Ethical Clothing Australia (ECA) is an accreditation body. We work collaboratively with local textile, clothing and footwear (TCF) businesses to protect and uphold the rights of Australian garment workers. To be ECA accredited, a business’s manufacturing operations are audited including head office(s), any in-house manufacturing operations and all outsourced locations in Australia to ensure that local TCF workers, including outworkers, are being paid appropriately, receiving all their legal entitlements and working in safe conditions. ECA’s audit covers workers in design, pattern making, cut, make, trim, value-adding, dispatch and associated area and outworkers throughout the supply chain.
Our accreditation program maps a business’s Australian supply chain from design to dispatch including initial design, pattern making, cut, make, trim and all value adding services. This crucial work is done via annual compliance audits conducted by the TCF Union team. The program encourages companies to view supply chain management as a fundamental part of the business.
We protect the rights of both local factory-based workers and outworkers (also known as homeworkers). Outworkers are particularly vulnerable in the TCF industry as they often work in isolation, facing unrealistic deadlines, long hours, irregular work and occupational health and safety issues. These workers can have a lack of awareness of their legal rights and entitlements and can have a powerlessness to speak out about problems in fear of losing work altogether.
