msi
Multi-stakeholder Initiatives (MSIs) bring together companies, trade unions and campaigning organisations to work together to try and improve conditions for workers. Through working with trade unions and campaigning organisations, both in the consumer and producer countries where they are sourcing from, companies have a much better chance of understanding workers' concerns and involving them in the process of trying to improve conditions.
The Ethical Trading Initiative is now the UK's biggest MSI and represents 40 companies (including Gap Inc, Marks and Spencer, Primark, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Zara) and various key trade unions and campaigning organisations. All companies that join the ETI have to sign up to the ETI base code and the accompanying Principles of Implementation, which should be progressively introduced throughout a company's supply chain to ensure that they gradually improve working conditions. Companies are required to submit a report to the Ethical Trading Initiative each year to detail how they are working towards improving conditions for garment workers. This is in contrast to the function of other MSIs such as: the FairWear Foundation and Fair Labor Association which are verification initiatives; Social Accountability International which accredits companies and organisations to certify factories comply with the SA8000 code; and the US Worker Rights Consortium, which focuses on university apparel. These five MSIs and the Clean Clothes Campaign have worked together to develop best practice in the JO-IN project.
Further information:
- Read the Fashioning an Ethical Industry on MSIs - Factsheet 10: Multi-stakeholder initiatives.
- What does the ETI base code look like? Have a look on the Ethical Trading Initiative website.
- Are Ethical Trading Initiative member companies really doing enough to improve conditions for the workers' producing their clothes? Whilst joining the Ethical Trading Initiative means that companies have made a commitment to improving conditions over time, serious workers right violations are still found in their supply chains. Read about poor conditions faced by workers in Bangladesh supplying for ETI members Tesco, Primark and Asda in the report 'Fashion Victims'.
Back to company initiatives
