Skip to main content
Home

User Menu

  • Log in

Main menu

  • Home
  • About ETI
    • Our members
    • What we do
    • Why we exist
      • ETI's origins
    • Our impact for 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
  • Training
    • All courses
    • Essentials of ethical trade series
    • E-Learning Module: Access to Remedy Principles
    • Bespoke training
  • Resources
    • Case studies
    • Useful links
  • Issues
    • Gender equity
      • Violence and harrassment
      • Gender data initiative
      • Gender equality - international standards
      • Gender equality - resources
    • Homeworkers
    • COVID-19
    • Grievance mechanisms & remedy
    • Union rights at work
    • 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
    • Company purchasing practices
      • Working conditions in the Leicester garment industry
    • A living wage for workers
      • Living wage initiatives
      • Living wage resources
      • Living wage standards
      • Wages and purchasing theories
    • Modern slavery
      • Modern slavery and transparency standards
      • Modern slavery initiatives
      • Modern slavery resources
      • Modern slavery evaluation framework
    • Public procurement & responsible business
    • Migrant workers
    • Business and human rights in India
    • Child labour
    • HIV at work
    • Ethical trade and fairtrade
  • Blog
  • Events

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. about eti

Why we exist

Millions of people around the world endure inadequate, sometimes shocking, conditions at work.

ETI exists to improve human rights in global supply chains by developing effective approaches to implementing the ETI Base Code of labour practice.

ETI Base Code clauses

Employment is freely chosen

Slavery and bonded labour are totally unacceptable. Some 12.3 million people globally are forced to work for their employers.

Freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining are respected

Tens of thousands of workers lose their jobs every year for attempting to join a trade union or improve working conditions. Some even lose their lives.

Working conditions are safe and hygienic

Every day 6,000 people around the world die from work-related accidents or diseases. Most of these tragedies could be prevented.

Child labour shall not be used

218 million children work to support their families, missing out on education and often damaging their health. This reinforces the cycle of poverty.

Living wages are paid

3 billion of the world's poor live on less than two dollars a day. If people can't feed their families on an adult's wage, they may send their children to work.

Working hours are not excessive

Long working hours are the norm for most of the world's workers. This damages people's health and undermines family life.

No discrimination is practised

Women and certain minorities are often confined to the lowest paid jobs with no access to training or promotion.

Regular employment is provided

Most workers can be laid off when it suits the employer. This fuels poverty and insecurity and drives down wages.

No harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed

Few workers have protection against physical, verbal or sexual abuse in the workplace.

 

View a timeline of ETI's development since we were founded in 1998.

Main menu (sub nav)

  • Our members
  • What we do
  • Why we exist
    • ETI's origins
  • Our impact for workers
  • Accountability
  • Funding
  • Our strategy
  • Our team
  • Contact

Related content

  • ETI Base Code poster
  • The ETI Base Code
  • What we do
  • Our impact for workers
  • ETI Base Code
  • Human rights due diligence framework

Get the latest

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

ETI elsewhere

  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube

Footer

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