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“If being an active member of ETI has taught us one thing, it is the value of looking beyond our own supply chains and working with NGOs and trade union organisations – they can provide specialised knowledge and skills that neither we nor our suppliers have.”
— ETI Workbook, 2nd Edition

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ETI conference 2005 - Shaping a new agenda

P3: Marrying the commercial with the ethical

Day 1, afternoon plenary:

There has been growing debate over the last couple of years about the need to integrate ethical trade considerations into the purchasing practices of retailers and brands, and ultimately, into the way they do business overall. Many corporate ethical trade/CSR staff agree with NGOs and trade unions that this needs to be done – but what’s in it for the rest of the company, in particular buyers and senior managers? This session provided participants with:

  • The rationale – how current purchasing practices can undermine the efforts of compliance staff, and how improving purchasing practices can yield commercial as well as ethical benefits.
  • A company case study – showing practical initiatives that companies can take, and how potential barriers can be overcome.
  • (See also Critical Issues Workshop 10, which showcases further examples of different ways in which retailers and brands have sought to bridge the gap between the commercial and ethical trade agendas - link at foot of this page.) 

BRIEFING PAPERS

Based on presentations and discussions from the conference, this set of briefing papers has been designed to provide practical guidance to brands, retailers, suppliers and others on addressing cutting edge issues in ethical trade, such as resolving difficult non-compliances, improving purchasing practices, and working with trade unions.

 

 

Speakers

 

Neil Kearney

Neil Kearney
General Secretary
International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF)
ETI Board Member

Biography:
Neil is the General Secretary International of the ITGLWF, first elected in 1988. In this position he has visited more than 140 different countries worldwide. At the same time, ITGLWF membership has more than doubled. Recently he participated in the Report Review Committee for this year’s Nike CSR report.Neil’s awards include in 1998, “Il Natale, La Notta della Vita”, an international award for his work on the elimination of child labour worldwide. In 1999 he received the “1999 Work and Environment Award” of the Associazione Ambiente e Lavoro for his efforts to improve working conditions, especially in developing countries.

[presentation not available as PDF]

 

Kate Raworth

Kate Raworth
Oxfam

Biography:
Kate Raworth is a trade researcher at Oxfam GB. She is the author of Oxfam’s report Trading Away Our Rights: women working in global supply chains, which examines the impact of retailers’ supply chain practices on working conditions in fresh produce and garment industries across 12 countries. Prior to joining Oxfam, Kate was a co-author of UNDP’s Human Development Report for four years.

Kate Raworth's slideshow presentation [PDF, 202kb]

 

 

Hannah Jones

Hannah Jones
Vice President, Corporate Social Responsibility
Nike

Biography:
Hannah was appointed Vice President of Corporate Social Responsibility at Nike in October 2004. She has overall responsibility for managing Nike’s global corporate responsibility function, including labour compliance, global community affairs, stakeholder engagement and corporate responsibility strategic planning and business integration. She was previously director of corporate responsibility for Nike’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region. Prior to joining Nike, Hannah was a consultant to Microsoft and Kimberly-Clark on their community affairs programmes and the European manger of Community Service Volunteers Media, a UK-based non-governmental organisation, where she led a pan-European campaign around youth issues.

Hannah Jones' slideshow presentation [PDF, 234kb]

 

 

See also

Critical Issues Workshop 10: Marrying the commercial with the ethical - more examples of innovative corporate practice.

 

ETI Resources: Issues.

ETI Activities.

ETI Events: Conferences.