Apparel and footwear
Explore how the largest multi-national apparel & footwear companies are addressing forced labour risks across their supply chains.
2023 KnowTheChain Apparel & Footwear Benchmark
KnowTheChain's latest assessment of 65 of the biggest apparel and footwear companies reveals that, with an average score of just 21/100, the sector remained largely reactive to human rights violations rather than evidencing robust, embedded human rights and environmental due diligence practices designed to prevent abuse. In the face of conflict, the climate crisis and economic instability exacerbating the risk of forced labour, company policy and practice is falling short.
Benchmark findings reports
2023 KnowTheChain Apparel & Footwear Benchmark
KnowTheChain's latest assessment of 65 of the biggest apparel and footwear companies reveals that, with an average score of just 21/100, the sector remained largely reactive to human rights violations rather than evidencing robust, embedded human rights and environmental due diligence practices designed to prevent abuse. In the face of conflict, the climate crisis and economic instability exacerbating the risk of forced labour, company policy and practice is falling short.
2021 KnowTheChain Apparel & Footwear Benchmark
KnowTheChain assessed the 37 largest global apparel and footwear companies on their efforts to address forced labour risks in supply chains.
2018 KnowTheChain Apparel & Footwear Benchmark
KnowTheChain assessed 43 of the largest global apparel and footwear companies on their efforts, finding that the average score overall remains low, at 37 out of 100. Company scores range from 0/100 to 92/100; however, less than a third of the companies (15 out of 43) score over 50/100, and policies and practices are lacking on the theme of recruitment - the area with the most direct impact on workers’ lives.
2016 KnowTheChain Apparel & Footwear Benchmark
KnowTheChain benchmarked 20 apparel and footwear companies on the transparency of their efforts to eradicate forced labour from their global supply chains.