The organisations explain recent political events in Bangladesh are continuing to impact the nation with significant implications for the garment, footwear, and accessories industry.
This is said to include some Bangladesh garment workers reporting unpaid or reduced wages in July with some suppliers running factories with additional overtime.
The non-profit organisations, which include amfori, Cascale, Ethical Trade Denmark, Ethical Trade Norway, the Ethical Trading Initiative, ETI Sweden, Fair Labor Association, Fair Wear Foundation and Mondiaal FNV say they are focused on addressing adverse impacts on workers through responsible business conduct as the situation in Bangladesh evolves.
The organisations state: "Together, we urge companies to remain stable, long-term partners with their suppliers in Bangladesh. Collaborative partnerships are the best foundation for responsible purchasing practices and for decent working conditions in supply chains worldwide."
ETI executive director Giles Bolton adds: "ETI stands in solidarity with workers, colleagues, and partners across Bangladesh navigating this period of transition. It is vital international buyers honour their commitments to suppliers, conduct enhanced human rights due diligence with workers and their representatives, and implement responsible purchasing practices, to prevent and mitigate adverse impacts on workers and supply chains amid this change. This reflects our advice to ETI company members and our optimism for the country’s future."
Recommendations for responsible fashion sourcing in Bangladesh
The organisations are urging fashion companies to honour their commitments to suppliers, conduct enhanced human rights due diligence, and implement responsible purchasing practices to prevent and mitigate adverse impacts on workers and supply chains.
Businesses operating in and sourcing from Bangladesh should ensure respect for international human rights laws and standards, including the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) and the ILO core labour conventions ratified in Bangladesh. These apply in all circumstances, including periods of civil unrest and transition, and are even more critical in this challenging context.
- Conduct enhanced human rights due diligence
Businesses operating in and sourcing from Bangladesh should conduct heightened or enhanced human rights due diligence (eHRDD) in line with the UN's Guiding Principles (UNGPs) to better understand the evolving situation, identify, and mitigate risks and provide remedy where necessary. This means
conducting HRDD processes that are ‘finely tuned and sensitive’ to the higher level of risk identified.’ to the higher level of risk identified.
Meaningful stakeholder engagement (as defined by the OECD) should be conducted, particularly with workers and their representatives, as part of the HRDD process. Workers are best placed to communicate the impacts they face during this period. An important part of effective engagement is to ensure rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining are respected. Where risks are heightened, trade unions can play a critical role in supporting
workers and negotiating on their behalf.
In this dynamic context, ensuring prompt and ongoing collaboration with suppliers (e.g. through consultation and mitigating actions) to address these risks is essential. Our organisations are engaging with members to provide detailed guidance and support.
In particular, the following risks to workers should be considered in eHRDD:
- Payment of wages
- Security and worker safety
- Excessive hours
- Violence and discrimination against minority groups
- Gendered impacts
- Assistance and grievance
- Worker absence.
2. Prevent and mitigate adverse impacts by ensuring responsible purchasing practices
Responsible businesses should strive to be stable long-term partners with their suppliers in Bangladesh. Collaborative partnerships build a strong foundation for responsible purchasing practices and for decent working conditions in supply chains worldwide.
Businesses should implement responsible purchasing practices in line with the Common Framework for Responsible Purchasing Practices. Given the risks identified in the current context, our key recommendations include:
- Ensure internal commitment to upholding responsible purchasing practices
- Communicate transparently and on a regular basis with suppliers
- Ensure that July and August wages are paid in full and at the earliest dates, for all employees and workers
- Do not cancel orders. Collaborate with suppliers on upcoming orders to identify alternatives to cancelling orders
- Extend production and delivery timelines, and where order modifications occur, ensure these are mutually agreed with the supplier and the additional costs resulting from these requests are paid for by the responsible party
- Do not impose penalties relating to order delays or request discounted rates
- Engage with suppliers to ensure overtime is voluntarily agreed by workers and can be planned to avoid excessive working hours
- Ensure timely payment for orders to guarantee workers’ salaries are paid on time.
