Sometimes I wonder why so many social campaigners choose to continuously attack the concrete work which is being done through corporate social responsibility schemes and initiatives to improve corporate behaviour in global supply chains. It is as if a business enterprise is bad per definition and incapable of getting things right. The worst of the pack are the large brands and retailers, the exception being those that make special efforts to nurture their relations with the campaigning non-governmental organisations, NGOs.
I am not referring here to concrete criticism, which is both needed and welcome. There is surely room for much improvement, and we have already seen many positive changes after the devastating factory disasters in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
I myself am regularly frustrated over how slowly and poorly code and standard contents are often applied at producer workplaces. Most leading brands and retailers are committed to decent supply chain conditions, but not all do enough for real remediation on the ground. When they do they seldom tell the world about it, information is quite obviously not their best skill.
This is not to say that nothing would be done on the ground. Much is going on to raise awareness and build competence in producer companies and their workplaces. International buyers as well as their corporate social responsibility schemes and initiatives are engaged in this work. Although the important building safety Accord and Alliance in Bangladesh are well funded, active and concrete, they are of course not alone in this field.
Social auditing is the main tool to find out about labour conditions and to identify where improvements are needed. I have much respect for the auditing industry and its auditors who approach their task seriously and skillfully. Not every supplier company is honest and straight-forward, and hiding or falsifying information is a serious problem in some regions. Advanced auditor skills and much experience are needed to see the reality behind these smokescreens.
Surely, there are also less serious auditors out there, and they should be weeded out by the industry itself. We deal with important issues for the workers concerned, and even one rotten egg in the auditor basket can destroy much.
Social auditing and corporate social responsibility CSR schemes and initiatives are a second best solution to supporting human rights and promoting decent work in global supply chains. Social dialogue and collective agreements between well organised workers and employers, supported by solid and actively enforced labour legislation, are of course the best. This is also what CSR work should aim at. But – we need to be realistic, this could still be a very distant goal in many regions and countries.
Social Accountability International SA800, the Ethical Trading Initiative ETI and the Business Social Compliance Initiative BSCI are some of the leading schemes and initiatives. The Global Social Compliance Programme GSCP is a broad business owned organisation with a strong civil society participation which drives upward convergence and mutual recognition between companies and their organisations to combat so-called audit fatigue and release resources to capacity building and remediation at workplaces.
Back to where I started. Having a life-long trade union background, I sometimes quietly shake my head when I see how CSR schemes and initiatives as well as the supply chain sustainability work of brands and retailers is just being summarily opposed instead of making concrete suggestions and demands for changes and improvements. These activities – driven by brands and retailers whether they are business or multi-stakeholder owned – are in many cases the only outside support for supply chain workers.
Yes they are often far from being sufficient and a lot remains to be done but the focus should be on improving rather than dismissing.