The fashion industry’s anti-illegal recruitment protocol has arrived. Following a year of dialogue, on Monday 26th May, the “Memorandum of understanding for the legality of procurement contracts in the fashion production supply chains” was signed at the Prefecture offices in Milan. The agreement aims to support the development of the fashion sector by promoting principles of legality, fairness, and transparency. Below are comments from the associations that signed the protocol.
The anti–illegal recruitment protocol
In light of investigations by the Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office into the fashion supply chain, the Milan Prefecture recognised the need to draft a protocol including actions and tools capable of ensuring legality in the fashion sector. To date, these investigations have involved the brands Alviero Martini SpA, Dior, Armani, and, more recently, Valentino. The agreement seeks to improve working conditions and prevent exploitation, tax and social security evasion, and other illegal practices along the production chain.
What the protocol provides
The document sets out a “dual-track” system. On one hand, a digital supply chain platform will be developed for manufacturing companies to upload detailed information on business structures, employed labour, and production phases. On the other hand, brands will have access to a “green list” generated by the system—an index of companies registered on the platform, demonstrating transparency in their supply chains. To encourage participation, the protocol also includes incentives for compliant operators, including a “Certificate of transparency in the fashion sector” and access to regional benefits provided by Lombardy.
Key stakeholders
Signatories of the agreement include the Prefecture, the Lombardy Region, the Court of Milan, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Preventive Measures Section of the Prosecutor’s Office, and the Carabinieri. Also supporting the agreement are the Milan Metropolitan Area Inspectorate, the Polytechnic University of Milan, representatives from the main industry associations in the fashion sector, and confederated trade unions, according to the Ministry of the Interior’s website.
Giovanna Ceolini’s remarks
“We are signing this protocol with the belief that we represent a sound industry committed to legality — an industry working to create both economic and social value”, commented Giovanna Ceolini, President of Confindustria Accessori Moda. She continued: “Legality also means training the new workforce needed to fulfil orders. Companies must be able to rely on skilled labour that is fairly paid. We have been, and will continue to be, part of the Prefecture’s Working Group to consolidate the virtuous model that makes ‘Made in Italy’ great across the globe. This signature marks the beginning of a path that must benefit our supply chain”.
A model to be scaled nationally
According to Luca Sburlati, President of Confindustria Moda: “Although this agreement has been defined on a local level, its scope clearly extends nationally. This is due both to the nationwide representation of many of the signatories and to the specific nature of fashion supply chains, which are not confined by regional boundaries”. Sburlati believes the protocol should be extended “at least to a national level”.
CNMI’s considerations
Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI – National Chamber for Italian Fashion) expressed some reservations, stating that there are “key points that need to be implemented differently when applied to avoid adverse effects on businesses and the supply chain”, according to a statement. “In particular, CNMI maintains reservations regarding the need to protect brand and client confidentiality and intellectual property, as well as the disclosure of related data and information”.
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