Primark constantly checks for abuses in supply chain
Primark constantly checks for abuses in supply chain
Budget fashion brand Primark has said that it is constantly on the lookout for instances of slavery, forced labour and exploitation in its global supply chain.
Addressing Trust Women, a women's rights and human trafficking conference planned annually by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Paul Lister of Primark's ethical trading team acknowledged the complications of the garment supply chain and addressed how important it is to stay aware of any issues.
Lister, who is the head of the team, said: "It is about constantly being vigilant, constantly being out there and knowing what to look for and being forensic."
According to the United Nations' International Labour Organisation, about 21 million people are victims of forced labour on a global scale. More than half (56 per cent) of these are in the Asia-Pacific region, which contains many of the garment factories commonly used by international brands.
Lister said that by working backwards from its stores through its production chain, Primark has a confident outlook regarding the happenings in the 1,700 global supplier factories that stock its nearly 300 stores in the UK, Europe and the United States.
He admitted that monitoring ethical practices becomes more difficult when one moves further down the chain to Tier Two factories that produce zips, buttons and fasteners and Tier Three factories that include dye houses.
"The further down the supply chain you go, the more complicated it gets," he said.
Lister added that Primark conducts unannounced and independent audits on all of its factories every year and has also established a whistle-blower’s hotline.
When asked how Primark can sell men's jackets for as little as £18 without slavery being involved in its supply chain, Lister said that the key is the brand’s business model.
"We don't have fancy branding, we don't have fancy advertising, all of which adds to the price of the clothes that you buy," he explained.
