The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights present an exciting opportunity to work together, and should not be feared, says ETI Director Peter McAllister.

Worker participation - how to unleash potential and increase dialogue while driving business improvements.

Does Sedex increase efficiency in ethical trade auditing, or does it perpetuate the top-down, ‘audit-heavy' approach that many companies are seeking to move beyond? A look at how Sedex divides the ethical trading community.

"In the South African context, it's important not to force people to do things. It's about wooing people, building trusting relationships and winning over their confidence."

Would it not be more sustainable if compliance with standards came through normal collective bargaining, rather than through inspection and corrective actions?

Are some buyers too soft with suppliers and putting their company reputations at risk? Or are others just plain unreasonable in their expectations of the time it takes to resolve issues effectively?

As one conference participant said: "People think that because they might have to spend £200 on a Goretex jacket the industry must be swimming with money. That's just not the case. In many cases we're talking about lifestyle businesses that are operating on a survival basis."

World Day for Decent Work was on 7 October. Ben Moxham of the UK Trades Union Congress tells us why it's so important, and what progress is being made towards it in today's tough economic climate.

For many companies - perhaps smaller ones, or those who are just starting out in ethical trade - the ideal of full integration between ethics and core business practices may seem overwhelming. Here are a few tips to get you started.

ETI has helped bridge a big gap between its member trade unions and companies. But there is still a long way to go before ETI company-union collaboration becomes the norm, rather than the exception.