Photo: Leipzig - Germany. What is Primark doing to offer affordable fashion at an amazing price? The places of production are shared - they are the same working conditions, the same wages - lets just level the plane and get rid of this assumption that paying more for an item somehow makes it more ethical. I just think its incredibly insightful because it follows the lifecycle of a product, from the cutting room all the way through the factory floor. Primark has shared the video on their website, under their Ethics section as consumers often requested what a supplier factory from the value retailer looks like. They discussed a number of HR-specific trends, including . I know people will often say that the quality isnt very good at Primark, but we have invested a lot in quality over the last few years, says Stewart. We know consumers and stakeholders are interested and we thought that publishing the Global Sourcing Map was a big step on that journey. The rise of haul style shopping videos on YouTube is just one example of how the value retailers pricing is affecting the way people shop and how they view their products. The product strategy and mix in Primark marketing strategy can be explained as follows: Primark is one of the leading retailer brands having multi-brand products available. A factory is detailed on the Map only after it has produced products for Primark for a year and has become an established supplier. In the supply chain strategy you are going to plan out how you are going to work with distributors, customers and suppliers. Milan, Italy Primark store photo. Primark is experiencing "limited availability" on some of its product lines due to supply chain disruption, the retailer's owner has said. A quick Google search shows exactly how fast Primark haul videos are growing in popularity - with 3.63 million results showing up for Primark haul 2017 versus 2.95 million hits for Primark haul 2016. Many of these videos attract millions of views - for instance YouTube favourite Zoellas latest Primark Haul, entitled The Biggest Primark Haul I've Ever Done, was uploaded on March 21, 2017 and already counts over 2.6 millions views. It is a virtual tour. So it is important to remember that these flagship stores attract huge amounts of people and we shouldnt get side tracked as to what is looks like across the board., As long as we stimulate seeing clothing as a disposable product instead of an investment, the race to the bottom will continue, Stewart adds Primark has also been investing in creating better quality clothing to help combat the stigma that its offers throw-away clothing and ensure their products last longer. By sharing our supplier base information it enables the Accord to map all the factories that everyone is using in the region as effectively as possible. This has included, for example, details of our suppliers, their factories, as well as our supply chain practices, said a spokesperson for Primark. The value retailer said it was both quite shocked and moved by the results of FNV online survey and noted that it has been working for several months to launch its workers council. Primark does agree that it could be sharing more information on its sustainable and ethical practices with the public, even if consumers are not always asking for it. The reason we started our Sustainable Cotton Pilot programme four years ago is because cotton is one of the main fibres we use in our products, and we wanted to achieve greater visibility in our cotton supply chain to better understand how it works, says Katherine Stewart, Primarks Director of Ethical Trade & Environmental Sustainability. Unfortunately, Primark does not enclose their supplier list which makes it really hard to verify if what they communicate about their supply chain is actually true, continues Scally. [Sustainability] is not about little capsule collections. Almost all companies have a Code of Conduct, it is just a formality, counters Tara Scally, Campaign Coordinator for the Dutch branch of the Clean Clothes Campaign 7 (CCC). This includes guidance on onsite environmental health and safety issues, as well as waste and energy management.. Strong union representation can bring labour violations to light. Primark maintains it is able to keep its prices so low because all of its orders are placed in bulk and not because its does not pay its workers enough. With such rapid growth, the retailer's technology needs have changed considerably over time and having the . Then when the product goes into the production side, we have quality checks during the products manufacturing as well, which has made a real difference as we are noticing a positive response from customers. However, even though Primark responded quickly to the allegations and was eager to improve conditions, FNV is aware time will show if working conditions improve and has therefore scheduled a meeting in three months time. Credit: Primark. In addition, 81 percent of respondents said they felt that Primark was missing a workers council who could negotiate agreements on their behalf concerning use of store cameras in relation to their privacy - even though the council is required by law in the Netherlands for any company with more than 50 employees. But just how reliable is Primarks Code of Conduct? Infographic timeline Primark: FashionUnited, Rana Plaza disaster photo: AFP. If you go to a Primarks further up North, in Grimsby, UK for example you can see people are buying one or two things, not bags and bags of things - and we can see this reflected in our sales data. Credit: FashionUnited. Video: PRIMARK | Take a 360 virtual tour of a factory in Bangladesh. Primark has published the results of their sustainable cotton programme on their website, as well as personal stories from the farmers themselves, but Stewart admits the company is still learning on how to take what they have learned from the pilot all the way through to end production to bring it to scale. The thing about Primark is that we communicate the things that we have done - rather than the things we want to do, explains Stewart. Its own in-house teams are supported by independent, third-party auditing companies, which are said to be critical to ensuring Primark upholds its monitoring standards. Case study on Primark sustainability, ethics, supply chain. It turned out to be such a success that the participating farmers achieved the following results by the third year: This short film follows the impact Primark's Sustainable Cotton Programme has had on female farmers in Northern India and includes interviews with some of the women involved. NGOs and trade organisations agree that this, as well as working with trade unions, is key for any fashion retailer in tackling cases of forced labour in developing countries. At the moment Primark does not purchase any raw cotton directly from farmers, as it does not directly own any mills or factories. However, some pioneering companies, like Filippa K and Nudie Jeans are beginning to break this mould and commonly report their factory lists, audit outcomes, and other data. Primark's supply chain, and indeed business strategy, is based on a highly efficient sourcing model whereby it aims to get products from initial design concept onto shelves in as little as six weeks, with merchandise sourced from all four corners of the globe. Credit: JASPER JACOBS / BELGA MAG / BELGA, Photo: Primark Boston. 76% company name: primark module: strategic management bachelor business studies lecturer: dr. sharon feeney names of all group members: caoln kennedy: . Verification is crowdsourced from the public to ensure that the information remains up-to-date and accurate. Strategy No. Primarks Ethical Trade and Environmental Sustainability Team will be responsible for providing updates to the Primark Global Sourcing Map on a twice-yearly basis. Evolving Business Needs. Credit: Paul Marotta / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP, Video: Primark The Biggest Primark Haul Ive Ever Done. At Primark, we're proud of our low prices. Finally, the issues of supply chain resilience and sustainability are discussed. We also believe Primark could do more to educate its shoppers on how to care for their clothes and encourage them to look after them and keep them for longer.. The clothing must also be recyclable. This is of vital importance in countries such as India, Bangladesh and Pakistan where women make up 80 percent of the workforce. Strategy No. However, Primarks sustainable cotton programme is not its only initiative in place aimed at empowering and educating its female garment workers. In the case of Primark, and others, I dare say, it's about time, says Orsola de Castro, Founder and Creative Director at Fashion Revolution 2 and Esthetica. On its website, the value retailer has a dedicated area under its Ethics page which explains how they are able to offer the lowest prices on the high street. But what could Primark film to convey its good ethics in simple and clear way? Is Primark doing enough in terms of sustainability with its excess stock? Primark, the Irish fashion retailer owned by Associated British Foods (ABF), is seen as one biggest fashion retail success stories of the past decade. In order for Primark to improve their practices to be more sustainable, we believe they need to address the full scope of these inputs, Although Primark has been transparent with its energy efficiency and waste management, it is clear the value retailer still has some ways to go to ensuring both its supply chain and vast store network become more sustainable. Our engagement with . It involves looking at a product's full set of inputs, including raw material, water, energy and chemical use, along with the social inputs, manufacturing, consumer use and end-of-life. What impact does Primarks Code of Conduct really have? Transparency for supply chain has always been a critical agenda. I think the one thing I would say is that it depends where you live. NGOs applaud the move from Primark and agree the retailer should explore further avenues on how it can share more information on its sustainable and ethical programmes. Lastly, Primark also tighten its programme of structural surveys in Bangladesh to assess the structural integrity of the factories from which it sources from. We believe Primark could do more to educate its shoppers on how to care for their clothes, Primark is also updating its website to offer consumers more information on its ethical and sustainable activities. However, most of Primark's China factories are small and medium-sized, and fewer than 1% report having 1,000+ workers. If you think about the cotton project for example, we only started communicating that last year, when we have been working on it for three years. Pursue a living wage for workers in its supply chain. Photo: Workers sewing in Indian Garment Factory. This technology is still in development for the process to work at scale, but there is exciting potential here for a large reduction in garments being sent to landfill, and the decreased use of virgin raw materials. She encourages Primark to start looking into future options for implementing a circular economy, similar to the goal set by rival fast-fashion retailer H&M. On their website, under Our Ethics, 8 Primark claims that all factories are inspected and audited. But Primarks ethical and sustainable initiatives go much further than Rana Plaza. Our manufacturing supply chain includes both internal facilities that are owned and directly managed by Gucci and external facilities managed by trusted suppliers. The partnership, which sees Primark and Geosansar also provide financial education, as well as access to banking, has helped over 400 workers. Primark shares a number of core principles within its Code of Conduct with the Fair Wear Foundation Code. Introduction to Operations and Supply Chain Management (Cecil C. Bozarth; Robert B. Handfield) Signals and Systems (Simon S. Haykin; Barry Van Veen) . Primark Current business strategies Primark is the most growing retail company in UK. Primarks expansive product range includes womenswear, lingerie, childrenswear, menswear, footwear, accessories, beauty, hosiery and homeware. People. However, the opposing views on the quality of Primarks clothing does not change the fact that a large percentage of its clothing - as well as that produced by other fast-fashion retailers - ends up going to waste once it is discarded by consumers. The reported results show that working with farmers at this level can have a number of positive impacts on yields, chemical and water use reduction and increased income, says Jacinta FitzGerald, Head of Research at Project JUST 2. "Although, at this point, the disruption is causing limited availability on a small number of lines, our warehouse . In addition, Primark also works with the ILO Better Work Programme 4 in countries such as Vietnam, which aims to help factories meet and uphold international working standards. Primarks Code of Conduct lays out the core principles their suppliers and their factories must adhere to when it comes to working conditions, such as working hours, fair wages and workers rights in order to do business with them. "By working closely with Primark and their . The tragedy was not only seen as a wake up call for the international fashion industry to band together and protect those most vulnerable in their supply chains - it was also a immediate call to action for Primark, who sourced from New Waves Bottoms, a supplier in Rana Plaza, to take a closer look at its ethics and CSR, to see where it could improve. Rather than giving customers a discount voucher for their next purchase in-store, Primark gave customers an organic cotton bag in return for a clothing donation. For me, its really all about education. In united states, Southewest Airline has same strategy with success in aviation sector. Photo: Amsterdam Flagshipstore. Many workers take pride in the work they do and the clothing they make and do not deserve to be exploited as they are now. Weve always said that we have worked very hard with our suppliers, notes Stewart. Credit: Primark, Video: Primark HERproject. For example, in India, Primark is working together with local partners like the Association for Stimulating Know How 11 (ASK) in one of its main suppliers, Jeyavishnu Mill, to improve its recruitment process. Here are six supply-chain strategies designed to help enterprises thrive in the current environment. In the video Zoella shows off each item one by one to her viewers: young, impressionable women who all want to look and dress just like her - which leads to many of them also shopping in bulk at Primark. Another programme that Primark has had in place since 2009, focuses on enriching the lives of its workers, and sees the value retailer working together with Social Awareness and Voluntary Education 4 (SAVE) to educate its workers in Southern India. In August 2017, Bangladesh launched an initiative of its own to map all of its apparel factories. As a globalization strategy, Primark carries out its operation in 61 countries. Our Environmental Policy, which sits within our Code of Conduct. But we have been very pleased with the trial and our decision to roll it out. Stewart notes that they may have to adopt a slightly different model in the US due to legal reasons, but they aim to have a similar system in place overseas. Photo: Primark Employees at Primark Den Haag. There is pressure from outside organisations to set targets as soon as counting begins. In addition Primark has also achieved the Carbon Trust Standard for Waste for its waste management systems in store and is working to assume direct control over as much of its recyclable materials used during packing and transport as possible. Sustainable Brands Of course it can be seen as if the greatest offenders are now establishing themselves as the greatest investors in sustainability and ethics, but the truth is that the fast fashion model is far from being effective and considerate, continues de Castro. Following the expansion of its Sustainable Cotton Programme, which sees Primark working with CottonConnect and the Self-Employed Womens Association (SEWA) to support over 11,000 female cotton farmers in India, as well as increasing consumer interest in Primarks own sustainable and ethical practices, Primark has decided to become more vocal concerning its commitments to producing responsible fashion. That way they know what to focus on and we can protect certain parts, such as the confidentiality interviews, explains Stewart. [At the flagship stores] you have tourists coming from abroad, where there isnt a Primark store. Primark also increased the number of fun, team-based projects with employees to boost direct engagement, which led to over 100 employees taking part in the wellbeing summer challenge. Historically we have always shared still photographs of the factories we work with, but we thought it would be good to bring it to life in another way. That's why we work in partnership with global and local experts to help deliver change. To maintain this strategy Primark always focuses on buying, logistics and supply chain management. Some factories need help improving certain areas, so we make sure we work together with them by explaining the implications and solutions on the audit checklist. Primark also runs an online supplier management system which offers training programmes on how suppliers can improve their working standards. Wal-Mart's competitive strategy is based on three dimensions: high product availability, a wide variety of goods, and everyday low pricing. TheIllustration 1: Supply chain management company has recently joined with 40 other brands such as Adidas, Nike, Disney, Mark and Spencers and Burberry. Credit: Primark, Photo: Primark store Venlo. The Gartner Matrix for Supply Chain Strategy offers a construct by which to map supply chain strategy, priorities and interdependencies. Ethical Trade and Environmental sustainability Team will be responsible for providing updates to the Primark Global Sourcing Map on twice-yearly. Online supplier management system which offers training programmes on how suppliers can improve their working standards our Code of.... 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