Stumberg, Robert; Meulen, Nicole Vander --- "Supply chain transparency in public procurement: lessons from the apparel sector" [2019] ELECD 1144; in Martin-Ortega, Olga; Methven O'Brien, Claire (eds), "Public Procurement and Human Rights" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2019) 206

Book Title: Public Procurement and Human Rights

Editor(s): Martin-Ortega, Olga; Methven O’Brien, Claire

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

Section: Chapter 13

Section Title: Supply chain transparency in public procurement: lessons from the apparel sector

Author(s): Stumberg, Robert; Meulen, Nicole Vander

Number of pages: 18

Abstract/Description:

When governments purchase apparel and other products, their contractors source from high-risk countries where human rights abuses include trafficking, forced labour, child labour, hazardous conditions, and other human rights abuses. Law-abiding suppliers who respect human rights must compete against law-breakers who cut costs by abusing human rights. In response, a human rights movement has sprouted among public purchasers, mostly at the sub-national level. This chapter profiles the ‘sweatfree’ policy of the City of Madison, Wisconsin, and its cooperative contract for uniforms. This relatively small city in the United States attracted suppliers willing to disclose factories at the bidding stage. Based on this case study, the chapter maps transparency in five stages, in each of which a buyer builds its capacity to ‘step up’ to the next stage. To follow Madison’s example, public purchasers need to ensure they have legislative authority to use human rights standards and limit commercial privacy. The chapter shows that those who do can maximise their leverage by collaborating in consortia to maximise visibility and economies of scale.