Better working conditions in the textile industrySECO helps employers run their businesses responsibly while taking into account social and ecological aspects alongside economic considerations.
Companies create jobs, pay wages and taxes, thereby contributing significantly to effective economies and social prosperity. They open up economic opportunities for people, so they do not have to emigrate. Responsible companies provide decent employment opportunities, while increasing the quality of their products and operating more productively.
Spotlight on the textile and clothing industry. More than 60 million people worldwide, predominantly women, work here. Textiles account for 70 percent of all exports in some countries. The SECO-funded Better Work programme helps export firms comply with national labour laws and international labour standards.
As part of the programme, workers and the factory management take time to understand each other’s needs and decisions and collaborate in order to improve working conditions continuously.
«We discuss specific opportunities for improvement in regular meetings with management. I see the effort management is making to create a more pleasant and safer workplace.»
Hoang Thi Thuy, Seamstress
«We discuss specific opportunities for improvement in regular meetings with management. I see the effort management is making to create a more pleasant and safer workplace.»
Hoang Thi Thuy, Seamstress
Better Work brings together factory owners, trade unions, governments, and global brands on regional, national and global levels to improve working conditions in supply chains. At the same time, it helps factories to meet the requirements of international buyers in order to compete on the global market.
Since the start of the programme in 2007 until 2019, Better Work has improved the working conditions of 2.4 million employees in 1’700 factories. In these factories, there are significantly less work accidents and employees work considerably less weekly hours.
The measures initiated under Better Work improve employee satisfaction. Employees are less likely to be absent from work and will change jobs less frequently. This leads to improved quality of products and increases efficiency. For instance, Better Work factories in Vietnam increased production by 8 to 22 percent and boosted their profits by 25 percent after four years. They were able to increase revenues, generate more customers and create more jobs.
Better Work was launched by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The programme is active in Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh, as well as in Egypt, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Haiti, Jordan and Nicaragua.
Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility
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Better working conditions in the textile industry
