Ethical Trading Initiative - From good intentions to good practice - ETIs strategy in support of ethical trade 2001-2004

From good intentions to good practice:

ETI's strategy in support of ethical trade 2001- 2004

* Update! - see ETI Strategy 2005-08 *

The following is a summary of ETI's 2001 - 2004 strategy document. A full copy of our Strategy can be ordered from the ETI Secretariat.

Why have a strategic plan?
Developing a distinctive role
What difference will ETI have made by 2004?
Our broad objectives 2001-4

Why have a strategic plan?

We have developed this strategic plan for four reasons:

to inform interested parties about our objectives and activities;
ensure public accountability. The plan provides a framework of performance and defined goals against which we can judge ourselves and be judged over the next three years;
to attract new members. We are keen to attract new members in our priority sectors. Our vision and objectives are essential information for organisations considering membership;
to ensure strong ownership of our strategic direction by ETI members.

Developing a distinctive role

ETI has three characteristics which, taken together, give us a unique character and a distinctive voice on the international stage. These are:

our tripartite structure. ETI is a unique alliance of companies, NGOs and trade union organisations committed to working together to promote good labour practice and fundamental human rights. All major planning and implementation decisions involve our corporate, trade union and NGO members, both in the UK and in countries where we undertake pilot work. ETI's Board is also tripartite, with directors from each group being selected by the membership. The tripartite, consultative nature of ETI gives us international credibility and is our special strength.
our clear, single focus on learning. We exist solely to acquire experience in the implementation of codes of labour practice and to disseminate the lessons learned. ETI is neither a standard setting nor accreditation agency. We do not endorse, certify, accredit or label any product, company or any member or non-member organisation. This specific focus on identifying and promoting best practice distinguishes us from voluntary initiatives with broader agendas.
our code of labour practice is based on internationally agreed labour standards. The standards in our base code are based on the internationally recognised standards of the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Our members accept the ILO's unique legitimacy to set and interpret labour standards.
our focus is on continuous and sustained workplace improvements. ETI recognises that some suppliers may be unable to meet all the terms contained within a code in a short time, or in some cases suppliers may be constrained by national law. While corporate members are expected to seek the compliance of their suppliers to the minimum standards contained in the ETI Base Code, reasonable timeframes and constraints on the supplier are taken into account. However, we expect our member companies to take rapid corrective action if a supplier fails to observe some of the standards in the Base Code. These include those elements of the Base Code that protect workers' fundamental human rights such as the use of forced, bonded or involuntary prison labour, physical abuse or discipline and extreme forms of intimidation.

What difference will ETI have made by 2004?

We want to assess the evidence as to whether effective implementation of codes of labour practice has a direct impact on the lives of workers and their families. By 2004 a comprehensive impact monitoring study will be in place: men and women, casual and permanent workers will report regularly on how codes affect their working conditions and other aspects of their lives.
We want to share far more learning on the implementation of corporate codes of labour practice. We will carry out many more experiments and share the results in publications and events.
We want to enable member companies to improve their work on labour standards, particularly in the food and textile sectors. By 2004 we aim to have about 40 UK corporate members. We want them to be well informed about what labour standards are, know the best ways of monitoring improvements introduced by suppliers and know how to have progress independently verified. They will have an ongoing dialogue with trade unions and NGOs, and will appreciate the benefits of collaborative working;
We will involve southern suppliers. The impact monitoring system will enable southern suppliers who undertake improvement programmes to report on the longer-term costs and benefits to business of implementing codes of labour practice;
We want to exert a positive influence on other ethical trading initiatives and on a wide range of employers. This will be achieved by sharing experience in workshops, seminars and individual discussion and through published good practice guidelines on different aspects of code implementation, monitoring and verification;
We want to help the development of ETI-type initiatives by exchanging information and learning about the implementation of voluntary codes. We will provide support to appropriate organisations that wish to participate in experimental work on the implementation of voluntary codes, but are constrained by their lack of resources; and
We want to show that a collaborative, tripartite approach which involves companies, trade unions and NGOs as equal partners is an effective way to learn lessons about implementing codes of labour practice, and to ensure that monitoring and verification processes are transparent and accountable.

Our broad objectives 2001-4

ETI's three broad objectives for this period build on work already undertaken but focus on areas where there is more to do. They are:

Identifying and promoting good practice
Consolidation and growth of the membership
Building strategic alliances and relationships

Objective 1:
Identifying and promoting good practice

1.1	Identify and promote good practice in the implementation of corporate codes of labour practice
1.2	Gather and assess evidence to show that corporate codes of labour practice benefit workers and have a solid business rationale

How does ETI define 'good practice'?

For an approach to count as 'good practice' it needs to be agreed as such by ETI's corporate, trade union and NGO membership. Our members accept that they still have much to learn, for example about how auditors of labour practice seek the views of workers as well as management of supplier companies and the effective engagement of suppliers themselves.

We accept that this is a limited definition of good practice. We have had only anecdotal confirmation that codes do benefit workers and are accepted by suppliers. In 2001 - 2004 we will develop a rigorous impact monitoring system which will elicit worker and supplier experience of all aspects of code implementation. 'Good practice' will then indicate positive acceptance by those most directly affected by workplace changes in labour practice.

How will ETI identify good practice?

We will continue to learn by doing, that is by members co-operating with each other and southern partners to try out different ways of improving the labour practices of their suppliers. This will be achieved through pilot projects in selected countries and through the efforts of our corporate members to implement codes in their supply chains outside the pilots.

In addition we will identify good practice through:

commissioned research studies, for example on the gender impacts of labour practices and code implementation;
sharing experiences with other partnership-based initiatives for ethical sourcing;
dialogue with international organisations with expertise in this field.

How will ETI promote good practice?

We already have well-established promotion channels and activities: workshops, seminars, an annual conference, published workbooks and guidelines, and a Secretariat that responds on a daily basis to questions and requests for information from ETI members and other organisations.

Our secretariat capacity will greatly increase in 2001, which will facilitate an increase in the number and scope of ETI's activities. One new area will be the development and provision of training on the implementation, monitoring, and verification of codes of labour practice. Training and presentations will allow lessons learned to be communicated to a wider audience, for example, to staff within a member company or to social auditors acting as independent verifiers of code implementation. In some cases membership fees will cover training; in others it will provide an additional source of revenue.

Good practice targets for 2001 - 2004

In 2001 - 2004 we will translate what we already know into good practice guidelines and will also ask new questions. Examples will include …

guidelines for managing and monitoring how suppliers implement the code. There are many issues here: for instance, how to monitor workplaces where there is no trade union or other workplace representative responsible for this task;
guidelines, following research and experimentation, on how to ensure that gender is taken into account in all aspects of code implementation and monitoring;
tools for assessing the evidence that codes of labour practice benefit all groups of workers, including part-time and seasonal workers and those who are sub-contracted;
guidance on the competencies required for independent auditors. ETI members cannot audit supply chains themselves as there are just too many suppliers involved. Outside, independent, high quality assistance is essential;
guidance on the different ways of independently verifying that a supplier is observing international labour standards. Different ways have been tested, including outside audit companies and tripartite alliances. Good models now need to be documented and shared;
essential contents for training courses for those involved in implementing codes of labour practice.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Objective 2:
Consolidation and growth of the membership

2.1	Support ETI's membership to ensure that corporate members fully implement their codes of labour practice in accordance with the agreed principles of membership
2.2	Recruit and support new corporate members and non-governmental organisations to apply codes of labour practice in priority sectors and increase the participation of trade unions and NGOs

How will we support our membership?

Companies, trade unions and NGOs join ETI for different reasons. However, all recognise that membership of an internationally recognised, partnership initiative contributes to the wider strategic goals of their organisation. The second sort of benefit, which applies equally to all members, is access to the practical services provided by the ETI Secretariat.

An expanded Secretariat will undertake to deliver a defined set of services to existing and new members which may include …

specific support for new members;
the management of pilots;
regular information updates;
guidelines on aspects of good practice;
published findings of research studies;
seminars and workshops on matters of interest to ETI members;
a forum for discussion of problematic issues with other ETI members;
advice on code implementation issues;
the annual conference.

What new members do we want to attract and how will we do this?

We will develop a membership recruitment strategy at the beginning of this planned period. Our aim is to attract corporate members who are sourcing goods in our priority sectors from poorer countries. We aim to double our current corporate membership to approximately 40 members.

In order to attract new corporate members we will need to convince them of the benefits of ETI membership. Up to now we have stressed the learning benefits but we are aware that we now need to better investigate and publicise the business case for implementing codes of labour practice.

Objective 3:
Building strategic alliances and relationships

3.1	Is regarded as a credible catalyst for learning about the application of codes of labour practice by key international and national organisations and opinion formers
3.2	Provides resources and support to ensure appropriate business, development and trade union organisations are able to participate in activities related to ETI's experimental pilots.

Whom do we want to build relationships with?

We will continue to develop relationships with the following:

government departments and international organisations promoting core labour standards (including the ILO).
other tripartite initiatives in Europe that are working to implement codes of labour practice in supply chains;
organisations in supplier countries where we carry out pilot experiments, for example, trade unions representing workers in relevant sectors, NGOs working on labour rights, trade and professional associations. In addition, we will seek links with government departments with employment responsibilities, in particular labour inspectorates.
auditors of labour practices in the UK or pilot countries that are contracted to independently verify code implementation by suppliers.

How will we build relationships?

We will continue to build relationships through dialogue and debate in workshops and conferences, through publications, email discussions and so on. However, we recognise that some of these mechanisms are only effective with those institutions that have ready access to telecommunications technology. They tend to exclude those with few resources or those who have had no opportunity to keep abreast of international thinking on the implementation of voluntary codes. Many southern organisations are in this position.

In 2001 - 2004 we will ensure that relevant southern organisations, particularly trade unions and NGOs, are equipped with the resources, knowledge and skills to participate in code implementation when they engage with ETI.

A second focus will be continued contact with government departments, particularly labour inspectorates in supplier countries, and increased contact with trade associations.

A full copy of our Strategy can be ordered from the ETI Secretariat.