Category: Blogs

Categories
Blogs

Copenhagen: shaping fashion’s “new era”

Post-Covid survival and climate change for the global fashion industry hang on its willingness to abandon the colonial mindset and welcome suppliers to the decision table as equals  For the first time since the Covid-19 Pandemic, global fashion brands will gather this week in Copenhagen’s Royal Opera House, in the city’s exclusive harbor district, for […]

Categories
Blogs

Guest Blog: The need for robust FIRST MILE thinking

Closeup butterfly on jeans clothes

A guest blog from Stephen E. Lamar, AAFA President and CEO We’ve long been discussing the pivot of our industry from a last mile focus to FIRST MILE thinking. With the last mile, we had been concentrating on how to get goods to the customer – to cover that last mile to service folks who […]

Categories
Blogs

Living Wages: Time for an Annual Health Check? 

We’ve been talking about living wages for workers in the apparel industry for many years– what needs to be done to make progress on paying them?  I went to the doctor last week for my annual checkup. He took my blood pressure, listened to my heart and lungs, and asked about my diet, exercise habits […]

Categories
Blogs

Guest Blog: The Better Buying Partnership IndexTM shows that too often, communication between brands is more about dictation than a conversation, says Bulent Alkanli

In today’s competitive environment with so many uncertainties, whatever information available within a supply chain, if shared, will lead to efficiencies and enable all parties within the chain to gain margins. The whole value chain should work together and the starting point of that collaboration is communication. The latest Better Buying Partnership IndexTM,which is being […]

Categories
Blogs

Apparel brands often talk about the “great” partnerships they have with their suppliers. But what really makes a “True Partner?”

The term “partnership” is a long-established part of the apparel industry lexicon. The term is often invoked by brands and retailers when defining the quality of their supplier relationships, to imply that we’re working together, everyone is benefitting, everything is just great. Strategic partners especially are assumed to enjoy enviable deals – with large orders […]

Categories
Blogs

Better Buying Institute launches “best in class” purchasing practices e-learning course for brands and retailers

“When we were considering organizations to partner with to develop a Responsible Purchasing Practices eLearning training, Better Buying Institute was at the top of our list given their work in this ‘space’, and the training that BBI developed is reflective of that expertise.” Selcuk Buyukozer, VP Social & Environmental Affairs (SEA) Americas, adidas. The Better Buying […]

Categories
Blogs

The S Factor: Why investors should be using Better BuyingTM data to better understand human rights risks in supply chains

The S Factor: Why investors should be using Better BuyingTM data to better understand human rights risks in supply chains Investors as part of their active engagement on ESG should be asking non-participating companies to join Better BuyingTM and participating companies to share scorecards with them, says Dr Martin Buttle, Head of Good Work, ShareAction. […]

Categories
Blogs

Learning to Say No

Lever Style, a leading Hong Kong-based apparel manufacturer, expanded its business during the pandemic, when many other suppliers struggled, or went to the wall. The secret, according to the company’s Chairman, Stanley Szeto, is building resilience into your business by saying “no” to bad apples. You’re worth It If your boyfriend or girlfriend was being […]

Categories
Blogs

The Impact of Purchasing Practices on Workers’ Human Rights

As human rights due diligence becomes increasingly important for businesses, Oxfam’s Private Sector Human Rights Advisor, Monica Romis looks at how purchasing practices have direct implications on the human rights of workers, shares some of Oxfam’s research and highlights concrete steps business can take for a more equitable distribution of rights and responsibilities through the […]

Categories
Blogs

A goodbye message from Leonie Barrie-Abraham as she departs Just Style for Better Buying Institute

As Leonie Barrie-Abraham prepares to join us after 21 years at Just Style, read her farewell column and find out why she’s so eager to join us!