// Asos asks third-party brands to sign new commitments in wake of Boohoo’s Leicester factory scandal
// Asos said UK suppliers would be the “initial focus area” after Leicester became the centre of a scandal
Asos has unveiled new commitments for its third-party brands after Boohoo’s Leicester scandal ravaged the fashion retail sector last month.
The fashion ecommerce has asked brands to sign the Transparency Pledge, which will require them to publicly and regularly declare their manufacturing supply chain.
The pledge launched in 2016 by nine charities including Human Rights Watch and the Clean Clothes Campaign.
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Asos said UK suppliers would be the “initial focus area” after Leicester became the centre of a scandal last month that saw Boohoo being accused of modern slavery.
The Asos rival was accused of paying staff below the minimum wage and forcing them to work in unsafe conditions at a factory in Leicester.
Asos said it will roll out similar commitments for international brands in the coming months.
Asos also said it would be holding a “collaborative workshop together with the Fast Forward audit organisation” in September.
In the last financial year, third-party brands accounted for approximately 60 per cent of the products sold on Asos.
“When we launched our third-party brand engagement programme at the start of 2018, we set out five minimum requirements that we wanted the brands we sold on the site to sign up to by 2020,” Asos chief executive Nick Beighton said.
“We’ve been working hard to support our brand partners to achieve this aim, and with the target now in sight, we want to be even more ambitious – and ask those brands that manufacture in the UK to bring their supply chains in line with our own, if they are not already.
“We believe the four commitments we have set out this week are critical enablers to improving sourcing standards across the UK.
“We hope that our brand partners will join us in striving to reach this goal, with the continued support of Asos, Fast Forward and other leading lights in UK manufacturing.”
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