The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region has implemented the world’s first textile and garment industry service standards to ensure that regional suppliers are providing the best service and highest-quality clothing in an increasingly competitive environment.
Compliance with the standards will form the basis for membership in the Source ASEAN Full Service Alliance (SAFSA), which creates “virtual vertical factories” (VVFs) to cater to international garment buyers. The ASEAN Federation of Textile Industries (AFTEX) and SGS, the world’s largest independent inspection, verification, testing and certification company company, will review 19 new SAFSA Quality Service Standards (QSS) to ensure that VVFs are producing superior-quality garments.
“This is an important step for the SAFSA program. Audited minimum standards will lend credibility and help position ASEAN as a leader in full-service.” – Expressed by Mr. Van Sou Ieng, Chairman, AFTEX.
SAFSA is based on the premise that garment factories must offer retailers and importers integrated services – including fabric sourcing, pattern making, sample making, and logistics – in addition to the manufacture of garments. All these services are available within ASEAN, but they are seldom integrated in a single company or country. The VVF concept offers the combined services of textile mills and garment factories to provide a full range of services to customers.
“The SAFSA Quality Service Standards are the first to be established for the textile and apparel sector anywhere.” Denoted by Mr. Spencer Yeung, Vice President of Global Softlines and Managing Director of SGS Hong Kong, SGS Group.
The ASEAN Competitiveness Enhancement (ACE) project, managed by Nathan Associates under a contract with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), developed the quality standards program in consultation with international buyers and ASEAN suppliers.
During its inaugural meeting last December in Thailand, the SAFSA Executive Committee adopted the 19 SAFSA standards. The ACE project subsequently brokered an agreement between AFTEX and the Hong Kong-based subsidiary of SGS Group to create a regional SAFSA QSS certification program.
SGS’s audit checklist is based on the SAFSA Services Manual developed by ACE to help prospective SAFSA VVFs prepare for an audit. The manual details the standards, which run from a textile mill being able to interact with designers to a garment factory being able to provide export credits.
The ACE project has been working with AFTEX since 2010 to enhance the competitiveness and integration of ASEAN’s textile and apparel supply chain, one of the priority sectors in the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint.
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