Recommended reading
Key challenges in ethical trade: report on the ETI biennial conference 2003
What are the most pressing issues faced by ethical trade?
Authors:
; Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)
Publisher:
Ethical Trading Initiative, UK, 2003
This report presents the key issues and debates that arose at the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) biennial conference held in London in May 2003.
Key issues include:
- increased participation of workers in code implementation: the rhetoric of labour codes is about improving conditions for workers, but the very same workers have been largely absent as actors on the labour codes stage
- greater emphasis on promoting freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining: worker education and involving workers in audits and other aspects of code implementation are all important steps, but ultimately workers need to be able to act collectively if they are to be effective at bringing about change
- reviewing purchasing practices: although nearly all social and/or environmental codes of practice adopted by sourcing companies place responsibility on the company’s suppliers to improve labour and other conditions, few of them require the sourcing company to take responsibility for improving the way they do business with their suppliers, that is, their purchasing practices
- the benefits of code implementation usually do not reach informal workers, that is those members of the workforce who lack a formal, legally-recognised employment relationship
- there is a need to review and improve current auditing procedures, including improving the quality of existing auditing methods, cutting down on duplication of audits, reducing and sharing out costs, and moving away from a compliance-based approach
- a more robust business case for ethical trade is required in order to convince many suppliers and sourcing companies to take the plunge
- codes should be used as a tool to support, not replace, the adoption and enforcement of appropriate labour legislation
- where is the concerned consumer?: consumers are not sufficiently aware of labour issues and there is a need for increased media coverage and company reporting of labour issues.
[adapted from author]
