RSN’s Holiday Newsletter & Celebrating International Human Rights Day
Dear friends and colleagues,
On this International Human Rights Day, we want to celebrate the leap forward to protect human rights with the passing of the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD). Having mandatory human rights due diligence required of companies and throughout their value chains is a huge accomplishment, and we look forward to seeing the positive impact in sourcing countries.
We are excited to highlight the accomplishments of our initiative, YESS: Yarn Ethically & Sustainably Sourced, which is aligned with the CSDDD. We announced our first cohort of YESS brands and other stakeholder members, released our publicly available list of YESS Participating Mills, and built infrastructure with Sumerra to support and train auditors and mills.
As you prepare for this holiday season, we ask that you contribute to our efforts with a generous donation. Your support will allow us to scale the impact of YESS, create lasting change through e-learning, and move us closer to our shared vision of ethical cotton production.
Thank you for being an integral part of our Responsible Sourcing Network community. We wish you and your loved ones a peaceful holiday season filled with joy, love, and the spirit of positive impact.
- Patricia and the RSN Team
First Cohort of YESS Members
YESS issued a press release in November announcing our first cohort of members including industry brand leaders adidas, Fanatics Apparel, INDITEX, The Walt Disney Company, and Walmart Inc. Civil society members include U.S. Fashion Industry Association and Verité, and initial mill members include Nishat Mills, Raymond Denim, Shahi Exports, and Sree Santhosh Garments. Since the press release was published, eight more mills have signed on as YESS members, including Artistic Milliners, Daenong Textile, Hyopshin Co. Ltd., Il Kwang Vina Co., Ltd., J&B International Ltd., MG Apparel, MN Dyeing, Printing and Washing Mills LTD., and Supreme Stitch Ltd.
To see an updated list of members and requirements for joining, visit our YESS Membership page.
Public Mill List
In 2024, YESS made its Participating Mills List publicly available for the first time. The list features spinning and fabric mills that are active within the YESS conformance continuum (active, trained, assessed, foundational conformance, full conformance), which demonstrates their commitment to mitigating forced labor risks in their cotton supply chains. While the list is accessible to the public, assessment results and conformance levels are exclusive to YESS members via the YESS Portal.
Building a Strong Foundation for YESS
In 2024, YESS made significant strides toward establishing a strong foundation, promoting ethical sourcing in the textile industry, and expanding our due diligence community. Key accomplishments include:
* Shahi and Nishat became the first mills to achieve Foundational YESS Conformance. They are both now undergoing training for the next step, Full YESS Conformance.
* YESS onboarded and trained mills in a growing number of countries, including our first mills from Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Taiwan. These efforts equip mills with the knowledge and tools needed to implement robust due diligence systems, and align with international supply chain regulations.
* YESS solidified its partnership with Sumerra to manage the YESS Assessment process, ensuring scalable and consistent auditor training and quality. This collaboration leverages Sumerra’s global expertise in audit management to efficiently scale YESS’s operations while maintaining rigorous oversight. Sumerra has made significant efforts to set up its infrastructure to receive assessment requests, and has now approved audit firms and auditors from ARCHE Advisors, ASSESS International, and TÜV Rheinland.
* RSN/YESS continued its participation in the STREAMS project managed by Verité and funded by US DOL. The 2024 pilot activities coordinated YESS with the digital mapping company Sourcemap to see how its platform can be used to assist fabric mills in mapping and surveying their suppliers and assessing them for risk.
* Speaking engagements:
- OECD side session Mill Conformance with Due Diligence Requirements - the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
- Masterclass on global regulations at the international textile expo, Bharat Tex
- Podcast Let’s Talk Supply Chains; Thoughts and Coffee
- Panel sessions on due diligence and traceability at Innovation Forum, AAFA, Cascale, and USFIA conferences and meetings
Opportunity to Contribute
On this International Human Rights Day, pledge to do your part to end modern slavery and exploitation of vulnerable communities tied to products we all use every day. With your support, we will continue to shine a light on these issues and implement impactful solutions. For more information or to find out how you can get involved, please contact us at info@sourcingnetwork.org.
EIN 27-0727686
Please mail paper checks to:
Responsible Sourcing Network
1019 Inspiration Way
Ventura, CA 93001
With Great Appreciation
We want to express our gratitude to the individuals and organizations that make up our larger team of collaborators and supporters: our newest employee Mara Curtis, all of our funders, RSN Board of Directors and YESS Advisory Committee Members, YESS Brand, Mill, and NGO Members, Sumerra, audit firms and auditors, and our accounting team at Sutro Li. Thank you all for being an essential part of our work and for bringing your unique talents to the table. We couldn’t have had such a successful year without you!