vision for impactful due diligence, emphasizing accountability for brands and retailers in adopting best practices.
Steve Harris, SLCP’s COO, explained that the collaboration will involve cross-promotion of tools, knowledge sharing, and advocacy for decent work with policymakers.
The collaboration will be further discussed at Cascale’s Annual Member Meeting in Hong Kong from September 15 to 17. The meeting will feature presentations from Fair Wear and SLCP, focusing on responsible purchasing practices and addressing audit fatigue. Attendees can also visit the organizations’ booths to learn more about their tools and guidance.
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