Audience:
Open industry. All apparel and footwear industry professionals, regardless of AAFA membership, are encouraged to participate.
*This webinar will be presented live only, there will be no recording of the program.
Description:
Oritain and Bureau Veritas have conducted a series of in-depth market studies over the last 18 months focused on the origin of cotton fibers in product from retail shelves and e-commerce. Ben Tomkins, VP Retail Sales at Oritain, will present the most recent data, from samples obtained in Spring 2022, and compare to earlier insights. This data will demonstrate how cotton sourcing trends have begun to shift based a changing regulatory landscape. Ana Hinojosa, formerly Executive Director of the Forced Labor Division at U.S. CBP, will discuss how you can leverage this data from a compliance perspective. Wendy Savage, Director Social Responsibility and Traceability at Patagonia, will discuss how they are utilizing data obtained through origin verification in their supply chain to not only mitigate regulatory risk but also as a part of their sustainability strategy.
Attendees of this webinar will learn:
- Trends in cotton origin based on country of manufacture.
- The role cotton origin verification plays in a risk mitigation strategy.
- How knowledge obtained through supply chain traceability may be used strategically as part of your complete sustainability strategy.
Speakers:
Ben Tomkins
VP Retail Sales
Oritain
Having joined Oritain 6 years ago, Ben works extensively in the commercial client engagement team, working with major brands and retailers in implementing cotton origin verification programs within the US market.
Ana Hinojosa
Consultant
Oritain
Former Federal Senior Executive Leader with over 34 years of experience in law enforcement, international trade, international policy development and standard setting. Winner of the 2021 Service to America Award for Safety, Security and International Affairs and the People’s Choice Award. She is a seasoned Customs expert and Senior Executive, having served in many leadership positions in Customs for over 30 years. Most recently, she was responsible for directing CBP’s trade threat assessment units, special investigations and enforcement programs focused on detecting, deterring and disrupting illicit trade, with a special emphasis on forced labor violations, evasion of special tariff cases and modernizing the use of civil penalties to ensure appropriate consequence delivery for non-compliance. She successfully collaborated with Congressional oversight committees to justify additional appropriations to support the unprecedented success in enforcement related to the importations of goods produced with forced labor.
She is fluent in English and Spanish, and speaks some French. She holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, completed an Executive Development Program through Columbia University Graduate School of Business, and recently earned a Masters in Business Administration degree from Texas A&M- Commerce. She is now the President and Principal Consultant at ABH Global Trade Consulting LLC.
Wendy Savage
Director Social Responsibility and Traceability
Patagonia
Wendy Savage is a multifaceted People and Planet advocate with 20 years of experience. Throughout her career Wendy has advised a wide variety of companies in Apparel, Food, Beverage, Agriculture and Extractives. She has seen firsthand the positive and negative impacts businesses can have on people and planet and is a firm believer in using business as a force for good.
As Patagonia’s Director of Social Responsibility & Traceability, Wendy sets the strategy and implementation for the company’s commitments around Human Rights, Product Traceability, Transparency, as well as Animal Welfare for the global supply chain. Some of the key programs she leads include Living Wages, Fair Trade, Responsible Purchasing Practices, Migrant Workers, Responsible Fiber Traceability, Regenerative Organic Agriculture, among others. Wendy is also a key advisor to Patagonia’s public policy advocacy work, crisis management, and stakeholder engagement. Serving on the Fair Labor Association’s Board of Directors and Textile Exchange’s Fiber Standards committees, Wendy is a leading voice in the industry fostering a collaborative approach to complex issues
Chuck Rogers
Americas Director, Technical Consulting & Supply Chain Solutions
Bureau Veritas Consumer Services
Moderator:
Nate Herman
Senior Vice President, Policy
AAFA
Nate Herman oversees AAFA’s Policy 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. 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.
*This webinar will be presented live only, there will be no recording of the program.