Fair Wear, GoodWeave collaborate to combat child labor in apparel industry

Two organizations, the Fair Wear Foundation and GoodWeave International, have joined hands to tackle child and forced labor in the hidden and informal parts of the clothing and textile supply chains. These groups focus on promoting fair working conditions in the textile industry.

By combining their efforts, they aim to support companies that want to respect human rights and conduct ethical business practices. This collaboration comes at a time when the European Union (EU) is developing laws that will make it mandatory for the textile industry to ensure human rights are upheld.

Companies that are members of the Fair Wear Foundation and source their products from India are encouraged to become licensees of GoodWeave. This would enable them to benefit from thorough supply chain mapping and inspections, specifically targeting child, forced, and bonded labor. These inspections go beyond just the main factories and extend into smaller subcontracted and home-based workplaces where much of the exploitation occurs. Additionally, programs are put in place to both prevent and address these issues.

GoodWeave will also act as a valuable source of knowledge for the Fair Wear Foundation. They will provide expertise on identifying, preventing, and addressing child, forced, and bonded labor. This collaboration builds on a previous successful project, and the decision to continue working together was driven by GoodWeave’s proficiency in eradicating child labor and increasing transparency in supply chains, especially in sub-contracted and home-based settings.

Suhasini Singh, the head of supply chain engagement at Fair Wear, expressed satisfaction in partnering with GoodWeave. She emphasized that this collaboration will further strengthen the efforts of their member companies in ensuring human rights are respected throughout their supply chains.