ASOS partners with ITF union to safeguard transport workers' rights and fortify supply chains

Digital global fashion giant ASOS has formalized a groundbreaking partnership with the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) union, signing a legally-binding agreement designed to bolster transport workers’ rights and significantly enhance the safety, resilience, and sustainability of its intricate supply chains. This pivotal accord marks a critical step in extending ASOS’s established leadership in human rights embedment across its operations to the crucial domain of transport and logistics.

The core of this agreement is a robust Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD) framework, through which ASOS and the ITF will collaborate intensely. Their joint efforts will focus on conducting thorough HRDD within ASOS’s transport operations and logistics networks, with the overarching aim of ensuring unwavering respect for human rights and fostering sustainable practices throughout ASOS’s entire supply chain ecosystem.

Under the terms of this collaborative pact, the ITF will lend its extensive expertise to support ASOS in several key areas. This includes assisting with the design of robust policies, proactively identifying, avoiding, and mitigating potential risks to workers’ rights, and establishing clear mechanisms for determining and implementing effective remedies should any rights violations occur within the transport and logistics sectors.

Beyond their direct cooperation, the partnership also envisions a broader ripple effect. ASOS and the ITF are committed to engaging with the retailer’s various brand partners, facilitating the sharing of valuable resources and educational tools specifically tailored to HRDD practices within transport and logistics, thereby promoting industry-wide improvements.

José Antonio Ramos Calamonte, Chief Executive of ASOS, underscored the significance of this initiative, stating, “Enhancing the human rights of everyone involved in our value chain – from designing and making clothes, to warehousing, shipping and delivery – has been a core mission for [ours] for close to a decade.” He further emphasized that this new agreement with ITF is poised to significantly advance ASOS’s efforts, enabling the company to extend its action to protect and improve the human rights of workers in its transport and logistics supply chain, mitigate risks, and enhance supply chain resilience, all while driving positive change for the individuals integral to its business operations.