The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), in association with the Social and Labour Convergence Program (SLCP), today organised a workshop to announce the launch of SLCP operations in Tirupur.

A Sakthivel, Vice-Chairman, AEPC, said in his inaugural address that there were many certifications and audits in the market currently. Exporters spend huge sums and time for all such certifications. SLCP is an initiative that is aimed at eliminating audit fatigue by replacing current proprietary tools with a standard-neutral Converged Assessment Framework.

“Brands, retailers, buyers and industry stakeholders across the globe have signed up for the programme as it is expected to eliminate multiple social audits,” said Sakthivel.

Sharon Hesp, Senior Manager, SLCP, said that one SLCP-verified assessment could replace all current audits.

The SLCP-verified assessment fulfills the data needs from all Brands and Standards. So far, 200 brands, manufacturers and other stakeholders have signed up for the programme. The process starts with a self-assessment which is verified by a Verifier Body, after which the data can be shared with Brands, Standards and others. SLCP does not include certification or a Corrective Action Plan.

The Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council (Texprocil) has proposed to organised the SLCP launch in Mumbai on June 5.

Published On : 03-06-2019

Source : The Hindu Businessline