-By Ankita Dutta
A transparency project has been introduced by GCNYC and Able Ecosystems in collaboration with the goal of assisting smaller fashion firms in developing more equitable and transparent relationships with their suppliers. Research on labour preferences and experiences in the cotton and leather sectors in Rwanda, India, and Peru will be the first step in the initiative. By making accountability towards climate objectives simple and inexpensive for medium-sized and small fashion firms in addition to garment workers, the research will shed light on how to close the disparity in supply chain engagement. The goal
of the initiative is to establish benchmarks and give measurements for development that will enable the fashion sector to continue to be held responsible for the local views of workers along the supply chain.
Able Ecosystems and New York City’s (GCNYC) programme is a collaboration, and it will begin by looking into workers preferences and experiences in the cotton and leather sectors in Peru, India, and Rwanda. The collaboration aims to support smaller fashion firms in developing more equal and transparent relationships with their suppliers. The program’s inaugural fellows, Andrae Lopez De Romana Bouroncle and Vishakha Hedau, both students at GCNYC, are currently spearheading research on cotton supply chains in India and Peru. Additionally, three more fellows are expected to join the program in March 2023. The goal of the initiative is to establish benchmarks and give measurements for development that will enable the fashion sector to continue to be held responsible for the local views of workers along the supply chain. The director of career services and strategic alliances at GCNYC as well as an adjunct professor of environmentally friendly fashion strategy, Michelle Gabriel, stated that the fashion business lacks transparency since it is expensive, challenging to establish, and inequitable. Due to these reasons, the collaboration with Able Ecosystems is essential to guarantee that the fashion sector is contributing to climate justice.
Shanley Knox Harruthoonyan, the founder of GCNYC and an alumnus of the school, stated that while it may be simple to point out brands’ shortcomings in terms of transparency and equity, it is important to remember that transparency can be costly, and smaller brands may find it difficult to identify the right strategies and leverage points to accomplish it, or to align their priorities with those of their suppliers. As the initial social entrepreneur in residence (SIR) at the college, Harruthoonyan will collaborate with Gabriel and graduate students to direct the research procedures.
For small to medium-sized fashion firms aiming to build open and equitable interaction with their suppliers, the transparency programme is expected to offer a much-needed solution. The programme will assist the fashion industry in maintaining accountability to the local viewpoints of workers throughout the supply chain by providing progress measurements and benchmarks.
