The American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has joined forces with social compliance specialist Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) to provide its members with guidance on a wide range of social responsibility issues.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the two was signed during AAFA’s Social Responsibility Committee meeting in Long Beach, California earlier this week. The organisations will work together to provide industry tools, resources, and thought leadership to be delivered at AAFA committee meetings, educational events, and webinars, with a focus on labour and working hours.
As part of the agreement, WRAP will be recognised as AAFA’s official Corporate Social Responsibility partner.
“We are excited to enter a more formal agreement with WRAP,” says Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of AAFA. “AAFA helps our members address changing regulations and international sanctions, and also to move beyond compliance, into forward-looking approaches to social responsibility. We hope to leverage WRAP’s extensive and unique expertise in the CSR space, as they work directly with factories and value chains around the world.”
In 2018, AAFA and WRAP will develop guidance for AAFA members on North Korean sanctions as well as developing industry best practices for working hours.
“Organisations at all points in the supply chain are increasingly realising how central social responsibility is to their long-term success,” adds Avedis Seferian, president and CEO of WRAP.
“They are turning to experts and thought-leaders in the field to seek advice on best practices in this regard, and AAFA has a wonderful track record as the platform that provides this kind of support for their members. We have had the pleasure and honour of working together for years now and are thrilled to be formally partnering with them to help actors across the value chain gain access to more resources in the CSR space.”
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