For the Business of Apparel Decorating
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8 || P R I N T W E A R S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 Business Watch SanMar Joins Sustainable Apparel Coalition ISSAQUAH, Wash.— SanMar joins the Sustainable Apparel Coali- tion (SAC). The organization says it will use the coalition's measure- ment tool, the Higg Index, to drive environmental and social respon- sibility through its global supply chain. "The goals of the SAC align closely with our SanMar Family Values and our commit- ment to ethically and responsibly sourced products around the world," says Jeremy Lott, president of SanMar. "We hope to learn from SAC member companies while serving as an example for how industries can collaborate to make a positive impact on the international supply chain." As part of the SAC, SanMar joins more than 195 organizations focused on improving supply chain sustainability in the apparel, footwear, and textile industries. Other members of the SAC include brands, retailers, manufacturers, government organizations, non-profit foundations, and academic institutions. SanMar says it plans to contribute data and resources to the SAC's Higg Index, an open- source, indicator-based tool that allows organizations to evaluate materials, products, fa- cilities, and processes based on environmental choices. The index measures sustainability performance and drives supply chain transparency. Howard Custom Transfers Opens New Manufacturing Facility ELGIN, Ill.—Howard Custom Transfers moves to a new location and changes its name from Howard Sportswear Graphics Express. The company remains headquartered in Elgin, Illinois, with the new facility situated less than one mile from the original location. Original management and ownership is still in place. The new building features a production shop as well as an office area and boasts 25,000 square feet of space. With the location, the company says it hopes to improve turnaround time for customers and streamline workflow efficiencies. "This is a very exciting time for us," states Jody Mazade, marketing coordinator for How- ard. "Having started Howard in a one car garage with only a few employees, this new facil- ity is very special to everyone—a sign of all the hard work and dedication to providing the custom heat transfer industry with quality products and superior service." The company currently employs 50 full-time workers, including the recent addition of a new production artist and three shop employees. The new facility is located at 1925 Holmes Road #400, Elgin, Illinois. California Provides $3 Million for American Apparel Employee Retraining SACRAMENTO, Calif.—The California Employment Develop- ment Department (EDD) awards $3 million to the Economic and Workforce Development Depart- ment of Los Angeles to retrain 600 former American Apparel employ- ees. The workers lost their jobs at the Los Angeles facility earlier this year after the company closed its doors on the location as part of an acquisition by Gildan. "These funds will help those workers who lost jobs rebuild their skills and find long-term employ- ment in growing industries," states Patrick W. Henning, EDD direc- tor. The retraining services offered by the agencies include vocational training, computer skills training, and English language proficiency classes. The EDD also states that it is working in conjunction with Los Angeles workforce agencies and the area's unified school dis- trict to "provide comprehensive services that will address the specif- ic needs of the displaced workers." The EDD program is the latest in a series of efforts by the state to retrain the former American Apparel employees. In June of 2017, the U.S. Department of Labor's Trade Adjustment Assis- tance (TAA) program announced it would disperse funds to em- ployment centers in California neighborhoods where many of the former workers currently live.