YESS Pilot Project Shows Yarn and Fabric Manufacturers Ready to ‘Drive Change’ to End Modern Slavery

MEDIA CONTACT: Patricia Jurewicz, media@sourcingnetwork.org, (415) 340-0809

YESS: Yarn Ethically & Sustainably Sourced empowers manufacturers to identify and mitigate forced labor in cotton harvesting.

BERKELEY, CA—APRIL 28, 2022—Responsible Sourcing Network today released the pilot findings of its flagship initiative, YESS: Yarn Ethically & Sustainably Sourced. The pilot project, which included virtual training and in-person assessments in India, Pakistan, and Malaysia, demonstrated that manufacturers can track all of their cotton through their systems from fabric back to cotton bale suppliers. The manufacturers require in-person training and support to implement a risk-based, due diligence approach to manage their cotton sourcing.

“The results of the pilot demonstrate that training and assessing manufacturers in the middle of the supply chain on due diligence processes empowers them to drive change,” said Patricia Jurewicz, CEO of Responsible Sourcing Network and creator of YESS. “Spinners and mills need to be — and want to be — part of the solution to address modern slavery in the cotton industry.”

As noted by Anant Ahuja, head of organizational development at Shahi Exports, one of the YESS pilot facilities, "Through the engagement with the YESS team and auditors both virtually and in person, we have gained valuable insight into improving our due diligence systems in our spinning facility and textile mill. We are glad to be a participant in this pilot project by the Responsible Sourcing Network and look forward to implementing measures that come out of this engagement.”

More than 15 global brands from the apparel, home goods, medical supplies, and footwear industries supported the pilot project and startup of YESS. Responsible Sourcing Network and the YESS initiative are also receiving support as part of the Verité STREAMS project, a traceability project funded by the U.S. Department of Labor under cooperative agreement number IL-35805.

“YESS will help shift every tier of the supply chain towards more transparent and responsible sourcing decisions,” commented Sharon Waxman, president and CEO of Fair Labor Association. “We encourage more brands and industry actors to join YESS so together we can identify and address modern slavery on cotton farms globally.”

The long-term goal of YESS is to drive forced labor out of cotton production by increasing transparency and accountability through various tiers of the supply chain. Responsible Sourcing Network will now leverage the pilot learnings and maximize impact by coordinating the YESS due diligence approach with traceability technologies.

Scott Leonard, chief sustainability officer from Circular Systems — a recycled fiber and yarn provider — stated, “We are excited to be part of YESS, and to be the catalyst for incorporating the circular economy into the due diligence implementation plan. This body of work is preparing the industry for the potential of an ethical and sustainable future.”

One outcome of the pilot was the development of the Draft YESS Textile Standard, which complements the YESS Spinner Standard. Stakeholders are invited to submit comments through May 27.

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Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN), a non-profit for-benefit organization based in the U.S., strives to end human rights abuses and forced labor connected to the raw materials found in products we use every day.