I’m just back from a whirlwind trip to visit suppliers and subscribers in Vietnam and Hong Kong. It was fantastic to be back in face-to-face contact with those doing the hard work of managing supply chains and manufacturing our clothes. But what I heard resulted in a harsh reminder that the apparel industry and how […]

I noticed the word “partnership” being used recently in the context of responsible purchasing practices.  This time it was paired with the idea of “equitable relationships” between buyers and suppliers. But neither term was well-defined, so a substantive opportunity to guide better buying behavior on the part of brands and retailers was lost.  Will “equitable […]

Buyer surveys on purchasing practices do not produce credible data, and waste money and resources that brands and retailers could be spending elsewhere in the business. So let’s put the brakes on, before this train gets out of control. Read the latest article from our President and Co-Founder, Dr. Marsha Dickson. Steve Lamar’s blog on […]

Let’s tackle audit fatigue.  You are probably tired of hearing about this ever-present topic. But imagine how tired your partners are when they experience it. Audit fatigue is the term that’s been widely used for decades to describe the burden that supply chain partners feel when their operations undergo multiple social responsibility audits. To be fair, repeated audits […]

Dr. Marsha Dickson, President and Co-Founder, Better Buying Institute Another Global Fashion Summit will soon be held in Copenhagen, with fashion brands and retailers from all over the globe pledging their allegiance to sustainability.  This year’s theme is Ambition to Action, an important topic if the industry is to recover from a year where many […]

Michael Cai, Décor Global’s Director of Operations and Supply Chain, calls on all suppliers to rate their customers on the Better BuyingTM platform, and help build a better industry for everyone  It goes without saying that sustainability is a long journey without a finish line, and that all stakeholders must join hands in order to […]

An article from Dr. Marsha Dickson, our President and Co-Founder If we really are serious about driving change in purchasing practices, then stakeholders should be demanding action and evidence, not just talking about it Another annual installment of the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector has passed, and the croissants […]

“The industry must be held accountable!” This type of declaration is often heard as a justification for why new and additional regulations are so desperately needed for the fashion industry, for example to help with traceability and transparency efforts. Advocates and policymakers alike bemoan what they see as a lack of progress in achieving a […]

An article from Dr. Marsha Dickson, Better Buying Institute’s President and Co-Founder “If history is an example, there will be a tendency for brands and retailers to push the requirements of supply chain due diligence onto their suppliers. But they need to take responsibility too. And they must own the responsibility for the impacts of […]