REPORTS ON THE ETI IMPACT ASSESSMENT 2006
The ETI code of labour practice: Do workers really benefit?

About this report

This document provides an account of the findings from Phase 1 of the ETI Impact Assessment, which took place between August and December 2003.

The report describes:

• ETI members’ perspectives on ETI and implementation of the Base Code
• The scale of ETI members’ code implementation activities (eg, number and type of suppliers covered), and where these activities were taking place when the study began (eg, which countries, at what level of the value chain).
• How member companies are implementing codes, ie, what management approaches they are using to put codes into practice.
• The ‘Management Approach Framework’ developed by the research team to help analyse and compare the various approaches used by different member companies to implement codes.

This report will be relevant to companies who wish to compare their own code management approaches with others, and to other organisations with an interest in models or tools for assessing company performance on ethical trade.

 

 

Detailed contents (draft)

• Contents
• Foreword

• 1 Introduction
  • 1.1 About this report
  • 1.2 About the first phase of the study
  • 1.3 How we got the information contained in this report
• 2 Members' perspectives on code implementation
  • 2.1 Perspectives on the ETI's tripartite approach
  • 2.2 Perspectives on successes and challenges of implementing the Base Code
    • 2.2.1 Corporate members' issues
  • 2.3 Members' expectations of the ETI Impact Assessment
  • 2.4 Perceived impacts of code implementation
    • 2.4.1 Health and safety
    • 2.4.2 Wages, working hours and overtime
    • 2.4.3 Freedom of association and no discrimination
    • 2.4.4 Smallholders and homeworkers
    • 2.4.5 Increased awareness of national law and labour standards
    • 2.4.6 Improved communication
• 3 The scale of corporate members' code implementation
  • 3.1 Type of suppliers in value chains
  • 3.2 Number and type of suppliers included in the scope of codes
  • 3.3 Number and type of suppliers informed about codes
  • 3.4 Number and type of suppliers monitored for code compliance
  • 3.5 Number of corrective actions
  • 3.6 Number and type of workers affected by implementation of codes
• 4 Management approaches to code implementation
  • 4.1 The Management Approach Framework
  • 4.2 Core elements of a management approach
  • 4.3 Influences on a management approach
  • 4.4 Corporate members' management approaches
    • 4.4.1 Member company codes ('what')
    • 4.4.2 Allocation of responsibility ('who')
    • 4.4.3 Implementation schedule ('when')
    • 4.4.4 Implementation activities ('how')
    • 4.4.5 Overall management approach

• Bibliography
• Appendix 1: The five levels of the "Value Chain to Impact Mapping" model
• Appendix 2: Distribution of ETI companies between retailer, brand and supplier groups

 

 

Downloads

Download PART 3 (How and where, implementation) in PDF format [PDF, 631kb]

Clickable list of all reports in this series.

 

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This series of reports has been prepared by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the views expressed do not necesarily represent the views of ETI or of its member organisations. IDS is responsible for the accuracy of information contained in the document and its recommendations have not necessarily been endorsed by ETI.

© Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, 2006

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See also:

A preliminary response by the Ethical Trading Initiative to IDS’ study (19 October 2006)

ETI Activities: Research projects: Impact assessment.

ETI Events: Conferences: Biennial conference 2005: Workshop - Assessing our impact