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Apparel retail group uses SGMA as a model
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Posted on Nov 25 1999
The National Retail Federation, an organization representing more than 1.4 million US retail establishments, is using the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association as an international model for socially responsible factories.
On its internet website, NRF recently added a section which mentions SGMA prominently in the section regarding suppliers and labor standards.
The website, which can be found at www.sweatshops-retail.org, describes the high standards of NRF and what retailers are doing to ensure that they don’t buy from sweatshops. The site links to SGMA’s own website at www.sgma-saipan.org its Code of Conduct page on the site, and states, “. . .the SGMA experience, shows how suppliers can work with retailers, non-governmental organizations and the government to improve labor standards compliance. The SGMA effort represents one industry-wide attempt by suppliers to work together to improve the treatment of workers through an entire industry.”
NRF is the world’s largest retail trade association with membership that comprise all retail formats and channels of distribution, including department, specialty, discount, catalogue, internet and independent stores. It employs more than 20 million people of about one in five American workers. NRF’s international members operates stores in more than 50 countries.
NRF is an umbrella organization that represents 32 national and 50 state associations in the U.S. as well as 36 international associations representing retailers abroad.
“We are so pleased that such a large and important organization as the NRF is recognizing the work that SGMA is doing to improve our garment industry and is now even using us a model internationally,” said SGMA executive director Richard A. Pierre. “We simply could not ask for a better acknowledgment of the substantial progress that has been made by our 32 member factories here on Saipan.”
