Home featured Featured Industry News Featured Kathmandu’s CSR Manager on combatting modern slavery in retail Gali Blacher June 28, 2018 Kathmandu has recently become the first brand in the southern hemisphere to receive accreditation from the Fair Labor Association (FLA). The Kiwi-founded travel and adventure brand, will join the ranks of Patagonia, Columbia and Nike in a commitment to enhance freedom and human rights in garment production across the globe. Kathmandu looks towards global best practice to meet the FLA’s rigorous third-party verifications. The news comes as more countries are moving closer to combating slavery with the Australian Government committing to legislating a Modern Slavery Act by the end of the year, requiring companies to publish details of the systems they have in place to mitigate the risk of forced labour. Dynamic Business had a chat to Gary Shaw, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager at Kathmandu about being the first brand in the southern hemisphere to achieve FLA accreditation and the importance of fair labour in the retail sector. DB: Tell us about becoming the first brand in the southern hemisphere to achieve FLA accreditation and why more Australian brands need to get on board? GS: Becoming the first brand in the southern hemisphere to receive accreditation from the Fair Labor Association (FLA) comes as the result of years of promoting and complying with international labour standards throughout our supply chain. The modern consumer wants confidence that the brands they wear on their backs are doing their best to protect workers