UKFT is pleased to announce that we have officially become a signatory of the Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP), joining a global network of more than 255 signatories working collectively to improve working conditions across global supply chains.
The Social & Labor Convergence Program (SLCP) is a multi-stakeholder initiative focused on reducing audit fatigue and improving social and labour conditions through a more streamlined, collaborative approach to social compliance assessments.
At the heart of SLCP is the Converged Assessment Framework (CAF), a universal social assessment tool designed to collect credible and actionable social and labour data from manufacturing facilities. Rather than facilities repeatedly undergoing multiple proprietary audits for different customers, the CAF enables verified assessment data to be shared across multiple stakeholders and platforms, helping reduce duplication, time, cost and administrative burden.
This is an issue UKFT members frequently raise. Businesses across the fashion and textile sector continue to face increasing audit requests, overlapping customer requirements, and growing pressure around supply chain transparency and due diligence. By becoming an SLCP signatory, UKFT is able to represent and support member voices within these wider industry discussions and contribute towards more aligned and effective approaches to social compliance.
SLCP’s framework combines:
- A standardised data collection tool for social and labour information
- A robust verification methodology to ensure credibility
- A data-sharing system allowing verified information to be used across multiple stakeholders
Collectively, this allows businesses and facilities to spend less time on repetitive audits and more time driving meaningful improvements for workers.
As a signatory, UKFT joins a broad coalition of brands, retailers, manufacturers, audit firms, consultancies, civil society organisations, industry associations, governments and multi-stakeholder initiatives all contributing to the future development of the programme.
Importantly, SLCP is owned and governed by its signatories. Signatories actively contribute to the strategic direction of the initiative through voting rights, Technical Advisory Committees and wider industry collaboration. This provides UKFT with an opportunity to engage directly in conversations shaping the future of social compliance and supply chain due diligence.
UKFT looks forward to engaging further with SLCP and supporting members in understanding evolving approaches to social and labour data, audit convergence and responsible sourcing practices.
