Although some deny the problems, media coverage of workplace exploitation generally creates great depth of feeling because of the moral outrage it causes and, more importantly, because many are surprised that such issues still exist.

Yet our experience of assessing labour conditions in our supply chains over the years has only emphasised the reality of exploitation and poor workplace conditions for many workers around the world. This creates the immense challenge of building much wider awareness, within diverse supply chains and among consumers, so that improvements can be driven forward and become sustainable.

Creating cultural change

Ethical supply chain management is unlike safeguarding other aspects of product standards, and so it’s vital to understand the background and culture of the supplier, the industry and the country if we are to develop improvements. The greater the culture gap with our own, the more we need to understand it. Influencing workplace standards involves creating cultural change, and so dictating a solution won’t work. Working within the three ETI sectors, alongside suppliers and their workers, enables a variety of input and is the most constructive way to deliver lasting change.

The limits of policing

It is also becoming clear that achieving compliance by policing alone is neither practical nor sustainable, and even risks driving bad practice underground. In the context of our vast supply chains, policing from the end of the chain backwards is never going to address all the workplace issues we know exist. We know that commercial relationships can help improve conditions, and that addressing workplace practices makes good business sense for our suppliers. We need to persuade commercially-minded suppliers that there are good ethical and commercial reasons for them to change, and that these aren’t mutually exclusive. Also, we must all consider new solutions to existing problems and try different approaches.

We need to balance compliance and development in our approach, delivering both without marginalising small producers, and by developing change within the chain. While we must be confident that we are achieving a minimum standard, we need a greater emphasis on solutions that improve workplace conditions over time and address the real issues we know exist. These are long-term aims, and it may not be practical to wait for the perfect solution. ETI, however, is fundamental to building the alliances and processes that can benefit workers in our supply chains and deliver our shared goals.