Eileen Fisher Inc. – Fashion Supply Chain Management Transparency

In 2014 a global movement started #whomademyclothes.

Fashion Revolution  is a not for profit Community Interest Company based out of the U.K.. Since 2014 it has held an annual social media campaign #whomademyclothes in April, on the anniversary of the devastating 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in which 1,134 people were killed. The social media campaign calls on clothing brands to take responsibility and demonstrate transparency for their supply chain management.

Social media has enabled a global conversation on platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for socially conscious consumers who are actively seeking out sustainable fashion and the demand for transparency.

Eileen Fisher Inc. is a clothing brand that is managing their supply chain.

Eileen Fisher Inc. is an international womens clothing brand, known for its simple beautiful clothes and ethical business practices.

“To create a truly responsible supply chain, we need to scrutinize everything we do, from the field to the factory to the landfill,” said Candice Reffe, Co-Creative Officer at EILEEN FISHER. “We need to take a hard look at what’s often swept under the rug — toxins, carbon emissions and low worker pay, to name a few. It won’t be easy. We’ll need the help of our customers, our manufacturing partners, and like-minded brands. And we’ll do it with two simple words: No excuses.” – Candice Reffe, Co-Creative Officer at EILEEN FISHER Inc., quoted in “EILEEN FISHER Says ‘No Excuses’ in Drive Towards 100% Sustainability by 2020”

Megan Meiklejohn is the Supply Chain Transparency Specialist for Eileen Fisher Inc., she verifies and tracks the clothes from field to factory, researching and analyzing all aspects within the supply chain by performing verification and ensuring the integrity in claims. According to an article by Hannah Ritchie, in order to maintain supply chain transparency the global supply chain was mapped, suppliers, factories, spinners and mills investigated to ensure acceptable sourcing and working standards, as well as, updates posted on social media platforms to ensure consumers are well informed.

“As part of this commitment, we need to know where all our wood-based cellulosic fabrics, such as viscose, rayon, lyocell, and modal are manufactured and from where the wood is sourced. Our direct relationship is typically with the fabric mill, not the fiber manufacturer. Therefore the fabric mills need to ask the yarn spinners from whom they have purchased fiber, and the fiber manufacturers need to disclose where they have purchased wood or wood pulp. This is a fairly deep supply chain question and the answer relies on our supplier’s supplier to respond, who may not readily disclose this information. This is an example of where we need to educate the entire supply chain about an industry initiative and the importance of knowing the whole supply chain, in this case from forest to garment.” – Megan Meiklejohn, Supply Chain Transparency Specialist at Eileen Fisher Inc., quoted in “Meet Megan Meiklejohn, Eileen Fisher’s Supply Chain Transparency Specialist”

In order to map the global supply chain Eileen Fisher Inc. enlisted Sourcemap Inc., a company that provides data collection and supply chain mapping software platform that helps companies trace the source of products and master the operational, social, and environmental risks every step of the way. Providing an amazing visual of the supply chain. In an article on zoesfashionfix.com one example of the benefit of supply chain management is that it enables Eileen Fisher Inc to track wool purchased by wool networks directly back to the farms supplying the wool, as it carries chain of custody documentation to the yarn mill.

“EILEEN FISHER has well established relationships with garment producers as well as fabric and yarn mills. We use the same garment factories season after season and some have been producing for EF for almost 20 years. For the most part our suppliers are on board and want to help us achieve complete transparency into our supply chains.” – Megan Meiklejohn, Supply Chain Transparency Specialist at Eileen Fisher Inc., quoted in “Meet Megan Meiklejohn, Eileen Fisher’s Supply Chain Transparency Specialist”

 

Lessons for Others

In order for social media in supply chain management to be successful, organizations must fully integrate their strategy, ensure transparency and develop engagement within the entire supply chain.

From a bottom line perspective there are significant gains to all within the supply chain when all organizations and end users work together.

 

If you have concerns as to the accuracy of anything posted on this site, please send your concerns to Peter Carr, Program Director, Social Media for Business Performance.

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