November 23, 1999 Press Release

SAIPAN — The National Retail Federation, an organization representing more than 1.4 million US retail establishments, is using the Saipan Garment Manufacturers Association as an international model for socially responsible factories. On its internet web site, NRF recently added a section which mentions SGMA prominently in the section regarding suppliers and labor standards, as well as on the site’s home page.

The web site, which can be found at www.sweatshops-retail.org, describes the high standards of NRF and what retailers are doing to make certain they don’t buy from sweatshops. The site links to SGMA’s own web site at www.sgma-saipan.org, its Code of Conduct page on the site, and states, "…the SGMA experience shows how suppliers can work with retailers, non-governmental organizations and the government to improve labor standards compliance. The SGMA effort represents one industry-wide attempt by suppliers to work together to improve the treatment of workers throughout an entire industry."

The National Retail Federation is the world’s largest retail trade association with membership that comprise all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalogue, internet and independent stores. NRF members employ more than 20 million people or about 1 in 5 American workers. NRF’s international members operate stores in more than 50 countries. In its role as the retail industry’s umbrella group, NRF also represents 32 national and 50 state associations in the U.S. as well as 36 international associations representing retailers abroad.

"We are so pleased that such a large and important organization as the NRF is recognizing the work that SGMA is doing to improve our garment industry and is now even using us as a model internationally," said SGMA Executive Director Richard A. Pierce. "We simply could not ask for a better acknowledgement of the substantial progress that has been made by our 32 member factories here on Saipan."