Brands, Retailers and Importers (BRIs) require suppliers to sign a code of conduct with strict terms, while not adhering to any ethical standards. To help fix this power imbalance, we have created our Eight Ethical Principles for Jeans & Denim Purchasing. This conduct should be adopted not just by BRIs, but by suppliers to govern their behavior in business-to-business relationships with the suppliers they work with down the supply chain.

We ask that suppliers adopt it, share it, and have BRIs sign it as a reciprocal gesture when suppliers sign the code of conduct given to them by BRIs. We realize this might sound like a big ask, except if it is taken up by a critical mass of top denim fabric and jeans suppliers, and supported by stakeholders taking action.