Audience:
Open industry. All apparel and footwear industry professionals, regardless of AAFA membership, are encouraged to participate.
Description:
Modern slavery remains one of the most urgent challenges for global businesses today. As supply chains grow in scale and complexity, organizations face increasing pressure from regulators, customers, and stakeholders to identify and address risks to vulnerable workers. Understanding these risks and responding effectively is essential to protect workers, support communities, and maintain resilient and responsible operations.
In this webinar, we’ll cover how modern slavery regulations, including the Modern Slavery Acts, intersect with global sustainability requirements, and why modern slavery risks should be included in an organization's overall risk assessment rather than treated separately.
BSI Consulting experts with decades of social audit experience will share how modern slavery risks have changed over the years, and how a company's response to current regulations can help strengthen supply chain resilience. We’ll also explore the conditions of those most affected — vulnerable workers, including migrant laborers — and the consequences of failing to address these risks.
Attendees of this webinar will learn:
- How modern slavery presents a significant business risk.
- To simplify the global regulatory landscape around modern slavery and human rights risk.
- To center the plight of vulnerable workers in a changing business climate.
Speakers:
Kimberly Rodriguez
Consultant, Sustainable Supply Chain
BSI Consulting
Kimberly Rodriguez leads the development and execution of sustainable supply chain programs for companies across multiple industries, including apparel and footwear, hi-tech, and retail, as well as within the non-profit sector. She executes supplier improvement and engagement programs that focus on capacity building for clients and suppliers, leads trainings on current and upcoming sustainability-focused regulatory disclosure requirements and conducts current state analyses of clients’ procurement and supplier risk mapping programs.
Kimberly is also the recipient of the 2024 Women in Supply Chain Award by Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive in the Rising Stars category. This award honors Kimberly’s remarkable contributions through her mentorship, self-advocacy, and collaboration.
Che Choi
Senior Consultant, Sustainable Supply Chain
BSI Consulting
Che brings decades of expertise in corporate social responsibility, assisting international organizations in developing and managing CSR programs. His work includes creating codes of conduct, audit programs, training sessions, continuous improvement initiatives, risk analyses, strategies, and CSR data management.
With experience auditing over 1,000 businesses across 30+ countries, Che was among the first industry auditors focused on improving practices in labor, health and safety, environmental, and CTPAT areas. His high-profile work includes investigations into factory closures and supporting a major US shoe manufacturer in responsible business closure.
AAFA Host:
Conor O'Brien
Senior Vice President, Policy
AAFA
Conor O'Brien joined AAFA's policy team in 2024 as its Sustainability Policy Coordinator after completing his Masters in Environmental Science and Policy from Columbia University. Prior to joining AAFA, Conor worked for several years with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Boston, where he engaged with RCRA compliance, state coordination, climate adaptation planning, and environmental justice application. Initially trained as a chemist at Princeton University, Conor combines scientific research with policy analysis and application to provide holistic approaches to sustainable resource usage in pursuit of a more circular economy. Conor supports the work of the AAFA Environmental Committee and AAFA Product Safety Council by engaging with public and private stakeholders on issues of sustainability, product safety, and chemical management germane to the apparel and footwear industry.
Unable to join on October 29?
Register for the webinar to receive an email containing the direct links to access the recording and the PDF version of the presentation. The email will be sent 1-3 business days after the webinar.
CONTACT | QUESTIONS
Stephanie Paendong