Breaking Down Boundaries: What It Takes to Build Global Ethical Supply Chains in Fashion
With Adil Rehman
Interview by Stella Hertantyo
Adil Rehman is an experienced Human Rights Manager with over 20 years of experience working with civil society, trade unions, and private sector companies to address labor and human rights issues in companies' supply chains.
He currently works as the Head of Human Rights at ASOS where he leads, manages, and develops the ASOS ethical trade program globally. Adil is responsible for the strategic direction and delivery of the ASOS ethical trade program and has overall responsibility for all human rights programs and strategic workstreams.
Adil also played an important role in expanding the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry (formerly known as the Bangladesh Accord) to Pakistan.
I interviewed Adil in the Conscious Fashion Collective Membership about the key ethical issues that fashion needs to urgently address, how people can best prepare themselves for working as an Ethical Trade or Human Rights Manager in the fashion industry, building ethical supply chains, and how to advocate for transformative change from within and without the corporate world.
Below are some of the highlights from the conversation. Inside our membership, you'll find the full recording with more insights from Adil (and get instant access to other expert Q&A recordings, workshops, and live events).
How can people best prepare themselves for working as an Ethical Trade Manager in the fashion industry?
There are lots of ways to get into this work. There are many degrees you can study, but your work experience will be what sets you apart. You’ve got to be able to come into a company and say, I've worked for a brand, I know how this brand works, and I have human rights experience.
I worked at the Ethical Trading Initiative and engaged with 40-50 different brands and trade unions. So this experience set me up well to work in human rights within a brand.
You also need to state your intentions. You need to tell the brand you’re interested in working with that you want to work on sustainability, because that is where your interest lies and that is where you feel you can make a difference. Every investor, customer, and stakeholder cares about what brands are doing when it comes to sustainability and ethics right now.
You also have to learn to speak the language of fashion and supply chains. This means learning how to talk to customers, the business, campaigners, community organizations, and local partners. You have to understand exactly how the business operates. And when you communicate, you need to be nice and a bit patient. This is important, because you need to engage with people and bring people with you, instead of isolating them.
When it comes to building ethical supply chains, where do you suggest fashion brands begin?
Everything begins with transparency. Every two months we publish every single one of our factories. What this does is send a message to every campaigner, union, and stakeholder and tell them that we are willing to share information about our factories. We're not trying to hide it.
Image Credit: International Accord
You also have to look at how you’re building capacity in the countries you’re working in. You have to get in contact with labor rights organizations and feminist organizations in the country. You need to talk to them, share about legislation, and figure out how you can support them.
Make sure your work focuses on impact, instead of doing the bare minimum. For example, we have a Child Labor Program. Many of these programs just focus on getting the child out of the factory. But our program ensures that we get the child out of the factory, make sure they go to school, provide support to their family by paying them a living wage, and make sure that a local organization visits the family regularly. We commit to creating a long-term plan.
Do not go to the stakeholder forums or consultancies —this work is about you, as an individual, going into that country and seeing what's already there. You need to create relationships with people and organizations on the ground. It takes time to nurture these relationships, because you’re representing a brand, but it’s essential for building trust.
For example, if you're looking at gender, don't go to a consultant, go to a women's organization or feminist organization on the ground.
There are lots of ways you can find people and organizations on the ground. Everywhere you go people are doing the most amazing things you will ever see. But let's be honest, there isn't a newspaper that's going to publish it. News channels aren’t going to tell you. Everywhere you go there are people doing amazing things every single day. It's only us that will change everything, anyway.
It's not easy to do and it takes a lot of time to get everyone together, but you have to build with people to make meaningful change.
Watch and listen to the full interview with Adil for more industry insights and career advice inside the CFC Membership.