Skip to main content
Home

User Menu

  • Perspective
  • Log in

Main menu

  • Home
  • About ETI
    • Our members
      • Previous members
    • What we do
      • Resolving violations
    • Why we exist
      • ETI's origins
    • Our impact on workers
    • Accountability
    • Funding
    • Our strategy
    • Our team
      • ETI Board members
    • Contact
  • ETI Base Code
    • 1. Employment is freely chosen
    • 2. Freedom of association
    • 3. Working conditions are safe and hygienic
    • 4. Child labour shall not be used
    • 5. Living wages are paid
    • 6. Working hours are not excessive
    • 7. No discrimination is practiced
    • 8. Regular employment is provided
    • 9. No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed
  • Programmes
  • Join ETI
    • How to apply
    • What members sign up to
    • The business case
  • Training
    • All courses
    • Essentials of ethical trade series
    • Human rights due diligence series
    • China series
    • ETI trainers
    • Bespoke training
  • Resources
    • Newsletters
    • Useful links
  • Issues
    • Union rights at work
    • COVID-19
    • Modern slavery
      • Modern slavery and transparency standards
      • Modern slavery initiatives
      • Modern slavery resources
      • Modern slavery evaluation framework
    • Due diligence
      • ETI’s work on human rights due diligence
        • ETI’s work in Pakistan
        • Pakistan, labour rights resources
      • Resources on human rights due diligence
    • Public procurement & responsible business
    • Company purchasing practices
      • Working conditions in the Leicester garment industry
    • Grievance mechanisms & remedy
    • Gender equity
      • Gender equality - initiatives
      • Gender equality - international standards
      • Gender equality - resources
    • A living wage for workers
      • Living wage initiatives
      • Living wage resources
      • Living wage standards
      • Wages and purchasing theories
    • Business and human rights in India
    • Child labour
    • Homeworkers
    • Migrant workers
    • HIV at work
    • Ethical trade and fairtrade
  • Blog
  • Events
    • Ethical Insights series

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. About eti

Our impact on workers

Workers

The scale of ETI members' ethical trade activities grows every year – at the last count touching the lives of more than 15 million workers annually. But although ethical trade has brought marked improvements for workers around the world, conditions for many remain poor.

Many issues remain

We know that fundamental principles, such as workers' rights to join a trade union and negotiate collectively, are not being sufficiently addressed. There has been little progress in other areas - for example, discrimination and harassment. Casual and informal sector workers are still receiving scant benefit from codes of labour practice. And global food and fuel inflation means that real wages are declining at an alarming rate in many countries.

Radical response required

Our own monitoring exercises and the current global economic climate point to the need for a radical response from the ethical trade community. There is a clear need for us to do more to help companies support their suppliers to build sound management structures and mature systems of industrial relations, and more broadly, to integrate their ethical principles into company buying practices.  For example, lead times and price negotiations with suppliers can have a profound effect on hours of work and pay levels.

There are very few unions here...You have a choice to join, but if you do you could be fired…

Non-unionised worker, banana farm, Costa Rica

Measuring our impact

How, and where, is ETI driving change?

  • ETI impact report

A brief history of ETI

20 plus years of changing workers' lives 

  • ETI's timeline

Main menu (sub nav)

  • Our members
  • What we do
  • Why we exist
  • Our impact on workers
  • Accountability
  • Funding
  • Our strategy
  • Our team
  • Contact

Related content

  • ETI Annual review 2019-20
  • What we do
  • ETI publishes first annual impact report
  • Modern Slavery Act: is your business ready?
  • ETI Base Code poster
  • The ETI Base Code

Get the latest

Subscribe to our email newsletters and stay up to speed on ethical trade.
Subscribe

ETI elsewhere

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

Footer

  • Accessibility
  • Contact
  • FAQ
  • Jobs at ETI
  • Press resources
  • Privacy
  • Modern slavery statement
Other ETIs: Norway, Denmark
Ethical Trading Initiative | Registered No. 3578127