External Partnerships
Working together to improve standards in our supply chain.
Many of the challenges we face in our supply chain cannot be solved by us alone, and so we work in partnership with NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) and various multi-stakeholder initiatives to try and address the many shared problems.
Primark is a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), an alliance of companies, trade unions and voluntary organisations working in partnership to improve the lives of people working in global supply chains. We participate in several innovative projects and working groups at the ETI, including the ETI Homeworkers Group. We are also a member of the groundbreaking Indian National Homeworker Group, which the ETI supports.
We are also engaging more and more with key regional stakeholders, notably NGOs. For example, our new ethical trade manager in Bangladesh is tasked with developing our relationship with NUK, an NGO with trade union links. NUK have more than 20 years experience in addressing women’s rights and labour issues in the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh. Through this partnership we are seeking to identify and address key issues around equal rights, opportunities for growth and career enhancement, as well as training needs within some of our key suppliers in Bangladesh. NUK's expertise in this area helps us provide employees and middle management at factories with more intensive support and training on ethical issues.
Read the interview with Mrs Shefali
In India we are working at grass roots level with an NGO called SAVE to help us understand and address some of the challenges faced by workers in the communities where our products are made. The project includes an extensive community survey to identify workers, families and children at risk, and provides a counselling service, workers’ helpline and other support services. Education forms a core part of this initiative and is essential for its sustainability. Workers receive training about their rights, including freedom of association, alongside learning about gender issues, basic health and personal development in sessions run by SAVE and supported by local unions.
In China we are working with ICO, a non-profit organisation, and are extending our work with other stakeholders.