An initiative in order to accelerate reduction of review and standard fatigue
During a side session arranged by the International Textile Producers Federation (ITMF) and the Global Apparel Federation (IAF) in the OECD Forum on Research in the Garment and Shoes Sector held online through February 1st to Feb 5th, the two organizations revealed their joint initiative, the particular SCI or Standards Convergence Initiative. The SCI will certainly serve as a global industry broad platform to discuss and create a strategy as well as the tools in order to accelerate the reduction associated with audit and standard exhaustion in the clothing and fabric industries.
The auditing conduct of standard cases, along with brands, retailers as well as other buyers’ decisions determines whenever we are moving firmly to less unnecessary overlap associated with audits and standards. Consequently , one of the first steps of the SCI, in collaboration with the Global Trade Centre (ITC), would be to create transparency in the perform of the main standard slots, brands and retailers plus 3rd party standard holders, calculating to what extent they are adding to the reduction of review and standard fatigue.
For this specific purpose, the SCI has recognized four criteria to use as the yardstick to judge standard holders’ commitment to reduce audit plus standard fatigue. The 4 criteria are:
The four requirements will provide a foundation to get a structural monitoring of regular holders’ efforts to reduce review and standard fatigue which will be carried out by ITC. Throughout the session at the OECD Discussion board, the ITC explained exactly how its unique Standards Chart Database will be used to determine and monitor standard convergence in the industry. First results of the particular monitoring are expected in the 3rd quarter of 2021.
Furthermore monitoring exercise, from its worldwide, industry wide vantage stage, the SCI will positively foster collaboration between various actors that are each focusing on a partial solution. Plus, because large brands plus retailers sticking to their own specifications block the reduction associated with standard fatigue, the SCI will continuously call on these types of brands and retailers in order to either drop their amazing standards in favour of 3rd party criteria or to collaborate in other methods observably reduce audit plus standard fatigue.
More information concerning the SCI is available at www.standard-convergence-initiative.org