Shahi Exports first Indian cotton mill to receive YESS assessment

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 25, 2023

Cotton manufacturing business Shahi Exports has partnered with the Responsible Sourcing Network. The business is the first Indian cotton mill to undergo a Yarn Ethically & Sustainably Sourced assessment as part of its commitment to ethical business practices.

“This joint effort represents a significant milestone in the pursuit of responsible and transparent cotton supply chains,” said the Responsible Sourcing Network’s CEO Patricia Jurewicz in a press release on May 25. “As we expand conducting assessments in India later this year, we invite industry members to join this collective advancement and have their mills trained and assessed.”
 
The partnership represents a commitment to building a transparent and forced labor-free supply chain for cotton, according to Shahi Exports. The YESS standard was presented at a workshop in Bengaluru on May 2 which was attended my numerous industry names. The workshop focused on the importance of due diligence and YESS conducted its initial independent assessments in India at Shahi Exports’ knitting and spinning facilities in Shivamogga following the workshop. 

“As India's largest apparel manufacturer and exporter, Shahi is committed to producing goods using ethical, fair, and sustainable practices,” said Shahi Exports’ head of organisational development Anant Ahuja. “We are thrilled to embark on this journey and align ourselves with global standards of due diligence. We recognise that efforts towards traceability require industry collaboration, and we are confident that YESS will provide valuable support in achieving this goal.”