- Huw Hughes
-
|
Denim trade fair Kingpins is upping its ethics and sustainability
efforts by introducing new requirements for its denim supply chain members
after noticing that few had made serious progress toward establishing CSR
standards.
The new standards programme, which will require all exhibiting denim
mills to meet or exceed standards in the areas of corporate social
responsibility (CSR), environment and chemical usage, will be kicked-off at
the Kingpins Amsterdam show in April, before organisers hope it will be
expanded to its New York, Hong Kong and China shows.
The first required standard will address CSR. Although Kingpins said it
would not be creating a new CSR standard programme, it will now require its
exhibitors to implement an existing one. The show’s organizers will also
offer support and guidance to exhibiting mills about standards and
expectations related to certifications across all designated categories.
For exhibitors wanting to learn more about CSR, Kingpins will
additionally be hosting a seminar at the Amsterdam show called “Does your
Denim Mill Have Any Social Standards?” which will be presented by Worldwide
Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) and Social Accountability
International (SAI), and will focus on how denim mills can hit
sustainability standards by 2020.
“In social compliance we have found that virtually none of our denim
mills have an SA 8000 certification or a WRAP certification – which is
disappointing,” founder of Kingpins, Andrew Olah, said in a statement.
“We are unaware of any trade show where exhibitors are required to have
any standards so Kingpins has decided to implement a new approach to make
shows more than a window display.”
The next Kingpins show will take place at the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam between 10-11 April.
Photo credit: FashionUnited
