RISE fosters positive change across the garment, footwear and textile industries, aiming to create a sustainable working environment. Credit: Shutterstock.

RISE fosters positive change across the garment, footwear and textile industries, aiming to create a sustainable environment for workers.

RISE has a particular focus on improving the rights of female workers and gender equality in the garment, footwear and textile industries.

Go deeper with GlobalData

Data Insights

The gold standard of business intelligence.

Find out more

Approximately 75% of the estimated 60m workers in the global garment sector are women. RISE says these women often face gender discrimination, workplace harassment and violence, and limited career development opportunities. The aftermath of the pandemic, combined with ongoing economic uncertainties, has left many female workers in increasingly precarious positions. Against this backdrop, four global organisations—BSR’s HERproject, GAP Inc’s PACE., CARE and Better Work — joined forces in 2023 to launch RISE, a collaborative initiative aiming to empower women workers, embed gender equality in business practice and catalyse systems change.

RISE’s programmes seek to scale and sustain action for women’s empowerment in their workplaces. They include:

  • Financial Health, enhancing financial literacy to bolster economic resilience and stability
  • Respect, fostering a safe and equitable work environment by addressing gender-based violence and harassment
  • Foundations, a workplace development programme to increase agency and advance the rights of women workers
  • Digital Program, improving digital literacy and health, financial and stress management skills.

In 2024, RISE reached nearly 400,000 workers, 65% of them women, across Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, Guatemala, India, Pakistan and Vietnam and it is on its way to reaching 1.5m workers by the end of 2026. RISE provides comprehensive support, empowering female workers to increase their skills, knowledge and confidence to boost their professional and personal development.

After attending RISE programmes, women reported their belief in their self-worth increased by 49%. Across five countries, there was a 46% reduction in the belief that granting more rights to women comes at a cost to men.

How well do you really know your competitors?

Access the most comprehensive Company Profiles on the market, powered by GlobalData. Save hours of research. Gain competitive edge.

Company Profile – free sample

Thank you!

Your download email will arrive shortly

Not ready to buy yet? Download a free sample

We are confident about the unique quality of our Company Profiles. However, we want you to make the most beneficial decision for your business, so we offer a free sample that you can download by submitting the below form

By GlobalData
Visit our Privacy Policy for more information about our services, how we may use, process and share your personal data, including information of your rights in respect of your personal data and how you can unsubscribe from future marketing communications. Our services are intended for corporate subscribers and you warrant that the email address submitted is your corporate email address.

RISE’s executive director Christine Svarer says: “RISE now has over 30 members, including buyers and suppliers, which is crucial for achieving real improvement on the production floor. Factories that implement our programmes notice real business benefits: a survey of 37 workplaces across six countries showed a 30% reduction in turnover rates, increased productivity, and a decline in rework rates from 7.2% to 5.5%. This highlights RISE’s tangible impact which we are continuously scaling up as we expand to new members, factories and countries.”