19 February 2024 | 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM CET | Online

Join BHRC at our Side Session at the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector on Effective Alternatives to Social Auditing

As part of the OECD Forum on Due Diligence in the Garment and Footwear Sector, Business & Human Rights Compliance will be hosting a virtual side session on “Effective Alternatives to Social Auditing”.

Garment and apparel retailers are increasingly recognising the limitations of social auditing in identifying human and labour rights abuses across global supply chains. In this session, leading experts will share evidence-based alternatives to traditional social auditing practices. These alternative approaches are designed to help brands and suppliers meet their obligations under new and emerging due diligence rules, such as the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive.

Register here.

Speakers 

Jayanth Kashyap B, Investment Lead, The Good Fashion Fund 

Jayanth is an investment professional with over a decade’s experience in impact investing, impact advisory, venture capital and sustainability. He is presently the Investment Lead of the Good Fashion Fund, a first-of-its-kind initiative by Laudes Foundation, Fashion for Good and FOUNT, which seeks to create systemic change in the textile and apparel industry by financing the implementation of highly impactful and disruptive production technologies. Previously, he was the Director of Impact Investing at Aequalitas Capital Partners and worked in impact firms such as Ennovent, Social Finance and Grameen Impact. He completed his MBA from the University of Oxford and BBA from the University of Madras.  

Laurent Arnone, Senior Advisor, Ethical Trading Initiative 

Laurent Arnone is Senior Advisor for Apparel and Textile at the Ethical Trading Initiative. Laurent has a background in business and research and has nearly 10 years’ experience in sustainability and global supply chains. He leads ETI’s strategy in apparel and textiles and work closely with senior executives, NGOs, trade unions, as well as external stakeholders, to advance human rights at work and champion the application of the UNGPs through collective action. 

Professor Sarosh C. Kuruvilla, Labour Rights Expert, Cornell University 

Sarosh Kuruvilla is currently a Professor of Industrial Relations, Asian Studies and Public Affairs at Cornell University. His research has largely focused on national human resource and labour policies in Asia, collaborating closely with various Asian governments. He currently holds the position of Academic Director of the Global Labor Institute at Cornell, dedicated to the studying labour standards in global supply chains. His most recent book is “Private Regulation of Labor in Global Supply Chains: Problems, Progress and Prospects”, published by Cornell University Press in 2021. See https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/people/sarosh-kuruvilla for his books and articles.  

Saqib Sohail, Lead Responsible Business Projects, Artistic Milliners 

Saqib currently works at Artistic Milliners as Lead for Responsible Business Projects focusing on ESG, sustainable cotton projects and community programs. Mian Saqib Sohail has been working in the textile and education industry for more than 15 years. His experience includes projects on curriculum development, process improvement, change management, systems development and implementation. He has a graduate degree in Textile and Apparel Management from North Carolina State University and an undergraduate degree in Textile Sciences from Textile Institute of Pakistan. He is a published author on the topics of sustainability, productivity management, QMS implementation and fashion design and Winner of Ryan Young Climate + Award for practices in sustainable cotton farming and community work. 

Lara Strangways, Head of Business and Human Rights at Global Rights Compliance 

Lara is the Head of Business and Human Rights and a Senior Legal Adviser at Global Rights Compliance. She is business and human rights legal adviser, with demonstrable experience in supporting industry bodies, CSOs and governments with mitigating human rights risks across global supply chains. In her role at GRC, she provides advisory services to international organizations, governments, and business on international humanitarian and international criminal law, with a focus on corporate accountability and remediation. Relevantly, she has delivered human rights impact assessments for a Fortune 500 international brand, including conducting a baseline risk assessment of in-country operations in a conflict-affected and high-risk area.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Grace Camara, Garment and Apparel Sector Lead at Business and Human Rights Compliance.

Background Materials