SAI is grateful to SwedWatch and AwazCDS-Pakistan for their reporting on labor conditions in Pakistan’s home textile industry. Such investigations are vital for ensuring accountability when it comes to responsible business conduct.

We have been unable to verify whether any of the factories holds a valid SA8000 certification, due to SwedWatch’s understandable decision to protect confidentiality and not to share factory names associated with this report. We nonetheless take the allegations seriously and are taking steps to follow up in our system. The reportedly widespread and systemic nature of labor abuses is grounds for increased scrutiny by SAI and SAAS. We invite anyone with specific information about violations at an SA8000-certified organization to share that information by following the complaint procedure described on our website.

While SA8000 and other certification programs can be a useful tool for buyers and procuring organizations, they are one element of and not a replacement for holistic due diligence. This is something that SAI emphasizes throughout our work with companies and governments. As a mission-driven NGO dedicated to advancing human rights for workers around the world, SAI fully supports SwedWatch’s recommendations in this report regarding government procurement practices.