The director-general of the International Labour Organization (ILO) says its collaboration with Spanish clothing giant Inditex to enhance labour conditions at all levels of the garment sector value chain represents a new milestone in the apparel industry.
Guy Ryder met with Inditex CEO, Pablo Isla, earlier this week in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss the progress made on joint projects between the two organisations in countries including China, India, Brazil, Indonesia, Turkey and Cambodia.
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According to Isla, Inditex is committed to the ILO conventions on which its Code of Conduct for Manufacturers and Suppliers is based, and to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, especially those related to decent working conditions.
Joint projects include Better Work, a platform that brings together various stakeholders (government, apparel brands and manufacturers, unions and workers, as well as the ILO itself) to enhance labour conditions in the garment industry and boost the apparel sector’s competitiveness.
Better Work strives to have a direct impact through the projects carried out in each country while fostering an industry lobby, shared know-how and third-party agreements in parallel.
Inditex has been working with the Better Work platform since 2007, specifically on reinforcing labour rights in factories in Cambodia, Vietnam and Indonesia.
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By GlobalDataIn addition, Inditex is working with the ILO on its Score Programme, targeted at improving management systems and working conditions in factories in China and Turkey.
Earlier this month Inditex marked the tenth anniversary of its Global Framework Agreement (GFA) with the IndustriAll global union, signed to protect and promote labour conditions throughout the retail giant’s entire supply chain.
Inditex GFA one of the best tools to enforce labour rights
