Maquila Solidarity Network (MSN) is a labour and women’s rights organization that supports fair working conditions and standards in order to better the quality of life for their members and families.
In a recent survey, MSN set out to determine if CSR ratings could help improve labour practices in global supply chains.
The survey garnered 159 responses from various professional backgrounds, including trade unionists, international brands, social investment professionals, NGOs, academics, and monitoring organizations. The results of the survey have been published in a new paper entitled “Can CSR ratings help improve labour practices in global supply chains?”
The paper was co-published by MSN and the Project on Organizing, Development, Education and Research (PODER), and examines the potential of ratings systems to drive improvement in supply chain labour practices. Interviews were conducted with CSR experts, representatives from companies including The Gap and Levi’s (which have been rated on supply chain labour issues), labour rights advocacy groups and ratings system developers.
Key challenges facing the ratings system, and ideas for overcoming those challenges, were highlighted.Those challenges include universal ones, such as finding appropriate indicators and making the process reliable, as well as other lesser-known challenges including getting on-the-ground data from factories.
For more information on the paper and its findings, visit the Maquilia Solidarity page.
October 4, 2011
Human Rights