Driving Responsible Recruitment Webinar slide

Webinar: Driving Responsible Recruitment Through Collective Action

Event Details

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When companies fail to respect and support decent work in their supply chains, workers are often subject to exploitative working conditions, including situations of forced labor. Investors have a responsibility to promote responsible business conduct that protects and respects human rights in the supply chain.

This webinar, co-hosted by the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) and the Investor Alliance for Human Rights, provided an opportunity for investors to learn about the Responsible Recruitment Commitment of the American Apparel Footwear Association (AAFA) and the Fair Labor Association (FLA), which has been signed by over 135 apparel and footwear companies. Through the commitment, signatory companies pledge to work with their global supply chain partners to create conditions so that:

  • No workers pay for their jobs;

  • Workers retain full 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.

Shelly Heald Han, Chief of Staff at the FLA, and Nate Herman, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at the AAFA, led the discussion. 

The webinar aimed to:

  • Inform investors about the challenges and opportunities of the AAFA/FLA initiative as it works to confront the salient issue of forced labor and unethical recruitment in apparel and footwear supply chains; and

  • Discuss how investors might use the commitment in their efforts toward ending forced labor and exploitative working conditions.

Don Moffet, Director of Social Compliance  at Carhartt, and Meghna Sarma, Senior Manager of Corporate Responsibility at PVH Corporation, shared how this commitment has been integrated into each of their company's business practices and those of its suppliers.

Julie Tanner, Managing Director, Socially Responsible Investing at Christian Brothers Investment Services, and Anna Pot, Manager Responsible Investments at APG Asset Management US, both members of ICCR and the Investor Alliance, shared insights based on their engagements with apparel and footwear companies on human rights risks linked to recruitment in the supply chain.

Missed the webinar? View the recording below.