Understanding the GAIA principles

4. Who are the principles meant for? 

The GAIA principles apply to all businesses - across own operations, the supply chains, and broader business relationships. All businesses may increase the risk of GBVH through action and inaction, and infringe on the rights of workers, including contract workers, workers in the supply chain, communities where the business operates, and those who use their or are impacted by their services (security, warehousing).  

The principles are intended to encourage collaboration through a recognition of shared responsibility to address GBVH across the supply chain (for example, buyers, suppliers, producers), without disproportionally transferring risks and costs to partners.  

Shared responsibility in this context refers to buyers, suppliers, and other business partners taking joint responsibility for preventing, addressing, and remedying risks and impacts of GBVH, rather than placing the burden on a single party. 

Businesses should refer to these principles when recruiting and employing workers and when purchasing goods and services from other businesses to ensure everyone is on the same page and understands what it will take to address GBVH. Workers, trade unions and other civil society organisations can use these principles as a basis to engage businesses on solutions and accountability. 

5. What makes this different from a code of conduct? 

Codes of conduct are typically developed by businesses, like retailers and brands, and shared with suppliers. They tend to be one-directional in their communication and application and are often framed as a compliance exercise: suppliers are asked to sign them and may or may not receive further training or guidance. Codes of conducts generally do not set out any commitment from a buyer.  

These principles, however, have been co-developed with a range of representatives from business and civil society (trade unions and non-governmental organisations), government and multilateral institutions and initiatives, to create alignment between stakeholders for the effective prevention of GBVH in the workplace, through shared responsibility and collaboration across the supply chain.   

6. Are these principles standards or minimum requirements? 

No, standards and minimum requirements are often monitored or assessed through a social audit and do not leave room for discussion and collective action. These principles, on the other hand, are a framework to enable alignment between business partners, businesses and workers/their representatives/trade unions and other stakeholders, to address the root causes and consequences of GBVH in the workplace through collaboration and collective action. More importantly, they emphasise the need for workers to be at the centre of GBVH prevention efforts, through freedom of association and social dialogue. 

7. Can ETI provide a checklist or set of activities for suppliers to use? 

ETI has not developed a checklist or set of activities because the aim is for the principles to guide discussion and subsequent action by supply chain stakeholders in consultation with workers and their representatives. Outlining a set of activities for one category of stakeholders (e.g. suppliers) in isolation of understanding the responsibilities and actions of others is not conducive to effective or meaningful implementation of the principles.  

What is strongly recommend is that businesses assess the risks of GBVH in their own operations with workers and their representatives/trade unions, and possibly gender experts, and in their supply chains, with these stakeholders and suppliers/producers. Risk assessments should be followed by the development of strategies and plans to tackle GBVH with business partners and with relevant input from workers (the Principles include actions for engagement with workers and their representatives/trade unions).  This should include consideration of the context/scenario, size of business and complexity of supply chains (and the business relationships). These strategies and plans should clearly articulate the roles and responsibilities of different supply chain partners.