The OAR is free to use for businesses to update and standardize facility names against the database, check affiliations of current and prospective facilities, and find credentials of potential suppliers.
We got the chance to pick Natalie’s brain on her expertise in business development, innovation, and operations in emerging, developing markets.
1. What first got you involved in this sector?
In 2013, I was working for Acumen, a global nonprofit investment firm. I was sent to work at one of their investments in Uganda, an organic agricultural company. They trained and bought cotton from farmers and ginned it, improving the livelihoods of farmers - growing organic cotton was good for the environment and the communities and offered them a price premium. I was surprised by two things in my time there: to learn there weren’t more organizations using this sustainable business model and that consumers weren’t even close to having the information they needed to know that organizations like this exist. That the cotton in their shirt was grown in such a positive, sustainable, and immensely beneficial way in these communities. It made me really start to think about how information was (and wasn’t) exchanged in the apparel sector. And then the horrific Rana Plaza factory collapse happened, and I realized on top of the lack of transparency that existed about organizations doing good work, I didn’t even know if the shirt on my back had been made in Rana Plaza. Information in the sector wasn’t connecting in a very fundamental way. I’ve been working in this sector ever since.
2. What is the organisation's/company’s vision for sustainability?
At its heart, the OAR exists to drive improvements in data quality for the benefit of all stakeholders in the apparel sector. We’ve begun with a razorlike focus on two key data points: facility name and address. At a basic level, if there’s no shared understanding of where garments are being made, how can there be any sense of the environmental or social conditions at those facilities? Our ultimate vision is that every apparel facility globally will be mapped and the industry can make use of its OAR ID, as an open id for all stakeholders to share information and collaborate across systems. You can already see an example of that in how WWF is using the OAR: "The Open Apparel Registry has helped us advance our strategies in a variety of ways - from allowing us to pinpoint potential brand partners affiliated with facilities in priority conservation geographies, to giving us a view of the distribution of apparel production zones around the world." - Payal Luthra, Global Apparel and Textiles lead, WWF
3. What has been, in your opinion, the company’s biggest achievement to date?
We’re proud of the community that we’ve built around the Open Apparel Registry and the speed with which people began to make use of our data to improve conditions for those working in apparel supply chains. We’re fortunate that our engaged and supportive community shares stories with us of how the tool is making a difference in their daily work. The benefits vary enormously depending on what role an organization has within the sector, but the way we organize and present data on the OAR ultimately improves the lives of some of the most vulnerable workers in global supply chains.
A recent example is how our data has been used during the COVID-19 pandemic by WageIndicator. By cross-checking against OAR Contributor data for the facilities surveyed in WageIndicator's COVID-19 Impact Survey, the organization was able to work on comparative studies looking at whether facilities that produce for global brands have changed conditions during the pandemic. By working with WageIndicator using OAR data, trade unions in 42 different factories were able to advocate for the rights of workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
4. Where do you see the company in 5 years?
Ultimately, we aim to see every apparel facility globally – including subcontractors – mapped in the OAR, each allocated its own ID. Our goal is for the OAR ID to be used as the “central source of truth” in the industry which, in turn, will enable collaboration and facilitate supply chain improvements. Beyond that, we’re excited about the possibilities for trend analysis looking at how supply chains change over time and what other datasets could be incorporated into the tool, including environmental data and more. Other industries are interested in our approach, too.
5. How has the OAR improved the quality of data?
The database of searchable facilities in the Open Apparel Registry (OAR) is compiled from lists submitted by contributors. The application uses statistical text analysis to compare newly submitted items to the existing list of facilities in an attempt to automatically match highly similar items. This means that organizations can use the OAR as a means to clean their data. When they contribute to the OAR, it runs through the algorithm and gives them a unique OAR ID for each of their facilities, which they can then use to more efficiently manage and track their suppliers."