ASOS returns to House of Lords for Modern Slavery event with Baroness Young

This year’s forum will seek pledges from third party brands to actively tackle modern slavery

London, March 26th 2019: ASOS, one of the world’s leading destinations for fashion loving 20-somethings, is today returning to the House of Lords to co-host a Modern Slavery forum with Baroness Lola Young, Co-Chair All Party Parliamentary Group on Ethics and Sustainability in Fashion.

Twelve months on from the inaugural session, which addressed shared risks in the apparel sector, the event will review progress made and challenge attendees to sign a pledge to implement meaningful practices to tackle modern slavery. Those attending and speaking include executives from ASOS third party brands such as Boohoo, Dr Martens, Fred Perry, Missguided and River Island; as well as industry colleague, M&S.

Nick Beighton, CEO, ASOS, said, “With a growing legislative focus on modern slavery, there’s never been a better time to act together to drive systemic change in the industry. That’s why we’re calling on those present to join us in signing our pledge to tackle modern slavery and move beyond commitment to more concrete action and collaboration.”

The five-point ASOS pledge asks brands to commit to:

•  mapping and assessing modern slavery risks;

•  working collaboratively with others to develop tools and resources to raise awareness of risks;

•  training relevant employees about modern slavery risks within their businesses and supply chains;

•  publishing and continuously building on their Modern Slavery statements;

•  participating in an annual session to demonstrate progress made.

Third party brands that have already signed the pledge include Dr Martens, Missguided, New Look and River Island.

Ben Lewis, CEO, River Island commented, ‘We are serious about tackling modern slavery so the pledge we have signed continues the work that we have already started with ASOS in this area. We encourage other brands to join us in eradicating human rights abuses in our supply chains.’

Baroness Young added, “I am pleased to see several major high street brands sign a pledge committing to take active steps to eradicate modern slavery in their supply chains. By doing this, they show that there is space for pre-competitive collaboration when it comes to ensuring human rights due diligence. I very much hope that other brands will follow suit.”

The House of Lords meeting comes on the same day ASOS releases its annual Modern Slavery Statement in line with UK legislation. ASOS’ Modern Slavery Statement and the commitments contained within form a key component of ASOS’ Ethical Trade Strategy, which has been set up to help the brand tackle human rights impacts in its global supply chain and empower workers to realise and understand their fundamental rights. A key component of the strategy is an ambition to drive a systemic shift in the way ASOS Design and ASOS third-party brands approach ethical trade and sustainability.

In the last 12 months, ASOS has, among other initiatives, co-delivered Modern Slavery workshops for third party brands in collaboration with Anti-Slavery International and launched an online training resource for third party brands, produced in conjunction with the London College of Fashion, to help them meet modern slavery legislation requirements.
 

About ASOS:

ASOS was founded in 2000 and has become a top fashion destination for 20-somethings around the world. We have more than 87,000 ASOS and branded products on site, with 5,000 new items added each week. We also offer fashion-related content through our websites, mobile apps, the ASOS Magazine and our social media accounts, which have more than 22 million followers. We serve our 18.4 million active customers from fulfilment centres in the UK, US and Europe, delivering ASOS packages to almost every country in the world.
 

About ASOS’ Third Party Brands programme

https://www.asosplc.com/corporate-responsibility/our-products/third-party-brands-programme