Karen Walker Now Certified Child Labor Free

Karen Walker Now Certified Child Labor Free

Karen Walker’s ready-to-wear garments are now Child Labor Free certified to manufacturing level. Karen Walker is the latest in a growing list of pioneering brands, committed to supporting socially responsible supply chains.

Karen Walker began working with Child Labor Free in 2015, shortly after Child Labor Free launched and encourages more brands to commit to taking responsibility for their supply chains, become Child Labor Free certified and be transparent. Child Labor Free (CLF) is a certification system that independently assesses and analyses companies and their supply chains for the use of child labor.

“We’re committed to constantly reviewing our entire chain of supply. We’ve really enjoyed working with Child Labor Free and encourage all fashion brands to work with them to gain certification.” Karen Walker says.

The global fashion industry is vast and its supply chains are complex and there are many challenges facing brands. The risk of child labor in this industry is very real.

Unfortunately, there are children being exploited throughout the production; from the farming of the cotton through to the construction of the final products.

Child Labor Free CEO, Nik Webb-Shephard says “certification is a multi-layer process that occurs in three stages; Manufacturing, Component and Source. Each level has been designed to help businesses tackle the complex task of mapping and understanding supply chains in manageable steps, as well as providing simple ways to explain this process to the consumer."

Companies provide their supplier information to the CLF assessment team to be evaluated against a risk matrix. Following due diligence checks, suppliers and brands are evaluated by independent international supply chain and sourcing experts through on-site inspections and desktop reviews. Reports and recommendations are reviewed by the Child Labor Free Mark Awarding Committee; this committee makes the ultimate decision on the awarding of the Child Labor Free certification mark.

Nik Webb-Shephard says “Child Labor Free certification is a commitment. Brands signing up need to be genuinely engaged in the process. Initially there is information to be gathered but then the process is handed over to Child Labor Free and our network of international partners to independently assess risk and conduct factory checks and assessments. Should we see areas for improvement, we ask brands to address these areas before certification is possible."

“It is a pleasure working with Karen Walker. The commitment and genuine desire to continuously improve on already solid foundations should be an inspiration to brands globally."

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