ABSTRACT
The Sri Lankan apparel industry prides itself as a destination where clothing is ethically produced and where workers are treated well with respect for labour standards. An industry-wide initiative touting Sri Lanka’s ethical record assures its international buyers and retailers of its ethical credentials: the focus of its labelling exercise is denoted as ‘garments without guilt’. It is an enterprise independent of the global governance initiatives, which tend to stem from the global North. Global governance codes are increasingly a cornerstone of retailer corporate social responsibility agendas and multi-stakeholder initiatives – such as the Fair Labour Association (FLA), Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), etc. Sri Lankan apparel producers have adopted a successful strategy that has been intent on capturing the retailer and buyer imaginary of Sri Lanka’s niche production capacities and capabilities – ethical production.
