Purchasing practices matter

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Many factors influence conditions in global supply chains, and a range of approaches is needed to understand and prevent risks to the people working within them. 

Responsible purchasing practices are just one part of a broader picture—but they are a vital piece for any business committed to respecting the human rights of the people who make and supply their products.

In this video: Fatima-Zohra Alaoui, General Manager of the Moroccan Association of Textile and Apparel Industries (AMITH) 

Fatima highlights, from manufacturers’ perspective, the urgency for change to industry practices.

Responsible purchasing practices can also bring tangible benefits to purchasing companies. 
Businesses that take the time to engage across internal teams and with their suppliers to review and improve ways of working consistently report positive outcomes. These include stronger relationships, greater efficiency, improved problem-solving, and increased supply chain transparency. 

Clarifying critical paths can streamline processes, while reducing oversampling helps cut costs and ease workloads. Taking a responsible approach to purchasing can support suppliers in planning production, managing working hours, and paying workers fairly. In turn, this can boost productivity, stabilise supplier workforces, and build resilience across supply chains. 

The changes we’ve made to improve our purchasing practices, such as clarifying the critical path, allowing more time for production and reducing oversampling, have led to significant business benefits. We’ve seen increased efficiency, reduced costs and workloads, and greater clarity around workstreams, process ownership and role priorities. Our suppliers have also told us so far these improvements have been beneficial for them.

Sarah Coleman 
Head of Development, Design & Sustainability, Margaret Howell

In this video: Stevie-Lee Bird, Production Manager at Hobbs (TFG London)

Stevie-Lee shares some of the key changes Hobbs made through its participation in the LIC and explains the benefits the company has seen as a result.