CSR Guidance: AAFA Heat Stress Toolkit

As extreme heat events become more frequent and persistent, protecting workers from heat stress is an increasingly important operational priority for our industry. The below five-part toolkit builds on AAFA’s Guide to Protecting Workers from Heat Stress: Download the open-industry guidance [PDF] (Version 2.0, April 2026)

This toolkit is open to all industry stakeholders for widespread sharing of best practices and is designed to be practical, accessible, and grounded in operational reality. It is not an audit protocol or another compliance standard, but a framework for manufacturers to develop facility-level heat stress plans. For brands, it helps them establish their own heat stress management processes while avoiding duplication. 

The AAFA Heat Guidance Working Group—consisting of brands, manufacturers, and worker-advocacy groups—developed the Brand Implementation Guidelines and Supplier Survey. Meanwhile, the Fashion Producer Collective (FPC) developed the manufacturer-specific guidelines and workbook, with support from the Heat Guidance Working Group. Special thank you to additional key contributing authors:  Elevate Textiles, Inc., Epic Group, Shahi Exports, and YKK Corporation, with additional review support from Crescent Bahuman Ltd, MAS Capital (Pvt) Ltd., TAL Apparel, Yee Chain International., and the Vaada Hope Foundation. 

 The AAFA Heat Stress Toolkit is built around five principles that put shared risk and responsibility at the center of the approach, recognizing that managing heat stress requires more than asking manufacturers to collect more data, go through another audit, or absorb the cost of investment. 

  • Protecting workers. The goal is to identify and address heat stress early, with facilities retaining the flexibility to choose controls that fit their context rather than using the toolkit as an audit or verification protocol. 

  • Measuring to act. Data should be used to trigger protection and target investment, while remaining with the facility and avoiding unnecessary or duplicative reporting requests. 

  • Sharing risk and financial responsibility. Brands and manufacturers should share responsibility for the investments and potential disruption involved in building resilience, creating the commercial conditions needed to protect workers. 

  • Prioritizing context over prescription. Heat stress management needs to reflect the operational, financial, technical and local realities of each facility; there is no one-size-fits-all solution. 

  • Making communication two-way. Brands and manufacturers should work together to plan for heat stress, communicate expectations and investment needs early, and address potential impacts on production before they become crises. 

Access the AAFA Heat Stress Toolkit