Firm participation in voluntary regulatory initiatives: The Accord, Alliance, and US garment importers from Bangladesh

Ahlquist, John S.; Mosley, Layna

doi:10.1007/s11558-020-09376-z

Cited by 26 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 76 publications

(67 reference statements)

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“…The need for sustainability in the TC industry is widely acknowledged in academic and practice literature, as demonstrated above. The most significant contribution of such literature (e.g., Ahlquist & Mosley, 2020;Baumann-Pauly, Labowitz, & Banerjee, 2015;Haar & Keune, 2014;Huq et al, 2016Huq et al, , 2014Huq & Stevenson, 2018;Su, 2013;Taplin, 2014;Wigley et al, 2012) is on the people and social aspect of sustainability. Literature also indicates uncoordinated recommendations for the industry to reduce its environmental impact except for the Ellen propose a conceptual model that illustrates the relationship between them.…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing circular economy in the textile and clothing industry

2021

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This research reveals the current state of the circular economy (CE), challenges and opportunities of implementing CE and interventions that could facilitate effective implementation of CE in the textile and clothing (TC) industry. The study uses a survey method within 114 TC companies based in Bangladesh, Vietnam and India revealing the correlation of CE fields of action (take, make, distribute, use and recover) with sustainability (economic, environmental and social) performance. The lack of financial, technological and human resources along with management's reluctance and end-user's indifference to sustainability is the biggest challenge for CE implementation. The research further derives that the TC firms are unable to eradicate the challenges to CE implementation without a holistic approach that involves the collective effort from the industry, host government's incentives, their buyers and above all the conscience of the end-users. Finally, the study reveals that the collaborative efforts, knowledge sharing in sustainability management across the value chain and marketisation of the waste recycling, among others, are a few actions the stakeholders of the TC industry must adopt for implementing CE successfully.

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Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implementing circular economy in the textile and clothing industry

2021

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“…Yet, country‐level studies of trade and investment as mechanisms for rights upgrading offer limited insights into how upgrading behavior might vary across and within sectors. Analyses of the apparel sector note that competition for supply chain participation can create downward pressure on labor standards, especially in low‐wage countries such as Bangladesh (Anner, 2019; Ahlquist & Mosley, 2020). Tanaka (2019), however, observes the opposite effect in Myanmar.…”

Section: Worker Rights and Global Supply Chains: Mechanisms For Upgradingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As technology and transportation innovations have allowed lead firms to organize their supply chains on a global scale, the competition for subcontracts and supply chain relationships has intensified (Silver, 2003). Reducing labor‐related expenditures is one means by which developing country firms can win this competition (e.g., Berliner, Greenleaf, Lake, Levi, & Noveck, 2015; Ahlquist & Mosley, 2020). Moreover, in many developing countries, (relatively abundant) workers have less political voice than (relatively scarce) capital owners.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Labor upgrading and export market opportunities: Evidence from Vietnam

Malesky

Mosley

2021

Economics & Politics

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We explore and provide an empirical assessment of an important mechanism by which global markets can motivate labor‐related upgrading among developing country firms. New market opportunities, which result from exogenous shocks, can some producers to improve their treatment of workers. These improvements come because they are consistent with taking advantage of new opportunities. We focus specifically on how shifts in U.S. trade policy toward China in 2018 affect the willingness of foreign firms operating in Vietnam to engage in upgrading. Our analyses, based on surveys of firms in 2016, 2017, and 2018, suggest that firms respond significantly to changes in market opportunities, especially when they are primed to consider specific supply chain relationships. This market opportunity mechanism for upgrading contrasts with another widely used tool, in which developed country governments condition access to their markets upon improved human and labor rights outcomes. The former operates, in the short to medium term, at the firm level, while the latter seeks to effect change at the country level.

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“…While agreeing with all the above, we emphasize the need to share the burden across all buyers and not just a few leading buyers. Indeed, it is important to recognize the limits of buyer engagement, given that only a subset of buyers voluntarily opt in (Ahlquist and Mosley, ). In this sense, the circle is beginning to close, as corporations — which have been outsourcing production to less regulated environments — are starting to call for greater public regulation to level the playing field so that all businesses will be compelled to assume greater responsibility.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Buyer Engagement and Labour Conditions in Global Supply Chains: The Bangladesh Accord and Beyond

Oka¹,

Egels‐Zandén²,

Alexander³

2020

Development and Change

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The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (‘the Accord’) has received both praise and criticism concerning its implications for corporate responsibility and power. This article contributes to the debate by situating the Accord within a broader set of activities that buyers are engaged in to promote better labour conditions in their supply chains. The authors identify three approaches of buyer engagement: auditing, capacity building and advocacy. Drawing on interviews conducted with European brands and retailers, the article shows how buyers perceive the merits and challenges of these approaches, and whether and how they discharge responsibility and power through these activities. The study shows that the Accord is seen primarily as part of the auditing approach with a key feature being its use of collective leverage as a means of enforcement. While greater buyer power has not necessarily been accompanied by greater responsibility, the article highlights heterogeneity among buyers in how they take up different approaches, painting a more nuanced picture of buyer responsibility and power.

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Firm participation in voluntary regulatory initiatives: The Accord, Alliance, and US garment importers from Bangladesh

Abstract: , and anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier versions.

Cited by 26 publications

References 76 publications

Implementing circular economy in the textile and clothing industry

Implementing circular economy in the textile and clothing industry

Labor upgrading and export market opportunities: Evidence from Vietnam

Buyer Engagement and Labour Conditions in Global Supply Chains: The Bangladesh Accord and Beyond

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