SLCP selects Sri Lanka to launch operations
By: Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF)
JAAF, the Sri Lanka textile association, is proud to announce that Sri Lanka was chosen for the global launch of the Social and Labor Convergence Project (SLCP) recently. SLCP has the potential to revolutionize the way how manufacturers within the global apparel and footwear industry are evaluated by their customers and address one of the key challenges that the industry has faced for years, that of audit fatigue.
JAAF early involvement in SLCP
JAAF was the first industry organization to be a signatory of the project that was launched in early 2016 to develop a simple, unified and effective industry-wide assessment framework within the apparel and footwear industry to reduce the audit fatigue of handling multiple audits, unlock resources (time, energy, money), which can be channeled for improvement of working conditions. Moving away from traditional auditing, SLCP strives to achieve a participatory approach from all stakeholders.
Sri Lanka premieres global launch of SLCP
The training (9-12 October) in Colombo marked the global launch of the SLCP operation and was conducted by JAAF, SLCP and ITC with the support of MAS Holdings and Hirdaramani Group. The trainings were appreciated by the Sri Lanka participants. Facilities and verifiers are keen to use the Converged Assessment Framework from November onwards. 37 factories and 17 verifiers from Sri Lanka will be involved in the SLCP Operation for 2018, with back up of 23 brands. The second county in the 2018 Light Operation is China. The SLCP will go to scale from 2019 onwards, when the program will be rolled out to other countries as well.
SLCP as ground breaking program
Over the last 30 months the project has gathered momentum with 180+ signatories currently committed to meeting the objectives of the project and having signed off on the Converged Assessment Framework they created together. This multi-stakeholder initiative includes 64 brands such as Nike, H&M, Gap Inc. and PVH, 38 manufacturers, audit agencies, consultancies, civil society, industry associations as well as governments. The ILO, OECD have joined the initiatives as observers. MAS Holdings, Hirdaramani Group as signatories have provided leadership to this project right from the beginning.
For the implementation, SLCP is partnering with the International Trade Center (ITC), a UN Agency. ITC provides a neutral platform (SLCP Gateway) under the highest security standards. Moreover, ITC supports in translations and trainings. The partnership will accelerate the scaled operation of SLCP. Nikhil Hirdaramani, Hirdaramani Ent.: “There is a recognition that the only way to make a significant improvement in the industry is through collaboration and collective action. Major brands doing business in Sri Lanka have committed to adopt this tool for their suppliers. In the coming months it is expected that there will be a wide adoption of the SLCP Converged Assessment Framework, hereby increasing industry efficiency in the social & labor space.”
