Fear of Speaking Out Keeps Denim Suppliers Silent on Unethical Brand Practices in Supply Chains

The Transparency Tool (TTT) you launched aims to equip suppliers and brands with raw data on environmental impact and traceability. What have been the most surprising insights so far – and how has adoption been across different tiers of the supply chain?
Andrew Olah: TTT has not left the development phase—sadly. This is a very long story which I cannot describe in this space. The idea lives, like human rights, but we have not been able to activate what is the right thing to do.

Your supplier facing “calls to action” encourage mills to join working groups, endorse ethical purchasing principles, and demand a seat at policy tables. How do you mobilise suppliers to act collectively—especially against buyers who dominate the value chain?
Andrew Olah: That’s a challenge, for sure. We try our best. We reach out to all the players in the denim supply chain and talk to them regularly about issues that need their support. Collective support for “difficult” issues like “ethical purchasing practices” is obtained but only privately. Suppliers are scared of the brands knowing what they think; so, they smile at the brands, invite them for lunch, and then tell us what they think of their behaviour, and we have more than 50 of these kinds of reactions—private concerns, and public smiles out of fear. That itself shows how unethical our industry is. People are frightened to tell the truth.

Transformers Foundation runs several educational programmes—Transformers ED, The Truth Series, conference panels and more. How do you tailor these formats so that suppliers, brands and civil society each engage effectively without meetings just becoming echo chambers?
Andrew Olah: I always like the image of U2 playing at the Wembley Stadium with a sold out “deaf” audience. Again, not to sound trite or frivolous, we do our best to educate with the budget we have. We are an NGO that operates on a shoestring budget. We have in the past tried all sorts of formats, but in the end we realise that our audience for education is mostly students and industry people who care about learning. Those who want to learn enjoy what we do, those that don’t will not.

Your deep dive reports, such as those on cotton misinformation and climate strategy, frequently elevate supplier voices. What methods do you use to ensure supplier experiences are authentically represented—and not just anecdotal case studies?
Andrew Olah: Our writers interview many different suppliers. There is an extensive interview process and we fact check all our reports.

The Foundation’s message often frames sustainability as an issue of shared risk and profit across the industry, arguing that suppliers should not shoulder the burden alone. How do you engage global buyers and financial institutions to contribute equitably?
Andrew Olah: This question raises the issue not just for the denim industry but all industries in the fashion world. While Coca Cola or Apple participate in the production, our industry orders suppliers to meet standards and at the same time ask for cheaper and cheaper prices. Our industry has too many suppliers, too much noise, and little support for capital investment from buyers. From their point of view, their support is (in the form of) the orders themselves.