CCC Reference Guide on Code Implementation & Verification
Section 3. MSI's and other overseeing mechanisms

Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP)

The Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP) initiative certifies individual workplace facilities. It was officially launched in 2000. The organisation describes itself as "an independent, non-profit corporation dedicated to the promotion and certification of lawful, human and ethical manufacturing throughout the world". According to WRAP, over 700 international manufacturers with more than 1,500 factories participate in the program, while 775 factories in over 85 countries have been certified. WRAP also claims that "the WRAP certification is recognized by retailers and manufacturers all over the world as the most reliable and economically efficient factory-based compliance system within the sewn-product industry." However, the initiative has received heavy criticism by unions and NGOs from the early beginning, who argue that WRAP was "set up as an industry-dominated project to avoid outside, legitimate monitoring".

For an overview and assessment of WRAP see:
http://www.cleanclothes.org/codes/monitoring/reports/Utting-Multistakeholder.pdf

For more information see: www.wrapapparel.org or www.maquilasolidarity.org .

Relevant resource:

• Looking for a quick fix
  How weak social auditing is keeping workers in sweatshops
  Clean Clothes Campaign, Nov 2005

Available Resources

• March 2003, Clean Clothes Campaign letter to WRAP concerning a.o. the Gina Form case in Thailand, send on behalf also of the ILRF, UNITE, Global Exchange and CLR.
• nov 2002, Are Apparel Manufacturers Getting a Bad WRAP? - Maquila Solidarity Network.
• Aug 2001, How Responsible Is WRAP? - Maquila Solidarity Network.
• April 2000, Critique of the Worldwide Responsible Apparel Production (WRAP) Program - Maquila Solidarity Network.