About the Program
Considered a watershed in tackling slave-line and child labor in the fashion retail value chain, the ABVTEX Program represents the efforts of the retails networks to establish best practice of compliance among their suppliers and subcontractors. Launched in 2010, the Program was ABVTEX’s response in favor of using dignified work in the fashion production chain, and it has improved over time. The goal is to become an international reference in the next five years.
Initially limited to the supply chains of member retailers, who adhered to the Program voluntarily, undertaking to audit and monitor 100% of their chain and only acquire products from companies approved by the audit, the ABVTEX Program has extended its inclusivity. The current version of the Regulations includes the condition of undergoing the audit without having a link with the retailer and being classified as “Audited”. Offering all interested parties the chance to be audited and qualify to supply the retail networks.
The lasting legacy of the ABVTEX Program has been to bring together retailers, operating in a highly competitive market, around a common cause: sustainable development of the value chain and applying the compliance rules to the supply chain.
The Program has a Managing Committee to regulate its operations and is supported by a Consultative Committee formed of entities representing society and the Government: Abicalçados, Abit, Ápice, COETRAE-SP, Conaccovest, Instituto Ethos, Observatório Social, OIT and Sebrae. Participants meet regularly to analyze the advances made and to present valuable contributions for improving the Program.
* The ABVTEX Program is available only for suppliers located in the Brazilian territory (the page can be accessed only in Portuguese language)
Suppliers, find out how to start the Program.
Results
Since 2010, the ABVTEX Program has carried out more than 43 thousand audits on clothing manufacturers and their subcontractors. The scale of these numbers is impressive:
3.797 Approved Companies
639 Municipalities in 18 States
393.258 Direct Jobs
59.585 Audits Performed
Recognition of the initiative has gone beyond the borders of fashion retail and it has received several awards, most recently the von Martius Award for Sustainability 2016, 1st place in the Humanity category, awarded by the Brazil-Germany Chamber of Commerce and Industry. In 2013, the Program received the Fecomercio Sustainability Award in the category of Bodies and, in 2012, it received an honorable mention from the FGV (Getúlio Vargas Foundation) among the sustainability cases.
