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Assessing the Impact of Codes of Conduct in the Apparel Industry
Under a planning
grant from the Pacific Rim Research Program of the University of
California Office of the President, the Center is currently planning
a collaborative research project with faculty and non-governmental
organizations in the U.S., Asia and Latin America.
This research project will generate the first comprehensive and
rigorous evaluation of the impact of codes of conduct on labor conditions
in apparel workplaces across the Pacific Rim. It will assess the
impact of corporate codes of conduct on labor conditions in the
apparel industry in Asia, Latin America, and the U.S., and it will
compare different systems for monitoring codes of conduct and assess
which have been most effective.
Background to the project
During the 1990s, the exploitation faced by garment workers in sweatshops
in the global economy caught the attention of consumers worldwide,
and the anti-sweatshop movement became one of the most well-known
human rights campaigns in modern times. Labor advocates developed
campaigns for socially responsible business practices and called
upon corporations to adopt labor standards; these included the prohibition
of child labor and prison labor, the payment of living wages, a
limit on the numbers of hours worked per week, an end to discrimination
and harassment, and the right to organize unions and bargain collectively.
As a result of this public pressure, many apparel corporations have
agreed to these standards in the form of "corporate codes of conduct,"
and some have even set up internal company systems to verify manufacturer
and contractor compliance with their codes. Similarly, many universities
have adopted codes of conduct for licensees of products bearing
the university logo as a result of student, faculty and community
advocacy. Public controversy has now shifted to the question of
how codes of conduct should be implemented and monitored. Corporations
and a number of key policy makers are encouraging voluntary compliance
and monitoring by the corporations themselves or directly hired
subcontractors. On the other hand, anti-sweatshop activists advocate
the use of independent monitoring carried out by non-governmental
organizations.
Aims of the research project
While research conducted thus far by other researchers has exposed
the existence of sweatshop conditions in many locations around the
world, none has focused on comparing factory conditions before and
after the implementation of codes. In addition, no study has attempted
to isolate the effect of codes from other factors that affect labor
conditions.
The research project conducted at the Henning Institute and in collaboration
with faculty and NGO's nationally and internationally will therefore
be the first to provide a comprehensive look at the effectiveness
of the codes of conduct strategy on sweatshop conditions in apparel
factories throughout the Pacific Rim.
It will address two empirical questions:
1. To what extent are codes of conduct effective in achieving their
stated objective?
2. If they have achieved their objectives in some cases, what factors
have led to these results?
Policy Implications
The findings of conclusive evidence of what monitoring procedures
have been most effective will be a critical contribution to current
policy debate in the anti-sweatshop movement, and the highlighting
of best practices found in our study will also have widespread significance
for the broader discussion of the inclusion of core labor standards
in international trade, development, and finance as a strategy for
pursuing economic sustainability and stabilization.
Resources on Labor Standards and
Codes of Conduct
Resources on Monitoring
For more information, please write to: laborcenter@berkeley.edu
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