Audience: Open industry. All apparel and footwear industry professionals, regardless of AAFA membership, are encouraged to participate.
Description:
As changing economic and political circumstances push brands and retailers to explore the possibilities of moving more sourcing from traditional locations, such as China (which still is the world's largest supplier of apparel, textile and footwear), to other destinations, there are both new challenges and opportunities. Among those challenges are the varying levels of understanding of the importance of social compliance and responsible sourcing practices and requirements that are found in newly emerging sourcing destinations, such as Africa and Myanmar. In addition, while certain destinations may not necessarily be new, there is renewed interest in certain locales, such as Latin America and the Philippines. This webinar will highlight key elements of the social compliance landscape in these newly emerging (or newly re-surging) sourcing destinations.
Attendees of this webinar will learn:
- What the primary new sourcing destinations are.
- How social compliance issues are similar/dissimilar between traditional and emerging destinations.
- What buyers can do to minimize the possible responsible sourcing problems in these emerging destinations.
Speakers:
Clay Hickson
Senior Vice President
Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP)
As Senior Vice President at WRAP, Clay Hickson manages international operations and helps develop and refine WRAP’s strategy. He specifically focuses on managing relationships with global brands and retailers and with governmental and other stakeholder organizations. Clay has extensive experience in international marketing, corporate communications, strategic planning, and cross-cultural communications. He has developed and led seminars and other initiatives around the world in the field of social responsibility in collaboration with audit firms, manufacturing facilities, industry associations, government bodies and others, which initiatives have facilitated understanding of socially responsible and ethical practices as well as an understanding of how to implement social compliance programs. Clay is an active participant in the AAFA Social Responsibility Committee, and he has served on the governing Steering Committee of the Social & Labor Convergence Project. He is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.
Moderator:
Nate Herman
Senior Vice President, Supply Chain
AAFA
Nate Herman oversees AAFA’s government relations department, managing the association’s lobbying, policy, and regulatory affairs activities. Nate leads AAFA’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) program, formulating and implementing CSR policy and representing AAFA and the industry on CSR issues before governments, NGOs, and other key stakeholders. Nate also leads the association’s work on sustainability, transportation, logistics, and customs issues. In addition, Nate develops all apparel and footwear industry data and statistics as AAFA's resident economist. Prior to joining AAFA, Nate worked for six years at the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade Administration assisting U.S. firms in entering the global market. Nate spent the last two years as the Department's industry analyst for the footwear and travel goods industries. Nate received a Masters of Public and International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994 and a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Economics from the University of Delaware in 1992.
Sponsored by: