University of Reading signs up to ethical procurement
Release Date 04 March 2013
The University of Reading has marked its commitment to ethical procurement and the protection of the rights of textile workers by affiliating to the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC), an organisation campaigning to combat sweatshops.
As an affiliate of WRC, the University commits to ensuring that its staff uniforms are only sourced from suppliers who can guarantee they are not made in sweatshops. The clothing ranges cover staff working in areas such as catering, grounds or maintenance, as well as lab coats.
The agreement is in keeping with the University's wider Fairtrade policy, which aims to sell Fairtrade products on campus. David Savage, Chief Operating Officer of the University of Reading, said; "The University is pleased to have affiliated to the Workers' Rights Consortium and is proud of its commitment to ethical procurement."
Angus Ferraro, Treasurer of the University of Reading's People and Planet Society, said; "The University of Reading is now one of the leading universities in the UK in terms of its ethical procurement policy. We are looking forward to working with the University in future to help it use its buying power to improve the working conditions in factories around the world."
The WRC is an organisation which aims to combat sweatshops and protect the rights of workers who make apparel and other products, by conducting investigations of working conditions in factories around the globe.
More information on the WRC and what affiliation means for the University can be found at http://www.workersrights.org/
ENDS
Further information from University of Reading Press Office on 0118 378 7495 /8004
Notes to editors:
An image of University staff in their ethically sourced uniforms is available. Caption: ‘the University's Catering and Grounds staff wearing their ethically procured clothing.'
The University of Reading assign great importance to the University's role within the international community and therefore commit to supporting, using and promoting Fairtrade.