Study of A Proposal (and its alternatives) to Amend the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations: Applying the Conference Board’s Optimal Policy Mix Framework

Appendix A: Apparel-related Fair Labour Standard Resources

Print References

Birnbaum, David, Birnbaum’s Global Guide to Winning the Great Garment War (Hong Kong: Third Horizon Press, 2000).

Yachnin, Ron, et al., The Optimal Policy Mix: Matching Ends and Means in Environmental Policy Making (Ottawa, The Conference Board of Canada, 2000).

Web References

(Please note that the following descriptions and Internet addresses are accurate as at 28 January 2003.)
The Ethical Trading Action Group (ETAG)

ETAG includes the Canadian Council for International Co-operation (CCIC), Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Labour Behind the Label Coalition, Steelworkers Humanity Fund, Ten Days for Global Justice, Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees (UNITE). The Maquila Solidarity Network acts as the ETAG secretariat. (www.maquilasolidarity.org)

Retail Council of Canada’s Responsible Trading Guidelines

This site provides a wide range of information, including responsible trading guidelines in its archive section. (www.retailcouncil.org)

Canadian Apparel Federation

This site provides labour-related information. (www.apparel.ca)

Supporting European Initiatives on Monitoring and Verification of Codes of Conduct in the Garment and Sportswear Industries (SOMO)

The resource list contains documents on multi-stakeholder initiatives concerning this project as well as audit reports, discussion papers, and reports on labour standards. For a look at national initiatives, use (www.somo.nl/monitoring/project/fo-character.htm). For a look at the SOMO resource list, use (www.somo.nl/monitoring/resource.htm#sw).

The Workers' Rights Consortium (WRC)

The WRC is a non-profit organization created by college and university students, administrators, and independent labor rights experts to help enforce manufacturing codes of conduct adopted by colleges and universities. These codes are designed to ensure that factories that produce goods bearing college and university logos respect the basic rights of workers. The site reports the initiative grew out of the anti-sweatshop campaigns of the United Students Against Sweatshops in the United States. It is an alternative to the Fair Labor Association's brand certification program. The WRC does not certify brands or factories as being in compliance with the WRC Code or the codes of conduct of its member universities. It investigates factories independently and in response to worker or third-party complaints. The WRC does not accredit external monitoring groups or social auditing firms to carry out the investigations. There are more than 90 colleges and universities affiliated with the WRC. In the United States, the manufacture of university licensed apparel products is a $2.5 billion business. (www.workersrights.org)

The Fair Labor Association (FLA)

The FLA is a non-profit organization combining the efforts of industry, non-government organizations (NGOs), colleges, and universities to promote adherence to international labor standards and improve working conditions worldwide. The FLA was established as an independent monitoring system that holds its participating companies accountable for the conditions under which their products are produced. To advance fair, decent, and humane working conditions, the FLA enforces an industry-wide Workplace Code of Conduct, which is based on the core labor standards of the International Labour Organization (ILO). (www.fairlabor.org)

Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI)

The ETI describes itself as an alliance of companies, NGOs, and trade union organizations committed to working together to identify and promote ethical trade—good practices in the implementation of a code of conduct for good labour standards, including the monitoring and independent verification of the observance of ethics code provisions as standards for ethical sourcing. Membersare committed to business ethics and corporate responsibility, and promotion of worker rights and human rights in general. In employment, ethical business includes working towards the ending of child labour, forced labour, and sweatshops, as well as looking at health and safety, labour conditions, and labour rights. (www.ethicaltrade.org)

Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC)

The CCC is a coalition of trade unions and NGOs, including development, consumers, solidarity, and fair trade organizations. It is active in 11 European countries and embraces nearly 300 organizations. (http://www.cleanclothes.org/)

As of January 2003, the CCC web site describes the work of its subsidiaries in 13 European countries. Selected countries are highlighted here::

• Germany: The CCC here is discussing a pilot with Adidas, and Puma, and is taking part in the German Roundtable concerning the GTA pilot in India. It has entered into talks with Europe’s largest retailer, Karstadt Quelle. (www.saubere-kleidung.de)
• Spain: This CCC has begun to cooperate with Spain’s major retailer, Mango and Burberry, about its Moroccan suppliers. (http://www.ropalimpia.org)
• France: This CCC, Ethique sur L’Etiquette, has a cooperative relationship with Auchan, France’s second-largest retailer and is taking part in a new pilot in China. It includes some 60 NGOs and trade unions. (www.ethique-sur-etiquette.org)
• Switzerland: This CCC project includes retailers, Migros, Mabrouc, and Charles Veillon, as well as NGOs Bread for All, Berne Declaration, and Catholic Lentenfund. (http://www.cleanclothes.ch)
• Sweden: This CCC is involved in started a campaign targeting clothing retailers Hennes & Mauritz, Kapp-Ahl, Lindex, and Indiska in 1997. By the summer of 1998, the Swedish CCC had signed a declaration with the companies, stating their intention to adopt a common code of conduct and collectively develop a system for independent verification—The Swedish Project on Independent Verification. (http://www.renaklader.org)
• The Netherlands: This CCC, along with trade unions and federations, started negotiating with industry federations as early as 1994. The NGOs and the unions involved were proposing to set up a foundation to oversee the implementation of a code called the "Fair Wear Foundation" and to monitor and verify signatory companies. Companies complying with the foundation's regulations would receive as a certificate a trademark. The original aim was to involve the federation of large enterprises, but by 1996 it was clear that no progress was being made with them. (http://www.cleanclothes.org/nlindex.htm)

Social Accountability International (SAI)

SAI describes itself as working "to improve workplaces and combat sweatshops through the expansion and further development of the international workplace standard SA8000 and the associated S8000 verification system." It does this by helping develop consensus based voluntary standards, helps accredit facilities and promotes the implementation of standards worldwide. (www.sa-intl.org)

Fair Wear in Australia

The Fair Wear campaign describes itself as a "coalition of churches, community organizations, and unions." The Fair Wear Campaign addresses issues arising out of the use of workers who make clothing at home in Australia. . (http://fairwear.org.au/home.html)

Business for Social Responsibility (BSR)

BSR describes its mission as seeking "to create a just and sustainable world by working with companies to promote more responsible business practices, innovation and collaboration." BSR started in 1992 as an association of about "50 mainly small and medium sized companies dedicated to helping businesses be both commercially successful and socially responsible". Membership is currently quite diverse and includes the founding companies such as Ben and Jerry’s, Patagonia, and Tom’s of Maine, as well as larger companies such as Liz Claiborne, Phillips Van Heussen, McDonalds, Charles Schwab, Coca Cola and Ford. The website reports that these companies "recognized the long-term impact of globalization on human rights, communities, and the environment". On the web site, BSR suggests that over nearly a decade, it "acquired extensive experience working with businesses and facilitating interaction with representatives of public and nonprofit sector organizations. BSR continues to work with companies of all sizes and from all sectors to advance responsible business practices throughout the world." (www.bsr.org)

TransFair Canada

Transfair describes itself as "Canada's only independent certification organization for fair trade in coffee, tea, cocoa, and sugar. The Fair Trade Certified logo is an independent certification that reflects monitoring criteria and standards set out by the Fairtrade Labeling Organizations International (FLO)." TransFair reports on its web site that "Canadian importers and distributors must follow certain criteria:

• pay a minimum price that covers the costs of production,
• advance payments or extend credit to producers to help them avoid debt while financing the next year's production, and
• agree to longer term trading relationships that provide producers with added security to plan for the future and promote sustainable production practices. (http://www.transfair.ca)

Although this is not currently the case, apparel could be considered for inclusion to the group of products covered by the Fairtrade label.